St. Petersburg  

 Sundial: 822
State/Province:  Florida Country:  USA
Dial Type:  Analemmatic Dial Condition:  Excellent
  Latitude and Longitude: 27° 47.300' N  82° 37.333' W
Location:
  • Dial is at Vista Point, Flora Wylie Park, off North Shore Drive, NE just east of the Historic Old Northeast District. Parking is available in the park opposite 12th Ave NE. Sundial is at the north end of the park between 17th and 18th Ave, NE.
 
Description:
  • Sculptor Eric Higgs was originally approached by Robin Reed,who chaired the historic preservation committee for the Historic Old Northeast Neighborhood Association. She was interested in sprucing up a decrepit area where sundials once stood at Vista Point, Flora Park. From the 1930's to the 1970's two different sundials were located on this site. The plan to refurbish the last sundial slowly evolved into a plan for a new sculpture that "escalated into a project for the [waterfront] centennial."

    In honor of the 2010 centennial celebration, nationally known sculptor Eric Higgs who lives near the site, created the artistic elements of the analemmatic sundial. The hour markers are posts of 60-million year old basalt. THe central walkway are slabs of sandstone created over 300 million years ago. The design includes educational components and symbols of St. Petersburg's history, including an element reflecting the city's sister city in Japan and a noon-mark inscribed in Cyrillic as a nod to Russia's St. Petersburg. At the sundial is a buried time capsule with messages from children of 2010 to those who will honor the bicentennial of the waterfront parks in 2110.

    Higgs wants the sundial in the park to be "a gathering place, I want people to have the feeling that there's something permanent and right with the world and just take a moment to pause and think about those type things."
 
General Information:Inscription:
  • Owner: City of St. Petersburg
  • ST. PETERSBURG WATERFRONT PARKS
    CENTENNIAL SUNDIAL AT VISTA POINT
    DEDICATED NOVEMBER 6, 2010
    SUNDIAL DESIGNED BY SCULPTOR ERIC HIGGS
    FUNDED BY JOE AND ROBIN REED – ERIC AND MEG HIGGS AND ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS FROM
    THE HISTORIC OLD NORTHWEST NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION; OLD NORTHWEST GARDEN CLUB;
    BOOKER CREEK PRESERVATION; ST. PETERSBURG PRESERVATION; DOWNTOWN NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION;
    EDEN ISLE CIVIC ASSOCIATION; PETER BELMONT, WATERFRONT PARKS CENTENNIAL CHAIR, LUMASTREAM, LLC, AND IND
  • Designer: Eric Higgs
  • Builder:
  • Construction Date: Dedicated Nov 6,2010 for the Waterfront Centen
 
References: Web Links:
  • http://www.tampabay.com/features/visualarts/north-shore-park-to-get-unique-sundial-by-eric-higgs/1115110

    http://www.baynews9.com/content/news/baynews9/news/article.html/content/news/articles/ot/both/2010/11/10/New_sundial_in_St_Petersburg_park_lets_visitors_literally_tell_the_time.html

    http://www.stpetepartnership.org/news/48192/St.-Petersburg-Waterfront-Parks-Centennial.htm

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Last Revised: 2016-03-02 21:02