For half a century, the 11-story white mammoth has sat on the outskirts of the Kenwood neighborhood. The city’s first luxury sky rise was once the symbol of opulence and home to wealthy widows seen as the who’s who of St. Petersburg’s 1960s society. But in the 1990s, the massive structure fell into disarray and was zoned as Section 8 housing on the verge of collapse.
“This place was shut down,” explains AJ Broome, the property’s sole leasing professional. “But there was a major renovation, abatements and construction and now Skyline Fifth is leasing apartments regularly.”
Since 2005, more than $30 million has been poured into the renovation of the 190,000-square-foot building and nearly 100 of its 178 new units have been leased. Of those, Broome estimates nearly 70% are leased by LGBT residents, including the one Aaron Ratliff and Jay Thompson, who met a year ago and have lived on the fourth floor of the building for six months.
Ratliff says he was surprised by the building when he took his first tour.
“I had seen the renovations going on and I remember how bad the building used to be,” says Ratliff, who is a nurse. “We searched for apartments for three months and when I looked at Skyline Fifth I was much nicer than I expected. I thought it would be more raw since it had just been completed. I pictured laminate countertops, terrible appliances and lots of noise from 34th Street. But that’s not what we got at all.”
In fact, granite countertops and hurricane-resistant doors keeping the noise out caught both Ratliff’s and Thompson’s attention, and the stainless steel appliances were an added bonus.
The pair originally chose the apartment because they wanted to downsize so they could save money and build a house. Ratliff had anticipated living in the apartment a year—but now the two are considering moving into a bigger unit and extending their stay at least through 2011.
Target marketing
When Broome first interviewed to work for the JMG Realty-managed property, which is based in Atlanta, he was asked who he thought the property should target in its marketing efforts.
“That was easy,” he remembers. “I said, ‘Go after LGBTs.’ We’re known for having a little extra money and we love to see a property transition into a luxury living area.”
Management agreed with his idea, Broome says, and soon Skyline Fifth was marketing at neighboring Georgie’s Alibi and participating in St. Pete Pride as a $5,000 sponsor.
“Our marketing is directly geared toward the gay community,” Broome points out. “It won’t work everywhere, but our napkins and shirts with lips on them saying, “For a good time call…” has worked well for us.”
Broome and his partner of six years don’t live on site. But they do live nearby in the Old Northeast section of St. Petersburg.
“This is the type of place I’ve always wanted to live in,” Broome says. “But if I lived here I’d never get out of the building.”
A big boon to the complex’s growing residential community has been customer-referrals to the property, which offers more than just newly refurnished apartments.
“The draw here is that these apartments are brand new—no one has lived in the apartment you’re going to lease,” Broome says. “There’s no mold, it’s quiet, we’re community-oriented and we also offer a lot of amenities that some apartment complexes don’t have.”
Among those amenities is a pool, an on-site dog park, a weight room complete with showers and a community gathering space, complete with a large screen television, surround sound and a kitchen.
Ratliff and Thompson recently hosted a trivia night in the room, called the S5 Club, and saw nearly 40 guests attend.
“We had a great time and enjoyed a catered dinner provided by Skyline,” Ratliff recalls. “It’s such a resident-oriented building. We meet people all the time and the on-site dog park is a great way to meet other residents with pets. Many of us hang out there in the evenings, let the dogs play and catch up with each other’s lives.”
Ratliff says several of his co-workers have leased apartments in the building after he suggested the complex.
Apartments at Skyline Fifth cater to different styles, tastes and budgets, according to Broome. Monthly rents range from $775 for a one-bedroom, one-bathroom 758-square-foot apartment to more than $3,000 for a two-level 1,540-square-foot penthouse.
For more information on Skyline Fifth, visit SkylineFifth.com or call 727-327-1444.
