Month: December 2020

Catching up with Chuck Prather: The logistics of running three restaurants at the end of The Pier

Posted on by Keara McGraw

Ten years has elapsed since developer Chuck Prather bought the 1920-vintage Grayl’s Hotel for $1.8 million. He transformed the vacant Beach Drive wreck into the Birchwood, an 18-room boutique hotel with a swanky restaurant at ground level, and a rooftop bar with breathtaking views of downtown and the bay. The renovations came to more than […]

‘First Flight’ monument installed at the St. Pete Pier

Posted on , updated on by Keara McGraw

It’s been nearly 107 years since pilot Tony Jannus flew a wood and canvas “airboat” across the bay from St. Petersburg to Tampa in 23 minutes. January 1, 1914 was historically significant not just for our area but for the world as we know it: Because Jannus’ floating biplane carried a paying passenger, who’d paid […]