Clearwater in Pinellas County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Harbor Oaks Historic District

Photographed by AGS Media, December 14, 2011

1. Harbor Oaks Historic District Marker

Inscription. Harbor Oaks was Clearwater's first planned residential development. Dean Alvord, a major developer in New York state, opened Harbor Oaks in 1914. Bringing modern planning concepts to the Pinellas County area, the development offered innovative features such as underground utilities, paved streets, curbs and sidewalks, a sewer system, and tree lined parkways. Deed restrictions ensured a rich architectural mix of mostly two story homes including fine examples of Mediterranean Revival, Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival, Mission and Bungalow styles. Local newspapers called Harbor Oaks "the Riviera of the Sunny South" and "the finest shore development on the West coast of Florida". The development was essentially completed by 1930. Harbor Oaks has been the home of such prominent persons as author Rex Beach, Brooklyn Dodgers owner Charles Ebbett, inventor Donald Roebling, industrialist Robert Ingersoll, and members of the Studebaker and Proctor and Gamble families. The Harbor Oaks Historic District was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

Erected 1993 by the Clearwater Historical Society in cooperation

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

with the Florida Department of State. (Marker Number F-341.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Notable Places. A significant historical year for this entry is 1914.

Location. 27° 57.43′ N, 82° 48.151′ W. Marker is in Clearwater, Florida, in Pinellas County. It is at the intersection of Bay Avenue and Druid Road West, in the median on Bay Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Clearwater FL 33756, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Florida’s Gulf Coast

and on Tampa Bay.

It is also in the American South

and on the Gulf Coast.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Fort Harrison (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); South Ward School Site

Photographed by AGS Media, December 14, 2011

2. Harbor Oaks Historic District Marker

(approx. 0.2 miles away); Magnolia Drive Dock (approx. ¼ mile away); The Old Pinellas County Courthouse (approx. 0.4 miles away); Clearwater Post Office (approx. 0.7 miles away); The Seminole Bridge (approx. 1.2 miles away); Jack Russell Memorial Stadium (approx. 1.4 miles away); Clearwater Athletic Field (approx. 1.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Clearwater.

More about this marker. The marker is capped with the Great Seal of the State of Florida.

Regarding Harbor Oaks Historic District. The Harbor Oaks Historic District was listed with the NRHP on March 15, 1988 (# 87002133). The district covers 400 acres and contains 81 buildings and 6 objects.

Harbor Oaks Neighborhood Entrance image. Click for full size.

Photographed by AGS Media, December 14, 2011

3. Harbor Oaks Neighborhood Entrance

Photographed by AGS Media, December 14, 2011

4. Harbor Oaks Neighborhood Entrance

The historical marker is seen in the distance, in the median.

<i>Palmetto Drive, Harbor Oaks, Clearwater, Fla.</i> image. Click for full size.

Postcard by Andrew and James Cleotilis Co., circa 1919

5. Palmetto Drive, Harbor Oaks, Clearwater, Fla.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on December 14, 2011, by Glenn Sheffield of Tampa, Florida. This page has been viewed 1,867 times since then and 120 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on December 14, 2011, by Glenn Sheffield of Tampa, Florida. 5. submitted on October 30, 2015. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.