A rooftop garden could soon rise above The Central, a mixed-use development in St. Petersburg’s Edge District.
Ellison Development has proposed a nearly one-acre garden atop the project’s new parking garage, where visitors would find native plants, city views and dinosaur bones.
At the heart of the concept is “Devaiah,” a 76-million-year-old Gorgosaurus skeleton named for co-founder Sidd Pagidipati’s father, Dr. Devaiah Pagidipati. The rare fossil, one of only 20 of its kind and the only one in private hands, would be enclosed in protective glass for public display. The Gorgosaurus predates the Tyrannosaurus rex by about 10 million years.
“Let’s be honest, no one expects to find dinosaur fossils on top of a parking garage,” said Casey Ellison, chief executive officer of Ellison Development. “That’s the fun of it. We love ideas that surprise people and spark their imagination.”
The proposal is still in its early planning stages, but developers hope it will bring the same kind of fascination that “Big John,” the world’s largest triceratops skeleton, has generated since arriving at Tampa’s Glazer Children’s Museum, in 2022.
For Pagidipati, the project is also personal. “I’m thrilled to bring my passion for dinosaurs and real estate together at The Central,” he said. “Instead of leaving the rooftop as empty space, we are unveiling a first-of-its-kind park, centered around Devaiah. This will provide St. Petersburg with additional green space and an outdoor experience unlike anything else in the world.”
The rooftop garden is part of The Central’s broader vision, which includes Halcyon, the first Class A office tower built in downtown St. Petersburg in decades; a 168-room Autograph Collection hotel; 42 workforce housing units; 14,000 square feet of retail and community space; and public art, including a permanent piece by artist Ya La’ford honoring the Courageous Twelve.
More details about the rooftop garden will be released at a later date.