Pink-painted buildings mark next step for Roche Bobois tower

Several low-rise apartment buildings at the northeast corner of 4th Street South and 4th Avenue South in downtown St. Petersburg have been painted bright pink as demolition of a planned $200 million condominium tower approaches.

Clearwater-based Valor Capital plans to replace the buildings with the Roche Bobois St. Pete Tower. CEO Moises Agami said the nearly 30-story high-rise will be the first Roche Bobois designer-branded residential building in the United States.

Agami said the project will include 164 condominium units, ranging from studios to three-bedroom residences, including penthouses. He said prices will start just over $500,000.

“We’re really bringing something where locals, young professionals, lawyers, doctors, artists, creatives, can come and live here,” Agami said. “They don’t have to spend millions of dollars to be here.”

Agami said he expects the buyer pool to include locals and out-of-town residents, and said the project aims to reflect what he called St. Petersburg’s character.

“If you go down Beach Drive, you see all of these luxurious developments and beautiful places,” Agami said. “But they may not really reflect the full character of St. Pete.”

Pink paint marks the start of a mural activation

Agami said the pink paint is the start of a mural activation that will invite artists to cover the buildings before demolition begins.

“My mom used to tell me since I was a little kid, ‘Hey, let’s go have fun this weekend. Let’s go paint the town pink,’” Agami said. “I never thought I would actually be painting the town.”

Several low-rise apartment buildings painted bright pink at 4th Street South and 4th Avenue South in downtown St. Petersburg. — Several low-rise apartment buildings at the northeast corner of 4th Street South and 4th Avenue South in downtown St. Petersburg were painted bright pink ahead of demolition for the planned Roche Bobois St. Pete Tower.

Agami said Valor plans to begin a mural “flash mob” Saturday at noon, with artists invited to paint the buildings before demolition begins.

Agami said the development team plans to preserve elements of the artwork in the finished tower.

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“Out of that collaboration, we’re going to be selecting some of our favorite murals and designs and incorporating those permanently into the building,” he said.

Agami said demolition will begin soon after the mural event.

Renderings show a slender tower and public plaza

Renderings provided by Valor show a slender residential tower rising above a multi-story podium, with sculptural, wave-like facade elements wrapping the exterior.

The podium supports a landscaped pool deck and terrace level above the street.

At ground level, the plans call for a 4,000-square-foot plaza and a public restaurant. Landscaped walkways, sculptural art and shaded seating areas frame the entrance in the renderings.

“So you don’t have to be a resident here to enjoy the art,” Agami said.

“We’re looking for the best spa and hotel operator in St. Pete to bring into our development,” Agami said.

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Agami said the building’s art and design elements will be shaped by a team that includes Valor’s designers, interior designers and international architecture firm GVA Gomez Vasquez International.

He described the mural program and public art as a collaboration involving dozens of artists, including local, national and international contributors.

Agami said the project’s design architect is GVA Gomez Vasquez International.

Street-level rendering of Roche Bobois St. Pete Tower showing the rippling podium facade and landscaped frontage along 4th Street South.

A street-level rendering shows the Roche Bobois St. Pete Tower podium wrapped in a rippling facade element, with landscaping and ground-floor frontage along 4th Street South. Rendering credit: Valor Real Estate Development.

Artist rendering shows the podium and terrace levels of the planned Roche Bobois St. Pete Tower at 4th Street South and 4th Avenue South in downtown St. Petersburg.

A rendering shows the podium and terrace levels planned for the Roche Bobois St. Pete Tower, a nearly 30-story condo project proposed for the northeast corner of 4th Street South and 4th Avenue South in downtown St. Petersburg. (Courtesy Valor Capital)

Artist rendering shows the full height of the planned Roche Bobois St. Pete Tower, a nearly 30-story condominium high-rise in downtown St. Petersburg.

A rendering shows the planned Roche Bobois St. Pete Tower, a nearly 30-story condominium project proposed for the northeast corner of 4th Street South and 4th Avenue South in downtown St. Petersburg. (Courtesy Valor Capital)

Developer cites $200M cost and economic impact

Agami estimated the total development cost to exceed $200 million.

He also said the project will generate more than 3,000 jobs and more than $500 million in economic impact, though he did not detail the methodology behind those estimates during the interview.

In the interview, Agami referenced an economic impact estimate of more than half a billion dollars.

Agami said he views the project as an effort to merge architecture, design and art into what he called a “live differently” concept that reflects St. Petersburg’s creative culture.