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ST. ARMANDS CIRCLE – A BRIEF HISTORY
Presented by The Fynes/Fara Realty Team
Coldwell Banker Previews
201 Gulf of Mexico Dr. Suite 1
Longboat Key, FL 34228
Direct Office: 941.387.1827
Today, visitors who come to St. Armands Circle find a wide variety of shops, restaurants, and beautiful homes. Most people are surprised that St. Armands was nearly forgotten 50 years ago. Before the 1920’s St. Arrmands was a tropical island only accessible by boat. The first homesteader was Charles A. St. Amand who came to the key in the late 1880’s to fish and grow vegetables. In 1893 St. Amand filed a government claim for 131 acres encompassing three island tracts and was granted a homestead deed. He cleared on acre of land and built a small shack and claimed his land for a $13 fee. In 1894 he sold the land to Augus McInnes for $1,500. In the next 22 years, the land was sold several times. During that time an “r’ was added to St. Amand. A man by the name of E.M. Arbogast sold the key to the man who would lay the groundwork for St. Armands, Mr. John Ringling.
In late 1923, John Ringling stared work on his multi-million dollar development of St. Armands and Lido Key. Owen Burns construction Company laid out the the streets, sidewalks and landscaping. Three large dredges moved millions of cubic yards of fill to build up the mangrove islands and make a solid land. Ringling brought Italian statues to place along the boulevards, and thousands of coconut palm trees and Australian pines were planted. Sewer and water mains were installed, roads were surfaced and canals were dredged. Ringling Estates went on sale and Burns Realty Company was the only agent for the properties.
January 1, 1925, Ringling and Burns began construction of a causeway to connect Lido and St. Armands with the mainland. The causeway was completed one year later. On the day the causeway was officially opened, February 7, 1926, Ringling Estates was also opened to the public.
Work stopped on St. Armands after the land boom ended. The bridge was closed for a short while as a result of rotting planks. The dredges rusted on Otter Key and trees and weeds started to take over the paved roads. St. Armands went into a period of hibernation between 1928 and 1953. After 1953, businesses began slowly returning. With the development of Bird Key and Longboat Key in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s, St. Armands began to spring to life. Today the circle represents the vision John Ringling had over 75 years ago.