St. Peter's Episcopal Cathedral, at 140 4th Street in St. Petersburg, invites the diocese to the groundbreaking for its new building, to take place after the 9 a.m. service on May 11, Pentecost Sunday. There will be brief remarks in the cathedral followed by a precession around the block to the vacant lot where the new buildings will rise starting late in May. The cathedral's parish hall, offices and meeting space were razed late last year. A gala reception follows in the cathedral's temporary office space across the street.
St. Peter's is building a three-story facility with 48,500 square feet of office, meeting and fellowship space at a cost of $7.7 million. Bishop Smith will maintain a suite of offices there, and the third floor will be leased to an outside tenant. Construction is expected to take 14 months.