Subject:
Title
Case No. DES-26-02
Designation of the Plant-Sumner House at Heritage Village as a Landmark on a Landmark Site.
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Recommended Action:
Recommended Action
Based upon the evidence and findings contained in the staff report and associated exhibits, Case No. DES-26-02 is recommended for approval.
• Adopt the resolution approving the designation of the Plant-Sumner House located at Heritage Village, 11909 125th Street in unincorporated Largo, as a Landmark on a Landmark Site as per Section 146-6, Pinellas County Code.
• Pinellas County Parks & Conservation Resources is seeking historical designation for the Plant-Sumner House as part of the commemoration of Heritage Village’s 50-year anniversary.
• The staff report prepared for the case includes findings whereby 16 of the 26 significance criteria outlined in Section 146-6, Pinellas County Code applies to this historic building.
• The staff recommendation is for approval of the proposed designation.
• The Pinellas County Historic Preservation Board recommended approval of the proposed designation (vote 9-0) at the public hearing held on January 21, 2026. No one appeared or provided correspondence in opposition.
• Letters of support for the designation have been received from the Pinellas County Historical Commission and the Pinellas County Historical Society.
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Strategic Priorities:
Resilient Infrastructure and Environment
1.4 Improve environmental quality
1.5 Strengthen resilience and adaptation
Summary:
Summary
The following Exhibits are included as attachments to the staff report:
• Exhibit A - Current Photos
• Exhibit B - Historic Images
• Exhibit C - Location Maps
• Exhibit D - Completed Application for Landmark on a Landmark Site
• Exhibit E - Florida Master Site File Form
• Exhibit F - Elevation Drawings & Floor Plans
• Exhibit G - Historical Overview
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION SUMMARY
Date of construction: circa 1896
Architectural style: Frame Vernacular
Character defining features include the form, height, and plan of the main block of the building; materials, pitch, and configuration of the main roof; materials and type of the foundation; position, placement, and opening size of fenestration on all sides; materials, type and dimensions of the exterior cladding and trim; materials, access points, roof type, roof pitch, roof configuration, ceiling, rafters, decking; posts and trim of porches; materials, type, configuration, means of operation, and trim of the windows; and the materials, style, type, and trim of the exterior doors on the building.
Existing conditions: A restoration plan will be prepared for this building as part of the 5-year work plan for Heritage Village. In the meantime, quarterly maintenance inspections are conducted.
Threats: Currently, there are no immediate threats to this building. Over the long term it is important that hurricane straps be installed on the building at roof-wall and wall-foundation connections to better fortify the structure against high winds.
Rehabilitative & adaptive use proposals: The Plant-Sumner house shall remain as an exhibit at Heritage Village for the foreseeable future.
STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE SUMMARY
Historical overview: See Exhibit G in the staff report for a detailed historical narrative.
First Period of Significance: c.1896-1934 (when located on ‘A’ Street in Clearwater)
The Plant ownership of the Plant-Sumner House begins with its construction circa 1896 as ordered by Henry B. Plant as part of the complex of buildings associated with the Belleview Hotel. The Belleview was one of the many assets associated with the Plant Investment Corporation that included the Plant System of railroads and steamship lines throughout the southeastern United States, and several luxury resort hotels in Florida. The Plant-Sumner House was originally located near the Belleview Hotel-later the Belleview Biltmore and now the Belleview Inn. This house was among several dwellings that Plant had constructed to provide homes for managers and their families during hotel construction. After construction of the hotel was completed, the house served as the residence for the railroad manager responsible for the railroad spur connecting the hotel property to the main line at the Clearwater Depot. Although the names of the families who lived in the house under Plant’s ownership have not yet been discovered and Henry Plant would never have stayed here, his name has been attributed to the house as recognition for the substantial investment he made in the expansion of the City of Clearwater and the Town of Belleair and the development of the central Gulf Coast of Florida in the Late Victorian era.
By the first decade of the 20th century, Henry Plant had passed away and the employee residences associated with the hotel complex no longer served a useful purpose to those who were managing the exclusive resort. Hotel officials sold the dwellings at low prices with the understanding that the new owners would move the houses away from the Belleview. Two gentlemen by the name of Newman and Brown, purchased the Plant-Sumner House and had it moved about a half mile east to “A” Street just off Fort Harrison Avenue. In 1912, Robert and Louise Sumner, having recently moved from Maitland, Florida, purchased the house and moved in with their four children. Mr. Sumner worked locally as the Belleair Postmaster and was minister at Belmont Park Methodist Church. Although the Sumners occupied the “A” Street residence for over 40 years, the Sumner family made substantial improvements to the house including a modernized kitchen and side porches in 1934 and a second bathroom on the west side of the house in 1950. Because none of these later improvements were saved after the move to Heritage Village and are not currently seen on the house, 1934 has been selected as the end of the First Period of Significance.
Second Period of Significance: 1976-1977 (after relocation to Heritage Village)
In May 1973, members of the Clearwater Junior League and Seminole Chapter of The Questers, an international nonprofit dedicated to keeping history alive through education, preservation, and the funding of restoration projects, were told by Ralph Reed, County Historian, that the Plant-Sumner House on “A” Street in Clearwater was to be sold. The new owner had plans to either burn or demolish the structure, so the organizations joined forces launching the effort to save the structure. Intense lobbying directed at the Pinellas County Historical Commission and the Board of County Commissioners saved Plant-Sumner House. In 1976, the Plant-Sumner House became the first building moved to Heritage Village. The Junior League of Clearwater raised $50,000 for restoration costs and the local chapter of the Questers provided interior furnishings. In 2026, Heritage Village is commemorating a significant milestone--50 years since its creation in 1976 as part of the American Bicentennial which inspired the creation nationwide of numerous historical organizations and societies, along with the establishment of open-air museums like Heritage Village.
In summary, the Plant-Sumner House has met the significance criteria outlined in Sec. 146-6(e), Pinellas County Code as follows:
- Historic Resource Integrity Criteria, First Period of Significance c.1896-1934 - Two (2) of six (6) criteria have been met.
- Historic Resource Integrity Criteria, Second Period of Significance 1976-77 - Five (5) of six (6) criteria have been met.
- General Significance Criteria - Three (3) of the five (5) criteria have been met.
- Historic/Cultural Significance Criteria - Four (4) of the five (5) criteria have been met.
- Architectural/Aesthetic Significance Criteria - Two (2) of the four (4) criteria have been met.
It is the recommendation of staff and the Pinellas County Historic Preservation Board that the request submitted by Pinellas County Parks & Conservation Resources for designation of the Plant-Sumner House located at Heritage Village, 11909 125th Street in unincorporated Largo be APPROVED by the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners as a Landmark on a Landmark Site as provided for in Section 146-6, Pinellas County Code.
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Background Information:
The Pinellas County Historic Preservation Board (HPB) unanimously recommended approval of the request during its January 21, 2026, public hearing (vote 9-0).
Fiscal Impact:
N/A
Staff Member Responsible:
Gregg Mims, Director, Housing & Community Development
Tom Scofield, Principal Planner--Historic Preservation Specialist; Housing & Community Development, presenter
Paul Cozzie, Director, Parks & Conservation Resources
Monica Drake, Operations Manager, Heritage Village Park & Museum
Partners:
Pinellas County Historical Commission
Pinellas County Historical Society
Attachments:
Resolution
Staff Report & Exhibits
Presentation
Letters of Support (2)
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