Esteemed preservation expert Donovan Rypkema touts local historic districts in St. Pete

St. Pete Preservation supporters packed the St. Pete Museum of History’s ballroom Monday night to hear from a national expert on local historic designations. The group is embroiled in an effort to make the process of designating neighborhoods as local historic districts easier and is fighting back fierce opposition. Donovan Rypkema is a writer and preservation expert. He’s in town to present recent findings of a Main Street study. Main Street districts overlap a great deal with local historic designation.…