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Ruth And Gehrig At Home In St. Petersburg

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By STEVE KORNACKI

The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 23, 2008

Updated: 03/21/2008 07:12 pm

ST. PETERSBURG - The ghosts of baseball spring trainings past come out of the woodwork this time of year at the Flori-de-Leon Apartments.

This was home to Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in the early 1930s, and the Mediterranean Revival-style twin towers on Fourth Avenue North remain something of a monument to those legendary sluggers.

"That history is more on your thoughts with the baseball season here," says apartment building manager Robin Hooker. "The contractors, plumbers and electricians who work on our place call it the Babe Ruth Building. And you can feel Babe Ruth when you come here."

The arched colonnades along the breezeways to penthouses 701 and 702 and the iron grillwork on the entry doors were touches fit for kings, which the two most certainly were. They played together in four World Series for the New York Yankees and set records that stood for decades.

Ruth's 714 homers were majestic, bigger-than-life swats that correlated perfectly with the persona of the Great Bambino. Gehrig's 2,130 consecutive games played were a testament to the reliability and outstanding productivity of the Iron Horse.

They practiced at the Crescent Lake Ballpark and played games just a short walk from the Flori-de-Leon at Waterfront Park. Then, they would return to walk past the palm-lined courtyard and into the lobby of the apartments, where they took the Otis elevator (still operational today) up to the sixth floor.

They took a smaller elevator or stairs to the seventh floor, walking past what are now called the Babe Ruth Lounge and Lou Gehrig Lounge, both furnished with antiques.

Then they would step outside the lounge doors to the private roof gardens with sun decks that offer grand views of the Vinoy Basin and Tampa in the far distance.

"I think a lot of people here sit on this rooftop and wonder what was going on back then in those penthouse suites," says Marsha Reynolds, a Flori-de-Leon resident and co-chairman of its Heritage Committee.

Opposite Personalities

Hooker provides a hint: "Ruth was a hell-raiser and liked his sauce. Gehrig was reserved and quiet."

Legend has it that Gehrig had the small elevator near his place extended to reach the seventh floor for more privacy. The other penthouse elevator goes only to the sixth floor. Hooker believes the story is true.

"I've heard that Babe Ruth used to cook sauerkraut and smell the whole house up," says resident Alberta Starr.

Reynolds and her committee recently set out to prove that the stories told through the years are true - that Ruth and Gehrig both did, indeed, live in this grand, old building.

So far, they have proof only for Ruth: phone records, letters and telegrams.

A.M. Jones, manager of the Flori-de-Leon, sent a Feb. 3, 1933, letter to Mr. George H. Ruth, 345 West 88th St., New York, N.Y.:

"Through a friend, Mrs. Billy De Beck, we understand you are planning to arrive - Saint Petersburg about February 13th ... Pleased to learn you have asked for reservations of Apartment 701 - upper floor, northeast bungalow - and have offered $400 for six weeks."

For years, residents believed Ruth stayed in 702 and Gehrig in 701. And they might have in different years.

De Beck was the wife of famous cartoonist William Morgan "Billy" De Beck, who created the Barney Google comic strip. He lived on Snell Isle in St. Petersburg and was a close friend and golfing buddy of Ruth.

A Western Union telegram dated Feb. 7, 1933, and sent to the Flori-de-Leon at 130 Fourth Ave. N. reads: "BUSINESS NECESSITATES MY ARRIVAL FEBRUARY TENTH. PLEASE HAVE APARTMENT READY. - BABE RUTH."

Stacks of the fragile, 75-year-old records remain to be sifted through.

Both penthouses had breezeways facing the courtyard and long hallways on the opposite side. They had two bedrooms, two baths, a kitchen, dining room and living room.

The building is now home to residents 55 and older, an age neither ballplayer achieved. Gehrig died at 37; Ruth at 53.

Penthouse Updates

Penthouse 702 was recently renovated with stainless-steel appliances and custom cabinets and now offers a view of downtown St. Petersburg with Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays, in the distance. Its owners requested privacy and declined to be interviewed.

Penthouse 701 is being gutted and remodeled for a new owner.

But some things never change - such as the steam heat that comes through the radiators.

"After news articles are printed about us housing Ruth and Gehrig, fans will show up," Hooker says. "They push the buzzer and want in. But they appreciate our need for privacy. An owner can talk to them if they want, but we do not openly welcome folks wanting to come in because of the baseball connection."

If you do get inside, check the display just to the right of the check-in window. The highlight is a photo of Ruth and Gehrig on a baseball barnstorming tour. They're not wearing the familiar Yankees pinstripes, but rather uniforms that say "Bustin' Babes and Larrupin' Lous." Ruth has his left arm around Gehrig and they're grinning for the photographer, holding mitts in their right hands while leaning on baseball bats.

The framed black-and-white photo of Ruth watching a ball fly high and deep off his big, powerful bat has a typewritten note attached at the bottom: "...once lived here."

Reporter Steve Kornacki can be reached at (813) 731-8170 or skornacki@tampatrib.com.

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