The People Who Built the Jungle
Five visionaries helped shape the Jungle Country Club and the surrounding community. A sixth figure, Babe Ruth, helped make the Jungle nationally famous during his annual spring visits to St. Petersburg.
F. A. Davis
The Father of St. Petersburg
Two names that loom large in Azalea history ‒ H. Walter Fuller and Walter P. Fuller ‒ owe their fame to F.A. Davis, who hired H. Walter Fuller to manage many of his business operations. When Davis' empire collapsed due to an economic downturn, an investment company bought the foreclosed businesses and put Fuller in charge. Fuller and his son went on to complete many of the projects that Davis had started or envisioned.
H. Walter Fuller
The Jungle's Founding Father
Henry Walter Fuller (1865–1942) was the visionary who first promoted the Jungle as a special place to live. After moving to St. Petersburg, Fuller began acquiring land near Boca Ciega Bay in an area he called “The Jungle.” As manager of the local trolley line, he helped extend streetcar service westward to his property, making the largely undeveloped area more accessible.
In 1915, Fuller joined a group of investors, including future St. Petersburg mayor Al Lang, in clearing land for the Jungle golf course.
Walter P. Fuller
Jungle Visionary
Walter P. Fuller (1894–1973) helped transform his father H. Walter Fuller’s early vision for the Jungle into one of St. Petersburg’s most ambitious developments. After graduating from the University of North Carolina in 1915, Fuller returned to St. Petersburg and became involved in journalism, business and real estate.
During Florida’s great land boom, Fuller developed the Jungle Prado shopping complex in 1924 and followed it with his crowning achievement, the Jungle Country Club Hotel, which opened in February 1926. The Jungle became a fashionable destination associated with golf, prominent visitors and winter tourism.
Handsome Jack Taylor
Forgotten Visionary
“Handsome Jack” Taylor was a charismatic promoter and developer whose money, ambition and persuasive personality helped ignite the 1920s building boom on St. Petersburg’s west side. In 1922, Taylor purchased 1,800 acres south of the Jungle from the Fullers and launched Pasadena-on-the-Gulf. The investment provided Walter P. Fuller and his partners with capital to move forward with the Jungle projects. Much of the historic character of Pasadena and the Jungle can be traced to the burst of development that he helped set in motion.
Al Lang
Florida’s Baseball Ambassador
Al Lang (1870-1960) was one of the best-known figures in the city during the first decades of the twentieth century. He lived in the Jungle during his most productive years in St. Petersburg.
Lang served as president of the Jungle Country Club for most of the club’s existence and lived nearby on Park Street, directly across from the clubhouse. His presence helped give the Jungle considerable prestige.
Among his greatest successes was attracting the New York Yankees to St. Petersburg for spring training.
That brought Babe Ruth and other Yankee stars to the city and helped establish a baseball tradition that lasted for generations.
Babe Ruth
Golfer, Jungle Country Club
Babe Ruth was one of the most popular golfers of the Roaring Twenties. Golf was an important part of his pre-season conditioning, giving him a way to stay active and competitive while preparing for another baseball season. During his spring visits to St. Petersburg, Ruth played well over 100 rounds on the Jungle course, which became one of the country’s most renowned golf courses largely because of his presence there every spring. Ruth became a familiar guest at the Jungle Country Club and Jungle Hotel, where his birthday was celebrated each February. His appearances attracted fans, sportswriters, and considerable national attention to the Jungle. When later asked to list his favorite sporting achievements, Ruth included the double eagle he scored on the 17th hole of the Jungle golf course.
Famous Figures Who Set Anchor in the Jungle
Before their names were known around the world, astronaut Charles Duke and musician Stephen Stills spent formative years at Admiral Farragut Academy in the Jungle.
Charles M. Duke, Jr.
Stephen Stills
Learned to Play Guitar Here
One of the greatest guitarists of all time learned to play while attending Admiral Farragut Academy. In 1957, 12-year-old Stephen “latched on to his roommate's guitar and plunked around until his fingers bled.”
By 2003, Stills was number 28 in Rolling Stone's list of “The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.”
Crosby, Stills and Nash was at one time the most popular rock group in the world and they were called the “American Beatles.”
