Clearwater is the seat of Pinellas County, which also includes St. Petersburg. Settlement in Clearwater began with an Army outpost built south of Downtown in 1835, called Fort Harrison. Settlement slowly continued after the Seminole Wars, and a passenger railroad was built to the settlement in 1888, which brought growth.
Clearwater was incorporated as a city in 1914, and became the seat of newly-formed Pinellas County in 1915. During World War II, Clearwater was used as a training base by the military. After the war, development blossomed as the favorable weather became desirable.
In the 1970s, Clearwater became the destination for the Church of Scientology. The church increasingly left its imprint on the city, buying up several properties, and culminating with the construction of the Flag Building, its headquarters.
The Pinellas County Courthouse, on Court Street. The courthouse was built in 1963.
The old Pinellas County Courthouse, on Fort Harrison Avenue. The courthouse was built in 1918.
The Fort Harrison Hotel, on Fort Harrison Avenue. The hotel was built in 1926.
The hotel was purchased by the Church of Scientology in 1975, and houses practitioners studying in Clearwater.
The Flag Building, on Fort Harrison Avenue. The structure is the flagship building of the Church of Scientology.
The strucutre, also known as the Super Power Building, was built between 1998 and 2011.
Peace Memorial Presbyterian Church, on Fort Harrison Avenue. The church was built in 1921.
A building on Cleveland Street.
Clearwater City Hall, on Osceola Avenue. The structure was built in 1966, and has been proposed as the future site of the Clearwater Marine Aquarium.
Water's Edge Condominiums, at Cleveland Street & Osceola Avenue. The highrise was built in 2008.
A building at Cleveland Street & Osceola Avenue.
The Capitol Theatre, on Cleveland Street. The theater was built in 1921 and is under renovation.
Buildings on Cleveland Street.
The old Clearwater Building, on Cleveland Street. The structure was built in 1918, and renovated in 1996 by the Church of Scientology.
Buildings on Cleveland Street. The old Peninsular Telephone Building, built in 1914, is on the left.
The U.S. Post Office, on Cleveland Street. The post office was built in 1932 in the Mediterranean Revival style.
The Station Square condominium, on Cleveland Street. The midrise was built in 2009.
A bar on Cleveland Street.
A mural on the side of the building on Cleveland Street.
An office building at Cleveland Street & Garden Avenue.
This building is maybe the most distinctive in a small collection of commercial midrises in the Downtown area.
The old Coachman Building, on Cleveland Street. The structure was built in 1917.
The old Ritz Theatre, on Fort Harrison Avenue. The theater was built in 1932 and is now a restaurant and event venue.
Buildings on Fort Harrison Avenue.
Buildings on Fort Harrison Avenue.
A building on Drew Street, with the midrises along Cleveland Street in the background.
A shopping center on Myrtle Avenue.
Buildings on Booth Avenue.
A house on Garden Avenue.
Mount Olive A.M.E. Church, on Jones Street.
Houses on Fort Harrison Avenue.
The Albanian Islamic Cultural Center, on Fort Harrison Avenue. The cultural center is housed in a former dance studio, and features a decorative minaret built in 2000.