ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A St. Petersburg club known for its commitment to community service is open again after damage from Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

The building that houses the St. Petersburg Woman’s Club is a historic landmark in the community. It’s also where generations of families gather to mark life’s milestones.

Mackenzie Patel and her fiancé, Nikhil Thota, have been planning their wedding at the nearly century-old building for about a year and a half.

“My fiancé and I got engaged last September, so definitely a lot of planning,” said Patel, who is from St. Petersburg and now lives in San Francisco. “When we heard about the hurricanes and the flooding, definitely stressful.”

That stress has since been lifted. Club members and construction crews have been working on hurricane recovery efforts for months.

“We are so excited that we were able to hold this event for them so soon, because the destruction was just massive,” said club President Barbara Sundholm.

Sundholm said finishing touches are still being made, but the space is open. This wedding marks the first major event since renovating the historic space.

“It’s going to be like a whole new clubhouse, almost," she said. "She’s still a grand old lady and we’re really proud of her. But we’re just pleased that we can get back to what we’re here for. Volunteerism is our lifeblood and our members. We’re like a sisterhood.”

“I think I view it in terms of seeing a silver lining,” said Patel.

“A lot of people faced a lot of damage in this area, not just the Woman’s Club but my family — aunts, uncles, grandparents," she said. "A lot of people’s houses and homes are destroyed, so that was obviously really tough for everyone. But the silver lining is that now there’s a beautiful new space, new carpet, new chairs and it kind of got a glow-up. So it’s kind of nice to be the first person to sort of christen that.”