BRADENTON BEACH – Shortly after the Dec. 7 city commission approval of a 106-room resort hotel/restaurant/retail complex on the corner of Bridge Street and Gulf Drive South, demolition began on the first building on the site.
On Dec. 11, a permitted demolition began on 129 Gulf Drive S., the location of the former Joe’s Eats N Sweets.
The property that the hotel will be built on is co-owned by local developer Shawn Kaleta and Bradenton Beach commissioner and businessman Jacob Spooner. It is sited on 1.61 acres and located at 101, 105 and 117 Bridge St. and 106, 108, 110 and 112 Third St. S.
In a Dec. 27 email to The Sun from Bradenton Beach permit technician Annabre Veal, the permit application for demolition of 101 Bridge St. is complete and demolition permit applications for 105 and 117 Bridge St. have also been submitted.
The proposed scope of the work at 101 Bridge St. is “Demo and remove entire structure (Mixed use comm/res, 2 living units, 1 comm building),” according to the permit applied for by Kaleta.
Several local residents who are critics of the hotel project have expressed concern about the historical background and environmental concerns surrounding the three remaining buildings on the proposed hotel site, and they have reached out to city officials with their findings.
A Dec. 15 letter signed by Christine Johnson and Sue Longacre and addressed to Mayor John Chappie, City Attorney Ricinda Perry and City Clerk Terri Sanclemente was hand-delivered to city hall by Johnson.
“Residents of Bradenton Beach have uncovered historical elements located in the Florida Master Site File for situs addresses within the planned development, Bridge Street Resort, in Bradenton Beach, Florida,” the letter states in part.
The letter lists the three addresses from the Master Site File as:
• “Magnolia Apartments, 105 Bridge Street, Bradenton Beach, Florida; dated 1935; Florida Master Site File: Condition- ‘Fair;’ appears to meet qualifications for National Listing Individually and as Part of a District;
• Maestro’s Italian Restaurant; 101 Bridge Street, Bradenton Beach, Florida; dated 1925; Florida Master Site File; Condition ‘Good;’ appears to meet qualifications for National Listing Individually and as Part of a District;
• Bridge Street Bazaar; 117 Bridge Street, Bradenton Beach, Florida; dated 1955; Florida Master Site File; Condition ‘Good;’ appears to meet qualifications for National Listing Individually and as Part of a District.”
“Documents supporting relevant findings will be attached to this letter and residents believe it is necessary to present these findings to the City Commission and the City Attorney to preserve the historical elements of Bradenton Beach.”
Former Building Official Steve Gilbert said that the listing in the Master Site file does not prevent building owners from demolition.
“I’m not aware of any structures in Bradenton Beach that might be listed on the state or federal registry,” Gilbert wrote in a Dec. 13 email to The Sun two days before he retired. “Even so, being listed does not preclude an owner from renovations, or demolition and rebuild. The purpose of the program is to encourage owners to ‘save’ older buildings, but there are no regulations through state or local ordinances to prohibit what is proposed.”
In an April 24, 2013 story in the Anna Maria Island Sun, reporter Cindy Lane described the renovation at Magnolia as follows:
“While preserving the two-story exterior, in keeping with the Island’s low-rise appeal, Bill Herlihy has replaced almost everything inside the Island Time Inn, 105 Bridge St., formerly the Magnolia Inn, which he said dates back to 1935.
Tile floors, beadboard cabinets, granite countertops, flat-screen TVs, textured walls, light fixtures, kitchen appliances, bathroom fixtures and comfortable furniture are all new.
But he saved a few things for history buffs, too – an old stained glass window in one unit, original wood ceilings in another, and even some of the original exterior of the building incorporated as interior walls.”
