Bradenton: Old buildings make way for a new bank
BRADENTON – A century ago, the now-busy corner of Manatee Avenue West and 19th Street housed a beekeeping operation that was outside of city limits.
Not many people lived in the area when J.J. Wilder cultivated bees at 1915 Manatee Ave. W.
The house, built in 1914, is among five buildings on nearly two acres scheduled for demolition this week to make room for a bank.
Like other parts of the region, the real estate bust hit the corner, which borders the Wares Creek residential neighborhood, and the properties were neglected. The other buildings are at 1901 to 1905 Manatee Ave. W., 516 to 518 19th St. W. and 1916 Sixth Ave. W.
Bank of the Ozarks, which acquired the property in December through foreclosure, plans to build a two-story, 19-office, 10,555-square-foot building to use as its Manatee County headquarters.