Conquistador Museum and Courtyard planned for Bradenton

The Hernando de Soto Historical Society and the Conquistador Historical Foundation announced plans Thursday to open the Conquistador Museum and Courtyard within three years near LECOM Park.

The new $1 million, 10,000-square-foot facility will be developed at 605 17th Ave. W., just east of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ spring baseball home and Darwin Brewing Company.

Artifacts relating to the Spanish history of Bradenton, now housed in the South Florida Museum, include the iconic equestrian statue of the conquistador Hernando de Soto, who is believed to have landed near present-day Bradenton in 1539. All of it will be moving to the new Spanish-style museum.

The facility will be finished to museum standards and will include a courtyard similar to the one in Barcarotta, Spain, sister city of Bradenton. The facility, complete with a catering kitchen, will be available for community events or weddings, and will accommodate events with up to 350 people.

The move comes after South Florida Museum purchased the Hernando de Soto Society and Foundation’s property at Third Avenue West and Ninth Street West, making room for a $12 million expansion to “create the museum of the future.” Museum CEO Brynne Anne Besio said they hope to break ground on phase one of their expansion this fall.

The planned Conquistador Museum will help preserve and celebrate Bradenton’s Spanish history, and its relationship with Barcarotta, birthplace of de Soto, says Tom Murphy, president of the Hernando de Soto Historical Society.

“This is an exciting opportunity for the Hernando de Soto Historical Society and its Conquistador Historical Foundation to preserve the history and Spanish heritage in the Bradenton area as well as to cement our relationship with our sister city in Barcarotta, Spain,” Murphy said.

Ninth Street revitalization

The new museum will also help with the all the revitalization efforts along Ninth Street West.

“We are proud to be part of the Ninth Street corridor improvements,” said Rick Parcels, foundation board member.

The site is near LECOM Park, spring training home of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

“It will pick up where the Pirates left off,” Murphy said. “We hope this will pave the way for additional growth and development.”

The Hernando de Soto Historical Society and the foundation already own the property at at 605 17th Ave. W., and have been using it as a float barn.

The initial design for Conquistador Museum and Courtyard came from Mike Ivko, one of the society’s members. The architect for the project is Jerry Zoller and Darren Autry Architects.

Work begins Monday to start removing the statues from the South Florida Museum.

Fundraisers to start

The Hernando de Soto Historical Society and Foundation have already banked approximately half the money needed to construct Conquistador Museum and Courtyard, Parcels said, and are developing a capital campaign to raise the rest.

“We have just finished a couple of meetings with the city of Bradenton. We don’t have a timeline yet, but hope to have it done within three years,” Parcels said.

The equestrian statue of de Soto in the courtyard of the South Florida Museum was created by Spanish sculptor Enrique Perez Comendado, and was unveiled at the museum in 1972. Elizabeth Eaton provided a gift to create the statue in 1969, but did not live to see it installed.

“A lot of the founding members of the our society were founders of the museum. There is a lot of joint history there,” Parcels said.

The 78-year-old Hernando de Soto Historical Society conducts 12 events a year, including the De Soto Ball and Grand Parade, and contributes thousands of volunteer hours to community projects.

In the last 10 years, it has donated about $500,000 to the community.

For more information on Conquistador Museum and Courtyard, watch desotohq.com, or contact Murphy at 941-747-1998 or Parcels at rjmrick@gmail.com.

This story was originally published June 22, 2017 at 12:49 PM with the headline "Conquistador Museum and Courtyard planned for Bradenton."