Bradenton’s downtown is transforming as new Riverwalk opens. ‘It’s got people hopeful.’
It’s hard to overstate the importance of the Bradenton Riverwalk project.
It not only helped beautify downtown, but served as the catalyst for change and revitalization, a process that continues to play out with completion of the second phase of Riverwalk.
The grand opening of Riverwalk East, a 1.5-mile, $7.5 million expansion with a boardwalk, pier, walking trails and Mineral Springs Park, is set for 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 24, at 1312 Second Ave. E.
Cyclists, runners and walkers can now, if they wish, explore three miles of gorgeous riverfront from the vicinity of the downtown public library to the intersection of 12th Street East and Riverside Drive, past some of Bradenton’s most significant historical and cultural landmarks.
Mineral Springs itself is historically significant as it was as a settlement for escaped slaves in the early 1800s. In 2021, archaeologists excavated hundreds of artifacts on the property.
From a sandpile to entertainment district
Until 2012, the Riverwalk did not exist. Bradenton’s largely undeveloped and neglected riverfront had been dubbed “the sandpile.”
The initial $6.2 million Riverwalk project brought a splash park, skate park, beach volleyball and outdoor art installations downtown, and special events followed, such as the Bradenton Blues Festival and the Bradenton Area River Regatta.
It provided a new destination for visitors and residents alike, a place for a stroll, to watch a sunset or check out nearby Old Main Street’s restaurants and bars.
It also helped attract new businesses, including the $23 million, eight-story SpringHill Suites by Marriott hotel with its rooftop restaurant overlooking the Manatee River in 2019, and the Hampton Inn & Suites in 2014.
The Hampton Inn project was also notable because developers were able to save an 88-year-old building on the verge of being demolished by renovating it and making it a hub of downtown activity. That’s the kind of thing city leaders want to see more of as new businesses move into historically significant buildings.
“It brought us together on the river,” Mayor Gene Brown said of the Riverwalk.
He was talking not only about east and west Bradenton, but the City of Palmetto, which has also made significant improvements to its river front. Walkers and runners can enjoy both sides of the river on a single outing via the Green Bridge.
He is hopeful that Manatee County’s proposed water taxi will help pull the Bradenton and Palmetto waterfronts closer together, as well as providing a new mode of transportation between the mainland and Anna Maria Island.
Brown recently toured the historic village of Manatee, now part of east Bradenton.
“There are historic buildings there that are being repurposed,” Brown said of the tour, which included visits to a former hotel and city hall.
Bradenton City Council members recently approved plans for a family-friendly microbrewery at 511 Tenth St. E.
“Businesses are starting to spark up in that area,” Brown said. “This is truly an entertainment district.”
Among those looking to open a business along the riverfront between Ninth Street East and Tenth Street East are the Daiquiri Deck partners, who now have five restaurants, including the newest one at 107 Bridge St., Bradenton Beach.
“What attracted us to the Riverwalk was the pedestrian traffic and the great views of the river,” partner Troy Syprett said.
“We are probably still a year or two out, but we really like that market. There’s a lot of Old Florida in that neighborhood and we really like the changes we’ve seen happening downtown,” Syprett said.
An arts and cultural hub
Riverwalk also helped bring into focus an array of downtown cultural attractions, including the $15 million Manatee Performing Arts Center, which opened in its current location, 502 Third Ave. W,. in 2013 for its first performance, “Miss Saigon.”
Other nearby attractions include The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature with its natural history museum, planetarium and Parker Manatee Rehabilitation Habitat at 201 Tenth St. W., ArtCenter Manatee at 209 Ninth St. W., and Manatee County Central Library at 1301 Barcarrota Ave. W.
Also notable is Bradenton’s Village of the Arts, which features galleries, restaurants and live entertainment. Village of the Arts helped revitalize a neighborhood of homes between Ninth Street West and 14th Street West that were built during the 1920, 1930s and 1940s. Village of the Arts is within walking distance of downtown and LECOM Park.
“The foresight of city and community leaders laid the groundwork for downtown’s current vibrancy and continuing bright future. In 2007, the Bradenton Cultural and Business Alliance initiated the Realize Bradenton cultural planning process that led to the formation of the nonprofit organization Realize Bradenton in 2009,” Executive Director Johnette Ishamsaid.
To encourage walking and to showcase 71 pieces of public art, 35 historic sites, and 168 places to eat, shop, stay and play, Realize Bradenton offers the website WalkBradenton.com.
“Mobility in our downtown is important through many complementary strategies: scootering, biking and walking, as well as continued improvements to streets and crosswalks,” Isham said.
The City of Bradenton recently rolled out its electric scooter program downtown.
Mayor Brown described the scooters as “a new, eco-friendly and fun way to get around. Whether exploring the Riverwalk or going to Village of the Arts or LECOM Park.
“Residents and visitors will now have a new way to get there,” Brown said.
Realize Bradenton conducted the community engagement sessions that helped to create the current Riverwalk completed in 2012.
“Through grants from the Knight Donor Advised Fund at the Manatee Community Foundation, such community engagement continued for the extension of the current Riverwalk eastward to Old Manatee via nine charrettes, survey completed by 1,000 residents and community conversations at the Farmers’ Market,” Isham said.
New businesses
In addition to bringing more off-street parking to the Old Main Street area, the City Centre building houses the Manatee Chamber of Commerce offices with the largest membership of any chamber in the Tampa Bay region.
City Centre is also home to several new retail businesses, bringing more diversity for consumers downtown.
The evolution of Bradenton’s downtown is nowhere near completed.
City leaders have discussed the possibility of selling Bradenton City Hall with its riverfront views and building a new city hall on 14th Street West to help spark revitalization in that area. Several developers have submitted plan for how they would remake the city hall property.
Also noteworthy is the growing attractiveness of the downtown area as a place to live for younger people.
In 2021, The Aria luxury apartment complex, built on the site formerly occupied by the Bradenton Herald at 102 Manatee Ave. W., sold for $73.5 million.
“That’s strong money, and it shows the demand and appetite for downtown rentals. It is an endorsement of the downtown Bradenton market. It shows that people want to live there. It’s a very strong statement for the city,” Tim C. Davis, principal with SVN | Alliance Commercial Real Estate Advisors, said at the time of the sale.
Earlier this month, developers broke ground for the 12-story Nine20 Manatee apartments. The apartments are scheduled for completion in about 18 months.
Rents are projected to range from about $1,300 for a one-bedroom unit to $1,600 for a two-bedroom unit and are designed to be affordable to younger workers.
New life for Old Manatee district
There’s more to downtown Bradenton than Old Main Street. A spurt of new businesses are helping breathe fresh life into the section of downtown that borders Manatee Avenue East, known as the Old Manatee district.
Longtime staples of the area include Central Cafe, Restaurant Edelweiss and The Farm House doughnuts and decor shop.
Those businesses are being joined by newcomers like Every Body Yoga, an all-ages, all skill levels yoga studio, and Seguna Vida, a vintage, thrift, upcycling and plant store. Both concepts launched with help from the Design Downtown Bradenton project, an initiative to get young residents imagining and opening businesses in vacant storefronts.
Theresa’s Restaurant, a local favorite made famous by several appearances on the Food Network, recently relocated to the neighborhood.
Live entertainment is also in the mix thanks to Oscura. A cafe and restaurant by day and a venue for concerts, shows and events by night, it fills a gap for a dedicated small music venue in Bradenton.
Residential options in the district continue to grow, with luxury apartments The Preserve at Riverwalk added in 2018 and affordable housing complex The Addison built in 2019.
The Old Manatee area also includes many historic buildings, some of which are beginning new chapters.
At 915 Manatee Avenue stands a two-story wooden building constructed in 1880; its past lives include the E.P. Llloyd Cigar Factory and, in the 1930s, Paul’s Bake Shop. Recently, Bat City Comic Professionals took up residence. After a successful start in Austin, Texas, the non-profit comic book store is bringing its mission to empower kids to read and write through comic books to Bradenton.
Then there’s Pelot’s Rexall Pharmacy, which is one of Manatee County’s oldest businesses and has been located in the historic Davis Building at the corner of Manatee Avenue and Ninth Street East since 1934.
Those that want to dive even further into the area’s history have a couple options. Head a few more blocks to the east on Manatee Avenue, where the Manatee Village Historical Park is located. Or, book a spot on one of the local history tours offered by companies like Compass Rose History.
When will east Riverwalk be finished?
The final phase of the eastern Riverwalk expansion is planned for completion in 2023.
It will briefly detour travelers off of the river and through Old Manatee. City leaders originally hoped to strike a deal with private landowners to continue the Riverwalk straight across Tarpon Pointe, where Caddy’s waterfront restaurant and the Tarpon Pointe Marina are located. Those plans are on hold for now, Bradenton Public Works Director Jim McLellan said, but an additional path could be added in the future.
The city is now opting for the original plan. It will take travelers from a to-be-completed stretch of Riverwalk, just west of Tarpon Point, south down Sixth Street East to Manatee Avenue East; the Riverwalk will continue east along the Manatee Avenue corridor for three blocks before turning north on Ninth Street East to re-meet Riverside Drive, again following along the waterfront until the terminus at Mineral Springs Park.
“We’re hopeful that we can have construction on the next phase roll right in in November as the others wrap up, and that we’ll be in a position to have the whole thing completed in the springtime,” McLellan said.
The route will also have connections to Glazier-Gates Park, which offers a playground, workout equipment and picnic areas.
“It’s really been kind of a hidden gem that people haven’t discovered yet,” McLellan said of the park. “All of it becomes more visible as people start walking the Riverwalk.”
Finishing touches are currently being added to the the eastern stretch of Riverwalk that connects to Manatee Mineral Springs Park, including a 35-foot tall observation tower. And construction on the segment that will run from near Manatee Memorial Hospital to Sixth Street is underway.
During the final phase, tentatively planned to start in November, on-street parking will be added on Sixth Street and Ninth Street, McLellan said. New, expanded sidewalks on both streets will connect the Riverwalk to Manatee Avenue, and fresh landscaping will be added all along the route.
City leaders say they are excited about the potential extra traffic and new business that the Riverwalk could bring to Old Manatee, where they have long hoped to see the growth of an entertainment district.
“It’s spurring everybody’s imagination,” McLellan said. “It’s got people hopeful.”
