BURTON STORE
The Burton Store is a visual document of the architectural, economic and social history of the Florida fishing village known as Cortez, Florida. It is the oldest commercial building in the community, and the center around which the Village of Cortez grew. This nineteenth century store is commonly referred to as the Burton Store after proprietor Jesse Burton who leased the building shortly after it was completed for W. A. Adams in 1890, later becoming an early turn of the century waterfront hotel.
Built on pilings over the water and connected to the Bratton Dock, the Burton Store is also referred to as the Bratton Store. The Bratton’s were among the first settlers in the area and their dock was one of the most important structures in the small community prior to 1890 when the area was called Hunter’s Point.
Due to the efforts of the Cortez Village Historical Society and the Organized Fisherman of Florida, the Burton Store was saved from demolition in 1991 when the original site was purchased by the U.S. Coast Guard. The Burton Store was held for 16 years on the Cortez waterfront. In 2007 the Burton Store was moved to the 1912 School House grounds. The school house had been purchased in 1999 with a Florida Communities Trust Grant.
Funding for rehabilitation of this 1890 waterfront store has been provided from six different sources, including Manatee County Board of County Commissioners, Marie Selby Foundation, Manatee County’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), Manatee County’s Historic Society, and Bright House Network. When completed, the revitalized Burton Store will serve as a multi-use facility providing programs on the history and culture of Cortez. The store will also host a small research library that will serve to educate visitors about the chain of environmental interactions that occur in the bay.
Staff is provided from the Manatee County Clerk of the Circuit Court’s Office of Historic Preservation to coordinate and oversee the restoration, and to coordinate volunteers for the rehabilitation.
1912 CORTEZ SCHOOL HOUSE / FLORIDA MARITIME MUSEUM
The 1912 Cortez Schoolhouse/Florida Maritime Museum at Cortez was originally known as the Cortez Rural Graded School, one of the first brick schools in the county. This building was the second schoolhouse for the community of Cortez. The original school house was a one room wooden building, and still stands in the center of Cortez Village. When the new brick building was opened, it consisted of two classrooms with a small center storeroom and office space.
During the hurricane of 1921, it served as a refuge when most of the village of Cortez was destroyed. In 1933, under the Federal Works Progress Administration program, an auditorium was added, creating the current T-shaped floor plan. This building served as a schoolhouse until 1961, at which time it was leased out and used as an art school. It was ultimately sold to Robert Sailors, a master weaver, who made the building his home and studio.
The Cortez Schoolhouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Cortez Historic District, which was designated in 1995. The Schoolhouse and grounds were purchased with a grant from Florida Communities Trust in December, 1999.
The project undertaken has been a full restoration of the Schoolhouse, transforming the building into the Florida Maritime Museum at Cortez. This restoration plan includes the removal of hazardous materials, structural stabilization and repair, joists, sub flooring, upgrade of electrical system, installation of environmental and mechanical systems, roof replacement, testing stucco for removal, cleaning and repair of exterior walls, the porch, addition of a handicapped ramp to the building and rehabilitation of exterior doors and windows.
Additional phases, completed through September, 2007, include the restoration of the interior and the addition of museum exhibits. Extensive site plan improvements include pathways, exterior lighting, parking lot, plantings of native species and improvements to groundwater retention.
Funding for this work is being provided by a grant from Florida Department of State, Bureau of Historic Resources, with matching funds from Manatee County Clerk of the Circuit Courts, Manatee County Board of County Commissioners, Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage, and local donors.
The full time professional staff of Historic Sites Manager, Curator, and Educator/Volunteer Coordinator are working on site. Following completion of the exhibits, the building was opened to the general public in December, 2007.
CROSLEY CARRIAGE HOUSE
Manatee County acquired the Crosley Estate in 1991. A great deal of time and effort has been invested in the restoration of the main house and property.
On May 12, 2008, the Historic Preservation Board of Manatee County approved a Certificate of Appropriateness to allow the restoration of the Carriage House. Manatee County has hired John Parks of Renker, Eich, Parks Architects, Inc., of St. Petersburg, Florida. John has 29 years of experience restoring historic structures. Manatee County will oversee the restoration work which will return the Carriage House to its original appearance. The Carriage House is to be used to support the activities at the main house as originally intended.
For more detailed restoration information clink on the following links:
Manatee County's excerpt of: "Restoration Commitment & Needs" (1 page) or
From Renker, Eich, Parks Architects, Inc. the: "Complete Preservation Plan" (6.87mb)
HISTORICAL STRUCTURES SITE SURVEY GRANT
During the Imagine Manatee visioning project the citizens indicated a desire to protect historic buildings and areas. In response to this need, the Planning Department has instituted a phased approach to surveying the entire County for structures with possible historic value. The first area to be surveyed was the North Central / Parrish area. This area covered 56,302 acres of land.
Funding became available from the Florida Department of State Division of Historic Resources and matched by Manatee County to conduct the survey (State $28,800 / County $30,000). The County hired a historic preservation consultant to conduct the survey. This included the updating the basic information on the known historic buildings in the area and to prepare new additions to the Florida Master Site File. Some existing structures in this area include the Parrish School, built in 1924 and the Parrish United Methodist Church, built in 1899.
The survey was conducted in the first half of 2007. The survey updated 51 previously recorded Florida Master Site File listings and created 91 additional site listings.
Survey report for phase I (11.3 MB PDF)
Map of the study area for phase I
Eaton Room
Overview Manatee County
Historic Courthouse