- City:
- Bradenton, FL
- Site Type:
- Post Offices, Federal Facilities
- New Deal Agencies:
- Treasury Department, Federal & Military Operations, Work Relief Programs, Works Progress Administration (WPA)
- Started:
- 1935
- Completed:
- 1937
- Contractors:
- J. J. Venute, U. S. Fidelity and Guarantee Company
- Site Survival:
- Extant
Description
The historic post office at 9th Street and Manatee Avenue in Bradenton, Florida was constructed in 1936 with Treasury Department funds. Interestingly, unlike other post office construction projects, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) seems to have played a part. The post office cornerstone bears a date of 1935; other articles suggest construction began Jan. 1936, while the post office entered into service in early 1937.
Per The Bradenton Herald:
Postoffice Work Resumed And Sneads Island Project Underway
Construction jobs in Manatee county on which 32 men are employed, were started this morning … [including] resumption of the work of rebuilding the Bradenton postoffice structure, which was discontinued July 27 by the government, on the ground that the contractor, J. J. Venute was not making rapid enough progress. It was a stated the work was 40 per cent complete.
Last week it was announced the government had turned the job of completing the building over to the bonding company, the U. S. Fidelity and Guarantee company, Baltimore, and the work is in charge of this company’s representative, D. J. Twelve men went to work on this job today.
Source notes
"POSTOFFICE CONSTRUCTION IS STOPPED," The Bradenton Herald, Jul. 27, 1936 (pg. 6): https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-bradenton-herald/91921545/
"ACTIVITY IN BUILDING IS SHOWN TODAY," The Bradenton Herald, Aug 24, 1936 (pg. 8): https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-bradenton-herald/91927753/
NEW BRADENTON POST OFFICE IS PLACED IN USE: The Bradenton Herald,
Mar. 14, 1937 (page 1): https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-bradenton-herald/91921184/
Site originally submitted by Evan Kalish on January 10, 2025.
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