MANATEE, Fla. (WWSB) – An old cottage will soon find a new home at the Grassy Point Preserve. The cottage is currently located at 109 48th St. and is slated to be relocated to one of two vacant lots owned by the city next to the Grassy Point Preserve.

In the 2024-25 fiscal year, the city’s Department of Buildings has budgeted $100,000 for the relocation and temporary placement of the building. City Planner Chad Minor said there is still a lot of site work to be done at the location where the cottage will be moved. That work could take a year or two before the cottage can be opened to the public. The first step, he said, is to move the cottage to its new location and secure and weatherproof it so it won’t be demolished and the city can continue to work on the site.

Minor said his vision for the property is to turn it into a cultural center with a Florida-friendly garden and parking for Grassy Point in partnership with the Anna Maria Island Historical Society. Commissioner Carol Soustek said she has spoken with the Anna Maria Island Art League, which would like to use the cottage for art classes.

“The property has endless uses,” she said. Minor said the cottage has been in the Dupps family since it was built in 1931, and while the family wants to keep it, they have outgrown the building and will be building a new one on their property. The city is currently evaluating whether the cottage can be relocated in October.

Minor said a geotechnical study would need to be done to determine what type of foundation would need to be built since the house is not a designated historic structure and therefore must meet FEMA standards. He added he has already spoken with Florida Power & Light as well as the movers and said it should be an easy move since the house is on a temporary foundation until a full foundation can be designed and built. Two line splices and a few trimmed branches should be enough to clear the way, he said.

Minor hopes, with the help of some community members, to make a more formal presentation of the cottage, the relocation and its possible future use at an upcoming commission work session.

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