Our Historic Buildings

One of the essential elements of the Anna Maria Historic Green Village, was to protect and preserve some of the beautiful buildings that have such wonderful histories and reflect Anna Maria's 'Old' Florida charm. It was also to showcase recylcing on a significant scale, a key element in our green endeavours. We have a number of historic buildings on the site, some that we bought to the Village, from other parts of the island and re-developed them to the standards that you will see.

ROSEDALE COTTAGE

The Rosedale Cottage, which is now Relish Cafe, was already on the site and was one of the first buildings that we worked on. It was formerly a 2,000 square foot house built in 1913 by Captain Mitch Davis, a retired sea captain and the first ever mayor of Anna Maria. He built the house for George Wilhelm Bean, the son of Emerson Bean, who was one of the first settlers on the Island. George teamed up with Charles Roser (who made his money selling the 'Fig Newton' recipe to the company that became Nabisco) and together they began to make the island what it is today.

The electric useage of the Relish Cafe is monitored minute by minute, as are all the buildings in the development. All the solar PV panels are monitored too. The goal is that the energy input over a whole year matches or exceeds the energy used, thus acheiving NZE status. It is very much a balancing act, given that there are numerous pieces of equipment required in the Cafe, such as refrigeration units, air conditioning, lighting, coffee machines, etc. And, of course, when the other buildings came into play as they were development, these had to be considered, not only before implementation, but also so that the site is now monitored as one complete unit.

THE ANGLER'S LODGE

Otherwise known as Thelma by the Sea and now home to Relish Market Place, an artisan and upcycle boutique. This building is almost 100 years old, and is made out of rusticated brick, using the same builder, layout and construction method as both the Rosedale Cottage and the Roser Chapel. The Angler's Lodge was not already here, it was moved from another part of the island. This building was the biggest move we took on, bringing it across the canal from North Boulevard in late May 2011. Take a look at the move

SEARS COTTAGE

The Sears Cottage is now home to AMI Outfitters. A 1,000 square foot home it was built in 1935 from a Sears Roebuck Catalog House, and was transported to the island in pieces in a boat. It was first erected up with the west end of Pine Avenue, and in July 2010, we picked it up and moved it by truck to it's current home here at the Historic Green Village.

PILSBURY HOUSE

The Pilsbury House was built in 1917 and was already on the site. The top floor is a residence (as is above the Angler's Lodge), and downstairs is office space that has yet to be taken.

NEW BUILD

We have also added a new building, using all the modern building techniques that can make a building as environmentally friendly as possible. It has the same floor area as the Sears Cottage and we will now look to compare energy use and energy efficiency of the 75 year old Sears Cottage with this new development - to help home owners understand what it takes to go green with a new build as well as an older home.

Recently finished, this building is now home to Hometown Desserts and with it brings a whole new set of issues that have to be addressed, given the high number of electrical equipment that have to be installed and allowed in order to maintain our NZE status. The front portion of the building is where you will find Bob Brown Art Gallery.