Manatee Village 1887 Church on the ’11 to save’ list

BRADENTON, Fla. — A Manatee County organization is pushing to preserve an old church in Bradenton.

The Manatee Village 1887 Church is one of the 11 historical sites under threat in 2025, according to the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation.

Now that it’s on the “11 to Save” list, there is more help on the way.

History is something Andrea Knies says needs to be saved.

“You can’t replace history,” she said. “And I also think historic buildings obviously cannot be replaced.”

Knies is the acting president of Friends of Manatee Village, a nonprofit that she has volunteered with since 2017.

“I have actually always been part of historic societies,” she said. “I joined my first one in my hometown in Indiana when I was 15. So this is part of who I am.”

Today, she is standing in front of the Manatee Village 1887 Church at the Manatee Village Historical Park.

Last month, it was named one of the 11 historical sites under threat in Florida.

“I hope that this church continues to be a place where not only are we in tune with the history, but it’s a place where people can come and they can celebrate and they can gather for many, many more years,” she said.

Earlier this year, Knies said she applied for the church to be on the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation’s “11 to Save” list. She believed it would open doors to more funding to help make repairs to the building, including a new roof.

“We are going to have experts from all over the state,” she said. “They’re going to come together to help us with creative ways to make sure that we are able to preserve this building to its historical accuracy.”

She is pushing for preservation because of the church’s unique history in the community.

“The fact that it was slated to be demolished in 1975, they found a way to move it here,” she said. “The fact that even when it was built, the congregation went through yellow fever and they still persevered and completed it.”

Since the list was just released last month, Knies said her organization is still in the early stages of planning for repairs.