Bradenton’s Oldest Home Gets Historic Marker and a New Lease on Life

On Wednesday, May 21, a historical marker was unveiled in front of the newly restored Bartholomew “Tole” Fogarty House, commemorating not only the legacy of its namesake builder but also the extraordinary effort it took to save Bradenton’s oldest home from demolition. The gleaming black and gold sign, installed along Riverview Boulevard, tells the story of a 151-year-old house and the community that refused to let it vanish.

Among those in attendance were the Mayor of Bradenton and members of the Bradenton City Council, a testament to the home’s importance not just to local history, but to the city’s identity. Their presence underscored the civic pride in preserving a piece of Bradenton’s architectural and cultural heritage.

Just  four years ago, the three-story wooden home, constructed in 1871 by Irish immigrant and shipwright Bartholomew "Tole" Fogarty, was on the brink of destruction. After decades of wear, deferred maintenance, and failed renovation attempts, the house sat for sale on a valuable half-acre lot. Developers circled, demolition seemed inevitable, and then something remarkable happened.

Peggy Donoho, a local historian and preservation advocate, spotted the listing and knew the stakes. She posted about the home’s significance on Facebook and I wrote about it in a Sunday Favorites column, which caught the eye of Dr. Harold E. Ott, a retired veterinarian from Ruskin.

“If someone didn’t buy it, I knew it would be demolished, and I just couldn’t sit back and watch that happen,” Ott said.

Ott purchased the home and embarked on a painstaking two-year restoration, determined to preserve the character of the 19th-century homestead while updating it for modern living. With the expertise of General Contractor David Windham, who led a team of house movers, carpenters, electricians, cabinetmakers, and specialists, the project began.

The home, originally built by Fogarty using hand tools and shipwright craftsmanship, had survived Florida’s punishing tropical weather largely thanks to the skill of its original builder. Still, it needed substantial work. The entire structure was lifted to allow for modern plumbing and central air conditioning. Ceilings and floors were preserved, interior doors saved from vandalism, and even antique windows repurposed to highlight the home’s historic wooden plank walls.

Interior designer Lori Lewis, with roots in the Fogarty family of Key West, helped reimagine the layout with a sensitivity to both comfort and legacy. Seven bedrooms became five, with added walk-in closets and en suite bathrooms. The third floor, with its fairytale charm and dormered ceilings, became an enchanting space for children.

Today, the 3,870-square-foot home stands proudly once more, this time with a marker at its front, placed by the Manatee County Historical Society in 2024. The plaque honors not only the Fogarty family’s seafaring legacy (seven ship captains across two generations) but the historic community of Fogartyville itself. Before Bradenton was established, Fogartyville had a general store, shipyard, trolley, bakery, churches, and even its own cemetery.

The home originally stood 300 feet to the south in what’s now Lewis Park. In the late 1920s, Katherine Fogarty, one of Tole’s daughters, had the house relocated to its present location after the death of her sister Letitia. In exchange for tax relief, she donated a portion of the family’s land, now Lewis Park, to the city.

Without Ott’s intervention, that legacy might have ended there.

Now fully restored and up for sale, the Bartholomew Fogarty Home is ready for its next chapter. Its historic marker is more than a footnote, it’s a monument to what a community can save when it comes together in service of memory, craftsmanship, and place.