Century-old cottage preserved, relocated
ANNA MARIA – A cottage dating back to the 1920s was relocated on Oct. 8 and will be repurposed as a real estate office.
The cottage at 160 Willow Ave., formerly owned by Lisa Knoop, was moved to the Sato Real Estate office property at 519 Pine Ave. The relocated cottage now sits behind the Roser Cottage that was built in 1912 and will serve as Sato Real Estate’s sales and rental office.
Sato Real Estate hired Frank Agnelli’s Mason Martin Builders to oversee the project.
The mother and son team of Barbara and Jason Sato initially considered building a new three-story structure on their Pine Avenue property but their plans changed when Knoop offered to donate her cottage.
Before moving day, AJS Building Moving & Leveling employees dug into the crawl space, placed steel beams underneath the cottage and used hydraulic jacks to elevate the beams and cottage high enough for the wheels and tires to be inserted.
On moving day, Sgt. Brett Getman and several Manatee County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived just before 8 a.m., joined by Anna Maria Public Works Manager Dean Jones and members of the city’s public works and code enforcement departments.
The move began with AJS employee Karla Martinez using a Kubota front-end loader to tow the makeshift transport trailer onto Willow Avenue. A long pole was then used to push aside some tree branches so they didn’t damage the cottage and its roof.
As the cottage traveled down Willow Avenue, Agnelli said he’s never moved a house before.
“I’ll try anything once,” he said. “We’re saving a cottage.”
Deputies halted traffic so Martinez could make a wide left turn onto Gulf Drive. After completing the turn, a work truck replaced the front-loader as the tow vehicle.
With a deputy’s vehicle leading the way, additional intersections were temporarily blocked as the cottage traveled down Gulf Drive and made a right turn onto Pine Avenue. Because the cottage is wider than the road, several brief stops were needed along the way so traffic signs, tree branches and other obstacles could be removed from the right of way.
Agnelli walked the entire route and Jason Sato also monitored the progress.
“We had plans to build a new structure behind our office, but when this opportunity arose we thought we’d rather save an old cottage than build a new structure,” Sato said. “With everyone working together, we were able to make it happen.”
The procession also attracted several spectators, giving it a parade-like feel.
While traveling down Pine Avenue, a longer delay was encountered near the Anna Maria Island Historical Museum property, where public works personnel used a pole-mounted chainsaw to remove a particularly pesky tree branch.
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Around 10:30 a.m., the cottage arrived in the Roser Church parking lot next to the Sato Real Estate property, with several Sato team members applauding its arrival.
“I think it’s fabulous,” Barbra Sato said.
“Everyone worked together to make it happen. We thought it was really important to save it. It’s in great shape,” she said of the cottage she thinks was built in the 1920s.
While taking a short break, AJS employee Robert Dockham said he’s been moving houses for 20 years.
“No problems, no issues and we had a lot of onlookers,” he said.
The AJS crew then prepared to tow the cottage onto the Sato property and swing it into its final position. The wheels were then removed and replaced by wooden beams that will support the cottage until a new foundation wall is built. The elevation provided by the foundation wall will help prevent flood damage and provide the crawl space needed for utility connections and infrastructure needs.
Agnelli said he must obtain a city commission-approved building permit before he and his team can ready the cottage for occupation.
“We’re saving a cottage. They should be happy,” Agnelli said of the permitting process.
The following day, Mayor Mark Short told city commissioners about the cottage being moved and he praised everyone involved for preventing the demolition of another cottage.
