"I don't want to tear everything down," Palmetto CRA Director Rowena Young told Tampa Bay Beacons this month. She was talking about the 1930 Palmetto Woman's Club at 910 6th St. W. Its restoration is now expected to finish in November. She called it "a huge historic redevelopment, a very delicate situation to meet historic preservation standards," and added, "It's an amazing space. We're trying to hold on to everything we possibly can."
If you've walked past the fencing on 6th Street West for two years, a November finish sounds like the building could be part of this year's holidays. The public record argues for patience. The Woman's Club has had four completion targets in about a year. Meanwhile the downtown holiday event with firm dates sits two blocks away at Palmetto Historical Park, and its first deadline is Saturday, Nov. 7.
Four target dates in about a year
Stellar Development, the Sarasota general contractor on the project, held the groundbreaking on September 16, 2024. City of Palmetto and Palmetto CRA representatives attended. Since then, CRA meeting minutes have tracked a finish line that keeps moving.
| When it was said | Where it was recorded | Target at the time |
|---|---|---|
| Oct. 2, 2025 | CRA Advisory Board minutes | Project behind schedule, early-2026 opening sought |
| Feb. 19, 2026 | CRA Advisory Board minutes | Certificate of occupancy by end of May |
| May 4 and May 18, 2026 | CRA Board minutes | September closeout, plus $97,000 more needed |
| Oct. 19, 2026 | Tampa Bay Beacons | Expected to be completed in November |
The February 2026 advisory board minutes said the project had "all final pieces necessary." What slowed it down is ordinary for historic restoration. At the May 18 CRA meeting, staff said they needed another $97,000 to finish. Under the earlier contract, the Commission had asked that any spending over $25,000 come back to it for review, and Young said she wanted to put those costs out to bid. Each review adds time.
The size of the job explains the care. The March 23, 2026 CRA minutes put the project under a $4.4 million budget. The building's National Register nomination form records its original 1930 construction cost as $10,518. Matching Mediterranean Revival tile and arcades to preservation standards costs far more than building them did.
November could hold. No ribbon-cutting date has been announced, though, so it makes sense to plan December without counting on the building being open.
What reopens is a hall for the whole town
The February minutes say CRA staff will run event bookings through Neighborly and will eventually have a dedicated booking person. A part-time maintenance position will be reviewed when the program is written. Back in October 2025, the CRA had planned to seek a consultant to help build a rental program. No rental rates or booking terms have been published yet.
That puts the building back in its original role. The National Register nomination records its first meeting on October 8, 1930, and describes decades as Palmetto's civic gathering place. Clubs met there. It hosted weddings and banquets, school events, Friday youth dances and church services. Architect Fred Kermode designed it and J. A. Smith built it, with a tiled mansard roof and arcades along the front. It has been on the National Register since March 1986.
The city is already budgeting for a building people will use. Palmetto's adopted FY2026 budget includes $15,000 for cleaning service at the club, $5,000 for an alarm and $4,200 for lawn maintenance at 910 6th St. W. A cleaning line that size points to a hall the city expects to book regularly. For anyone planning a 2027 shower, reunion or club luncheon, the Neighborly listing is the thing to watch for once the CRA opens bookings.
The holiday dates you can plan around
Until then, downtown Palmetto's holiday season still centers on the Manatee County Agricultural Museum and Palmetto Historical Park at 515 10th Ave. W. The dates for Palmetto's Christmas in the Park 2026 are posted.
- Saturday, Nov. 7, 10 a.m. Santa reservations open online, first come, first served. Visits with Santa are free but require a reservation. Read the instructions carefully, because incorrect or incomplete reservations get a contact and are canceled if not fixed within 24 hours.
- Friday, Dec. 4, 3 to 7:30 p.m. Christmas in the Park, first night.
- Saturday, Dec. 5, 3 to 7:30 p.m. Christmas in the Park, second night. Both days offer the same experience.
General admission is free and needs no reservation. It covers crafts, games and six decorated buildings, and food will be for sale. The Santa slots are the only part you need to plan ahead for. Nov. 7 falls nine days after this post goes up.
Both nights are the same, so pick by schedule. Friday works for families who can leave work early, and Saturday leaves the morning free. From the park, the Woman's Club is a short walk along 6th Street West. If the fencing is down by then, you'll see it on the way.
Still waiting on dates
A few other December traditions haven't posted 2026 details.
- Historic Holiday Tours. Palmetto Historical Park lists these as a reservation-required program held during the second week of December. No 2026 dates, times or booking link are posted yet.
- Holiday Fun Land. As Macaroni KID Bradenton reported, in 2024 Palmetto Downtown Main Street held this free event with the City of Palmetto at Sutton Park, 1036 6th Street W., from Dec. 20 to 22. A 2026 edition hasn't been announced.
Downtown's other projects run on longer timelines. Patriot Park broke ground July 4, 2026, at 14th Avenue West and 10th Street West. It will have basketball, pickleball and tennis courts and a playground, and the city plans a ribbon-cutting for July 4, 2027, according to WWSB. The same report covers a $2 million state appropriation for the 10th Avenue West Complete Streets project, which aims to make the stretch from the marina north toward 17th Street easier to walk and bike. City staff told the Sept. 28 City Commission meeting that two business-owner outreach meetings on that project were coming up at the library, organized with Palmetto Downtown Main Street.
The agency behind most of this has a birthday on the calendar too. The Palmetto CRA was established Nov. 4, 1985, and marked its 40-year history at a September event at its office, 324 Eighth Ave. W. The Woman's Club restoration is one of the CRA projects Young highlighted at that milestone, and its completion is expected in November.
We love seeing historic buildings like the Woman's Club come back into use. Our family has spent years helping people get to know Manatee County one street at a time. If you're curious about what's changing near your own block in downtown Palmetto, or want help planning a move that fits your life here, Houses with Hart is happy to talk. Contact Us anytime.
