Travel Tips

Venice Florida History in Downtown Venice Florida Admiring the beauty and splendor of Venice when I first arrive coming over the Venice Avenue bridge or the US-41 bypass, it is hard to believe that Venice was ever considered just a “railroad town.” Every corner of Venice offers a rich history that should not be overlooked while visiting the area. Many of the original buildings that were constructed in the 1920s are not only still standing, but have been well preserved in the downtown area and show that Venice goes back further than just a coastal vacation town.

The first settlers arrived in Venice during the late 1860s, after Congress passed the Homestead Act, which offered 160 acres of land to homesteading families. Venice historical records show that the John and Eliza Webb, from New York, were the first to settle in what is now the Osprey area, north of Venice. Shortly after other families began arriving from the Northeast, including Robert Roberts, who Roberts Bay is named after. Another major contributor to the growth of the area was Frank Higel, who originally lived in Venice, Italy. When the time came to name the town upon setting up a post office, Higel submitted the name of Venice because the coastal town reminded him of his own hometown with the many intricately woven canals. The area originally named Venice is actually the Nokomis area now, but the locale of Venice was changed after a wealthy widow, Bertha Palmer arrived from Chicago in 1910 and acquired 140,000 acres of land in the Manatee County area. With her influence, the area was able to establish a railroad terminal near Roberts Bay and Palmer also managed to have the name of Venice relocated to the current Venice area, since the main railroad station and post office were located there.

Another important figure that move to the area was Dr. Fred Albee and his wife Luella. Dr. Albee is responsible for recruiting John Nolen, a well-known city planner during the 1920s to begin formulating plans for the town to mimic a Northern Italy town. Albee bought a considerable amount of land, now known as the Venice/Venice Beach area, south of Roberts Bay from the Palmer family and requested Nolen to begin building plans. Much of the city plan that currently exists in the downtown area is the original building plan of Nolen and Albee. A building plan so well thought out was not common in smaller coastal towns in the 1920s, which makes Venice a unique historical gem.

Local Venice residents take pride in the history of their town and have invested in preserving this history through the Archives and Triangle Inn Museum located at the Historic Triangle Inn at Blalock Park, 351 South Nassau Street, which runs parallel to South Tamiami Street, south of the downtown area of S. Venice Street and S. Miami Street. If you are interested in more detailed information about the history of Venice during your stay, the Triangle Inn Museum is an excellent resource for touring the area.