In 1955, a New York syndicate led by developer Sydney R. Newman purchased the area now known as Bayshore Gardens on the west side of U.S. 41 along the eastern shore of Sarasota Bay, just north of the Sarasota/Manatee county line, and platted an area between what was dubbed Bayshore Gardens Parkway running from U.S. 41 to 26th Street West and Sarasota Bay that would become Bayshore Gardens. The property was purchased for about 2 million dollars, making it the most expensive land purchase in the area since the 1920s.This 3,200-acre area, once fields for growing tomatoes, would include recreation areas and a marina, schools, churches, shopping centers and medical facilities as well as homes in the popular style of that time, now called Mid-Century Modern. By its grand opening in 1956, 4 model homes were built and 7 available designs had been created for future residents to pick from, including the Seagrape, the Gladiola, and the most popular, The Bird of Paradise. Prices ranged from $8,000 to $15,000 for a home with a lot and lower rates for veterans were advertised. The first home in Bayshore Gardens was sold in July 1956 to Jennie and Samuel Gibson in the Hibiscus style. By April 1958, the neighborhood had 400 homes, all of which were designed by Bradenton architect Sidney Wilkinson and built by Richard Morton’s Bayshore Gardens Inc. The neighborhood was opened up that year to other developers and home builders, including Richmond Homes and Arrow Home Builders. Designs added by Richmond Homes included the Cayman, Expo, Lenfield, Something Special, Tarlton, and Windward. Arrow Home Builders were known for adding larger custom homes on the Bayshore Gardens waterfront In November 1959, Bayshore Gardens Shopping Center held a grand opening with stores that included Publix, a beauty shop, barbershop, hardware store, shoe repair, and clothing stores. The neighborhood grew rapidly and by 1960, it was the largest voting precinct in the county. That year, the shopping center was expanded to add more stores and a movie theater.
Historical Preservation
In 2014, students from the University of Florida and community members began inventorying the mid-century homes in the neighborhood as part of a project to have Bayshore Gardens designated as the state's largest and most historically significant collection of mid-century residential architecture. Bayshore Gardens is still in the process of gaining a historical designation from the State of Florida.
As of the census of 2000, there were 17,350 people, 8,342 households, and 4,588 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 4,874.7 people per square mile. There were 10,121 housing units at an average density of 2,843.6/sq mi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 89.87% White, 3.98% African American, 0.38% Native American, 1.25% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 2.34% from other races, and 2.09% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.22% of the population. There were 8,342 households, out of which 19.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.0% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.0% were non-families. 38.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 22.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.07 and the average family size was 2.69. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 17.9% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 29.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.6 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $30,159, and the median income for a family was $37,294. Males had a median income of $28,614 versus $22,656 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $18,150. About 7.5% of families and 10.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.5% of those under age 18 and 8.5% of those age 65 or over.
