The Iron Block Building, so named for the words ''Iron Block'' embossed high on its front facade is an historic two-story commercial building located at 530 12th Street West (Old Main Street) across from the Manatee County Courthouse in

Bradenton Bradenton ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Manatee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city's population is 55,698, up from 49,546 at the 2010 census. It is a principal city in the Sarasota metropolitan area. Dow ...

Manatee County, Florida Manatee County is a county in the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 399,710. Manatee County is part of the Bradenton-Sarasota-Venice, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, North Por ...

. The Iron Block Building was built in 1896 in the

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content of more than 2% and silicon content around 1–3%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloying elements determine the form in which its car ...

style of architecture by Dr. Charles Ballard. It originally housed Reed's Cash Store. The building would be moved from its original location at the southwest corner of Manatee Avenue and 12th Street West to its present location in 1921. It has been restored and according to ''A Guide to Florida's Historic Architecture'' features original "pressed metal facades on three sides."''A Guide to Florida's Historic Architecture'', 1989, Gainesville: University of Florida Press, p. 117, In 1989, the Iron Block Building was listed in ''A Guide to Florida's Historic Architecture'', published by the University of Florida Press." Today it houses professional offices and retail businesses.

References

Cast-iron architecture in the United States Commercial buildings in Florida Commercial buildings completed in 1896 Buildings and structures in Bradenton, Florida 1896 establishments in Florida {{Florida-struct-stub