Downtown Bradenton’s 3rd Avenue West Becomes “Avenue of the Arts” as Cultural Heart Expands
What was once a numbered downtown street, 3rd Avenue West in Bradenton, is now being celebrated as Avenue of the Arts, marking a push to recognize the growing cultural corridor anchored by major arts institutions in the city’s urban core. The change reflects the evolving identity of this stretch as home to leading cultural venues, including the Manatee Performing Arts Center, the Herrig Center for the Arts, and the Bishop Museum of Science and Nature, but residents and businesses are still awaiting formal recognition of the new street name by the United States Postal Service.
Leaders and developers have long envisioned the corridor west of 1st Street West as more than just an arterial route — they see it as a destination that highlights Bradenton’s creative and cultural assets. As part of that vision, the street formerly known as Third Avenue West adopted the honorary name Avenue of the Arts in community and development materials tied to major cultural investments, including the new Herrig Center for the Arts, which replaced ArtCenter Manatee.
Several flagship organizations anchor this corridor. The Manatee Performing Arts Center, located at the 500 block of the former 3rd Avenue West, has long been a hub for local theater and performance, producing plays, musicals, and community events that draw audiences from across the region.
Nearby, the Herrig Center for the Arts, the newly constructed successor to ArtCenter Manatee, is located at 888 Avenue of the Arts and offers expanded visual arts galleries, classrooms, and community programs. The center’s development was explicitly tied to the Avenue of the Arts branding to help position downtown as a destination for cultural engagement.
Just steps away is the Bishop Museum of Science and Nature, one of Bradenton’s most prominent educational and cultural institutions. Known for its planetarium, natural history exhibits, and science programming, the museum complements the performing and visual arts venues and contributes to the area’s cultural draw.
Despite widespread use of the Avenue of the Arts name in public-facing materials and business addresses, the United States Postal Service has not yet formally updated the street name in its official address database. USPS recognition is necessary for mail delivery, legal addresses, and many official documents; until such recognition is granted, many businesses must continue using the traditional Third Avenue West designation for mail and legal purposes. Requests to and from the USPS for street name changes typically involve formal petitions and verification processes with city and county authorities before being incorporated into postal delivery systems.
City and cultural leaders say the renaming effort highlights Bradenton’s commitment to arts and culture as vital economic and community-building forces. As downtown development continues, Avenue of the Arts stands as both a symbolic and literal street sign of a community investing in its creative future.
