Sarasota Real Estate Talk

From Concept to Reality…a Series

Introduction

My curiosity in Sarasota Modern Architecture began many years ago, when I was previewing mid-century modern homes for a real estate client in Sarasota FL.  I was enchanted by these structures that felt as if they were extensions of the landscape that contained them.  They seemed to work so well in the Florida landscape with their large overhangs, windows that reached from floor to ceiling and flat roofs. They were positioned on the properties so that the flow of air ran through the home, eliminating the need for air conditioning.  You could say that these homes were our early “green” built homes! They have floating interiors that stretch open both horizontally and vertically and clean lines with no crown moldings or door casings.   This modern architecture was a movement that began in Sarasota in the 1940’s and progressed through to the late 1960’s.  Innovative and fresh ideas for these modern homes sprang from young American architects and the Sarasota School of Architecture was born.  It was founded by a highly respected architect, Ralph Twitchell and included such names as Paul Rudolph, Mark Hampton, Victor Lundy and Gene Leedy and highly influenced by the works of Frank Lloyd Wright.  In fact, in Sarasota the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall was designed by the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.

Interesting Paul Rudolph Drawing / Carl Abbott Design

Today, many of the homes and commercial structures built by these fine architects are being purchased by folks who appreciate the beauty in their simplicity.  These homes are being renovated, with respect, to preserve the past and the integrity of the structures.  If you’d like to learn more about this movement, here’s a link to John Howey’s book called “The Sarasota School of Architecture”

Mid-Century Modern Home, Sarasota Florida

The Decision to Build a Modern Home

About a year ago, my husband, Jack and I found a lot near the downtown area of Sarasota, FL just off of Camino Real in the McClellan Park area.  The lot was bank-owned and after doing some due diligence, we decided to make the purchase.  We hung on to the lot for a few months and then the urge to build again started to gnaw at us.  About 6 months prior, we had visited our son in LaJolla California.  It was the first time we saw his newly built “modern” home and were in love with it the moment we stepped inside.  This was a work of art.  Clean lines, yet warm inside with wood floors and cabinets and some stone.  Natural things.  We felt comfortable in this modern home.   Our decision to build modern grew from this feeling that carried over long after we left our son’s home.  We feared however, that to build a modern home with the quality of construction that we would demand would be too far above our budget, so we decided that if modern could not be done, we would go for a craftsman cottage type, which is also popular in the Sarasota downtown area.  Above all, we wanted our home to blend with the surrounding neighborhood.

Interior of Modern Home in Sarasota

Meeting with the Architect and Builder

One of the first things we did was contact an old friend, Phil Torrence with Ridgeland Homes who has been building in the Sarasota area for 30+ years.  We discussed with him our desire to build a modern home and learned that he had worked with the famed local Architect, Carl Abbott, who specializes in modern architecture. Phil had also done some extensive renovations to some of Sarasota’s School of Architecture homes.  We were delighted to hear this!  The decision to use Phil as our builder was made and he recommended an architect, Peter Hoffman, that he had worked with who was very much into modern architecture and who, he said did a great job and was easy to work with.

Our first meeting with the two of them sealed the deal.  We were on our way to building our first “modern” home.  Jack and I have built several homes in the Sarasota area, from a Southern Plantation home on 4 acres, to a standard Florida Ranch home, to a Tuscan style home with lots of molding and architectural details.  This new modern home in Sarasota’s West of the Trail area, will be our last build and we are going to make it the best!

This blog will be a series of articles on the processes of building our modern home. Stay tuned!