Moderns That Matter

41 Payne Park Auditorium - 1962

“Keeping the history of Payne Park and some of its original design is important to me. I am hopeful that The Players keeps the intent of the building and makes it accessible to all in the community.” Nomination by Carol Lackey

Architects: Robert Shaw and Roland Sellew

2100 Laurel Street, Sarasota

Image Courtesy: www.srqauditorium.com

42 United States Post Office - 1964

“Local post office buildings have traditionally played an essential role in the lives of millions of Americans. Many are architecturally distinctive, prominently located, and cherished as civic icons in communities across the country.” National Trust of Historic Preservation, “11 Most Endangered Historic Places,” 2015

Architect: Robert Shaw

1661 Ringling Boulevard, Sarasota

Image Courtesy: Architecture Sarasota Archives

49 Wilfrid T. Robarts Sports Arena - 1966-67

In 1966, Chicago White Sox owner Arthur Allyn started to plan construction of an arena, located on the Sarasota County Fairgrounds. It was designed to held “sports competitions, circus performances, indoor basketball games, tennis matches, ice shows and conventions.” Sarasota Herald-Tribune, January 18, 1967

Developer: Arthur Allyn, Jr.

Sarasota Fairgrounds and Roberts Arena continue to serve as economic genera- tors for the city and county, provide a safe environment for various exhibits, and are meeting places for many in the community. As an example, the Annual Florida Haiti Benefit Auction, a cooperative effort of the Amish and Mennonite Sarasota community, brings relief to Haiti’s people.

3000 Ringling Boulevard, Sarasota

Image Courtesy: Architecture Sarasota Archives

51 Sarasota City Hall - 1966

“This Jack West building has housed our city offices for decades. I enjoy the public art on-site, especially the Jack Cartlidge sculpture “Nobody is Listening.” Nomination by Leslie Butterfield

Architect: Jack West

Engineer: Al Conyers

Sculptor: Jack Cartlidge 1565 1st Street, Sarasota

“Because of people like Jack West, Sarasota became known all over the world for its architecture.” Gene Leedy, quoted by Harold Bubil, Herald Tribune, October 27, 2010

“Before construction, the low, flat building site was elevated to create a commanding presence appropriate for this important public building. Jack West envisioned Sarasota’s City Hall as a series of connected geometric shapes with water features and gardens, a vision that was largely realized despite a 40% budget cut.” Lorrie Muldowney, Tour Sarasota Architecture, 2009

1565 1st Street, Sarasota

Image Courtesy: Sarasota County History Center

64 Women’s Resource Center - 1990

“We are fortunate to have a facility serving thousands of people needing support that is beautifully designed for this specific purpose. It is one of the more beautiful social service buildings in the region.” Nomination by Steve Sadoskas

“The Center was designed by architect Carl Abbott in 1989 and serves as a safe space for women seeking guidance and assistance in the community. The building’s exterior is tall, secure and fortress-like with dramatically curved walls that leads to a two-story entry gallery with soaring windows overlooking an enclosed courtyard protected by garden walls.” Nomination by Janet Minker

Architect: Carl Abbott

340 South Tuttle Avenue, Sarasota

Image Courtesy: Carl Abbott, In/Formed by the Land (2013)

69 Judge Lynn N. Silvertooth Judicial Center - 1998

Based in Charlotte, North Carolina with an office in Orlando, Florida, the architecture and engineering firm of Hansen Lind Meyer, Inc. (later known as HLM Design) was responsible for numerous civic buildings throughout Florida including the Orange County Courthouse (1998). The firm’s designs like the Judge Lynn N. Silvertooth Judicial Center have been noted for acknowledging their existing, often historic context and combining traditional elements with modern open spaces that are humanly scaled.

Architects: Hansen Lind Meyer, Inc. with Barger + Dean Architects

2002 John Ringling Boulevard, Sarasota

Image Courtesy: www.sarasotaclerc.com

70 Selby Library - 1998

“The Selby Library is the largest facility in the county library system. With nearly 260,000 annual visitors and over 20,000 participants attending diverse events, Selby is a bustling hub. It also hosts the county’s largest Creation Station, a maker space equipped with 3D printers, sewing machines, smart-cutting machines, and more—all available for public use and free of charge. Given its role in bringing residents together through education, culture, and technology, we believe Selby Library epitomizes a modern structure that matters deeply to the local community”. Adapted from nomination by Renee Di Pilato

Architects: Eugene Aubry and Hoyt Architects

1331 1st Street, Sarasota

Image Courtesy: www.sarasotamagazine.com

75 The John Ringling Causeway Bridge - 2003

“As a shared community resource it represents the greatest possible visual, physical sensual access to natural water resources and part of a gateway / greenways / blueway connecting two waterfront parks and the main route to the gulf waters. While a bridge is also a passageway under and over it is also multi-modal and dimensional (air, land, water) and accessible by all, and barrier to none. A multimodal recreational facility and evacuation route and tourist destination.” Nomination by Maynard Hiss

Architect: Brent Parker OPAC Consulting Engineers

Builder: PCL Civil Constructors

Photo: Micke Confrancesco

79 Robert L. Taylor Community Complex - 2011

The Robert L. Taylor Community Complex provides residents with a safe, clean, affordable and modern recreational facilities designed for all age groups. The new multipurpose complex was named in hon- or of Robert L. Taylor, a manager of the center form 1950 until 1986. The 44,000 square foot, LEED-certified facility sits on 13.3 acres of land and features several amenities from an aquatic park complete with a water slide and splash pad to a recording studio.  www.rltylor.com 

Architect: Ohlson Lavoie Corporation

Builder: Manhattan Construction

1845 John Rivers Street, Sarasota

Image Courtesy: www.sarasotafl.gov

93A Sarasota County Fire Station #8 - 2020

“Limestone material became a driving force in how the building character could be related to the local Celery Fields Park. The cultured limestone recognizes the site’s agricultural history, the fire station juxtaposes the lime- stone with a more contemporary pre-finished aluminum cladding wall and roof panel system.”  www.sweetsparkman.com 

Architects: Sweet Sparkman Architecture & Interiors

840 Apex Road, Sarasota

Photo: Odell Photography

93B Sarasota County Fire Station #13 - 2021

“The Sarasota County Fire Stations exemplify the importance of our civic structures through creative design.” Nomination by Todd Sweet

Architects: Sweet Sparkmann Architecture & Interiors

“The building incorporates grays and whites to reference the bright quartz sand of Siesta Key Public Beach. Built on a foundation elevated 13 feet and able to sustain a Category 4 hurricane, the resilient building is built for longevity. Like other stations designed by Sweet Sparkman, the building meets the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED certification for sustainability.”  www.sweetsparkman.com 

1170 Beach Road, Siesta Key

Photo: Ryan Gamma Photography

93C Longboat Key Fire Station #92 - 2021

“This Fire Station echoes the mid-century modern [architecture] of the Lido Shores residential community and pairs well with the other civic buildings on Longboat Key.” Nomination by Michele Demperio

Architects: Sweet Sparkman Architecture & Interiors

“In addition to the clean lines and smooth surfaces that take inspiration from the Sarasota School of Architecture aesthetic, the structure includes all the enhanced features of a modern fire station, including a kitchen, gym, bedrooms, television room, and a report writing room. A public medical facility provides the island’s residents with basic walk-in medical care.”  www.sweetsparkman.com 

2162 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Longboat Key

Photo: Ryan Gamma Photography