Sarasota Modern

SARASOTA ARCHITECTURE MIRRORS INDIGENOUS APPROACH TO LIVING WITH OUR CLIMATE

In the years following World War II, an group of architects set about designing a new style to take advantage of open spaces, light and air flow, and ways to work with the unique climate of southwest Florida. This movement became known as "Sarasota Modern". Today we refer to it as Sarasota School of Architecture. From the late 1940s through the mid-1960s, the style was popularized by architects like Ralph Twitchell, Paul Rudolph, Victor Lundy, Jack West, Gene Leedy, Philip Hiss, and Tim Seibert.

Unlike many historical buildings, their beauty isn't encompassed in rich ornamental details, but in integrating post-war design with how to live in the tropics.

--Lorrie Muldowney, architecture preservation specialist

Paul Rudolph's Concept Drawing for Cocoon House

Warm Mineral Springs Motel designed by Victor Lundy

Making these older homes and other buildings even more relevant today are the properties they share with current "green" or sustainable design styles – natural air flow, passive design, connecting the inside to the outside and native-plant landscaping. Leading the Sarasota School were architects and designers Philip Hiss, Paul Rudolph and his one-time partner Ralph Twitchell, Victor Lundy and Jack West. Hiss first developed the neighborhood of Lido Shores (just off busy St. Armands Circle), which still boasts the highest concentration of Sarasota School homes.

--Diane Daniel, via Visit Florida