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The Sarasota School of
Architecture
An Exhibition of the University of Florida Architecture Archives,
November 2009
Paul Rudolph architect, 1953
Walker Residence,
THE SARASOTA
MODERN STYLE
Today Sarasota, Florida and the surrounding Suncoast region is well
known for its natural beauty and as a place to "live the good life." This
optimistic spirit is perhaps best expressed through the world renowned
postwar architecture that began there. The modern open interiors,
floating staircases, and jalousie windows created to take advantage of the
Gulf Coast environment, grew into an architectural movement known as
the Sarasota School of Architecture. From the 1940s through the 1960s,
this "Sarasota Modern" style was popularized by architects like Ralph
Twitchell, Paul Rudolph, Victor Lundy, Gene Leedy, and Tim Seibert.
Their works are unique in their dedication to clarity of construction,
maximum economy of means, clear geometry, honesty in details, and
simple overall volumes penetrating vertically and horizontally. Over two
decades, these principles were practiced in a way that created beautiful
churches, schools, commercial spaces, and homes around the world.
This exhibition provides a snapshot of these indigenous architectural
wonders.
Sarasota City Hall,
1965
Jack West, Architect
I"
Mr.
William Rupp and Joseph Farrell, architects
Caladesi
National Bank,
Dunedin,
Florida, 1961-62
Open Interiors
Sarasota Modern houses have minimal partitions and elevate furniture to work of art. Ralph Twitchell,
the father of this style, attended the first landscape architecture class offered in the United States, and
pioneered the extensive use of glass in his houses. The following slides offer some examples of these
characteristics. Photo Denman residence, Siesta Key, 1946, architect, Paul Rudolph, associate
Deering
Residence,
Casey Key,
Florida,
1959-1960
Paul Rudolph, architect
Seibert
Residence,
Siesta Key,
Florida,
1951-1952
Tim Seibert, architect
RALPH TWITCHELL
1890- 1978
Pioneer of the modern style, Twitchell created some
of the earliest structures that came to represent the
Sarasota Modern style. Twitchell employed large glass
windows and sliding doors in conjunction with a heavy
cypress interior to create a natural feeling that
focused the inhabitant on the outdoors. Additionally,
he often used a locally manufactured limestone brick
on the exterior. Because of this, the sand colored
bricks blended into the sandy Florida ground and
appeared to rise out of it.
Ralph Twitchell
Healy Guest House
Ralph
Twitchell
Paul Rudolph
HEALY GUEST HOUSE
Or Cocoon House
Twitchell and Rudolph first attracted the
attention of architectural critics with this
structure built in 1949. It is also known as the
Cocoon House, due to the use of flexible
insulating mats between fiberboard for the roof,
similar to the way the U.S. Navy "cocooned"
unneeded ships for peacetime storage. This
house is designated as an American Treasure by
the Library of Congress.
PAUL RUDOLPH
1918-1997
If Twitchell was the father of the Sarasota School
of Architecture, then Rudolph was its "spiritual
leader." Following education at Auburn and
Harvard and service in World War II, he was
Twitchell's partner for four years before starting
his own practice in 1951. He became the most
renowned of the group, even serving as the
Dean of the Yale School of Architecture from
1957 1965 while designing a new building for it
in the process.
Paul Rudolph
Sarasota High School
Rudolph's addition was constructed 1958 59
............
...... ....
Milam Residence
Jacksonville, Florida, 1960; Paul
Rudolph, architect
Photo by Ezra Stoller
Paul Rudolph, architect (Photo by Ezra Stoller)
VICTOR LUNDY
Fellow Harvard graduate and Gropius student
Victor Lundy got his start in Sarasota through an
art show in which he was asked to paint his idea
of what a particular site evoked. His innovative
roof designs became a memorable feature of the
"Sarasota Modern" style. This feature is most
dramatic in Lundy's church designs. Lundy's
stunning visual effects are visible in his projects
throughout the world, ranging from churches to
embassies.
Victor Lundy
St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Sarasota,
1958
Victor Lundy, architect
1970
Bee Ridge Presbyterian Church, Sarasota,
1956
Victor Lundy,
architect
Venice Presbyterian
Church,
Venice, Florida,
Victor Lundy, architect
1956
FURTHER READING AND
RESEARCH
Sarasota School of Architecture
Architects
0
UF
UNIVERSITY of
FLORIDA
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