The Unique Architecture of Sarasota

Sarasota has long been popular as both a vacation and living destination for a variety of reasons, ranging from its enviable beaches to a rich circus history that, however ironically, helped propel the city toward its reputation as a both a fine arts and performing arts hub, but perhaps no Sarasota legacy is as enduring as its impact on architecture. In fact, it has its own unique style that continues to be studied and appreciated today.

The Sarasota School of Architecture is a 1940s adaptation of the Mid-Century Modern design craze of the 1930s. It was developed specifically with Florida’s Gulf Coast climate in mind, and the movement left behind a host of stunners around the city and its eight islands. Signature characteristics of Sarasota School design include floor-to-ceiling glass, countless jalousie windows and oversized shades, cooling and aerating buildings naturally. Today, several Sarasota School houses and public buildings (including a shockingly elegant high school) survive, having been lovingly maintained and restored by the style’s loyal devotees.

Perhaps none of the surviving structures is as emblematic of the movement as Paul Rudolph’s Umbrella House, most recently sold in 2016 for $1.6 million and the crown jewel of its affluent neighborhood. Randolph built the Umbrella House as a show home for the new Lido Shores development on Lido Key, and would eventually become one of the School’s most famous architects. While the house is in private hands today, the owners partnered with the Sarasota Architecture Foundation to allow monthly tours of the home’s retro interior and its famous exterior. What’s so great about the outside? Though the home itself is only 1,800 square feet, the house and its rectangular pool are entirely covered by a 3,000-square-foot shade of slats that cools the property without blocking all of the sun’s light (the house’s “umbrella”), and it has to be seen to be believed.