The former Summerhouse Restaurant, designed in 1975 by architect Carl Abbott, now serves as the residents' clubhouse at Summer Cove condominium on Siesta Key. The Snavely family, developers of Summer Cove, pledged to preserve and renovate the historically designated structure. (Staff photo / Harold Bubil)
Not only is Summer Cove one of the most attractive luxury condo complexes on Siesta Key, but also it has one of the most beautiful clubhouses in the region.
Nestled in a pocket of pristine Florida jungle, the building was built as a restaurant that was designed by famed Sarasota architect Carl Abbott.
Now the 7,000-square-foot facility has meeting, game and fitness rooms, not to mention a full catering kitchen, downstairs, and an executive suite and media center upstairs with a library, large TV screen, and computer, printer and fax machine. There is Wi-Fi throughout
The property, in the 6100 block of Midnight Pass Road, belonged to Hugh Gregg, former governor of Vermont and George H.W. Bush’s campaign manager during the 1980 presidential race. Gregg’s family had owned land on Siesta Key since the 1920s.
Gregg retired here in the 1970s. (His son Judd, a former U.S. senator for Vermont, continues to come to the area.)
When Gregg wanted to build a New England barn-style restaurant on the site, Abbott convinced him that something relating to the Florida surroundings would be more appropriate.
The result was a two-story glass pavilion hidden among trees and shrubbery. The Greenhouse Restaurant, which later became The Summerhouse, was considered a Sarasota school of architecture landmark. It received numerous architectural awards and was repeatedly named Sarasota’s most romantic restaurant.
Photo gallery: Summer Cove on Siesta Key
In 2006, the Snavely Group, an Ohio development company, bought the land to build a condo complex there. In return for a height variance on one of its two condo buildings, it agreed to save The Summerhouse and make it available as a meeting place for community groups up to 17 times a year.
Jim Schlesing, who was president of the condo association when the owners took over from Snavely, explained, “The clubhouse is available for community group meetings and activities, but not private parties like weddings or birthdays.
“Interested groups have to apply to the condo board, provide proof of insurance, and pay the cost of heating or cooling, and cleaning afterward.”
Because there are only four parking spaces on the property, groups also must arrange for off-site parking, he said.
Extensive renovations to the building included putting in impact-resistant glass and retrofitting according to the most recent hurricane regulations.
“It was a labor of love,” said Bryan Guentner of RE/MAX Platinum Realty.
He and his wife, Cheri, are listing one of the condos in the taller of the two towers built on the site. “They saved all of the original vegetation, so it still feels like it is in the jungle.”
The Florida Trust for Historic Preservation and Sarasota County awarded Snavely a historic designation for its preservation of the iconic building.
Snavely also preserved a wooded stretch of land along the Intracoastal Waterway. As a result, the kidney-shaped swimming pool, grilling area, walkway and cove with a fishing dock, six boat slips, and a kayak and canoe launch, are shaded by mature oaks.
The gated complex has 45 three- and four-bedroom residences in two towers — one with five stories, the other with nine — and a covered parking garage building in between. The units all have 2,100 or more square feet of living space.
In the nine-story Building C, each unit is served by two elevators, one service and one main. The elevators have restricted access; when called with a key fob, the cars will stop only at the owner’s unit.
Large windows and expansive terraces provide bayside and Gulf of Mexico views.
The Guentner listing on the first floor of the taller tower, close to the bay, is an unusual condo, with 2,571 square feet under air and a large wrap-around patio that adds an additional 2,742 of private outdoor living space. It also has two designated parking spots and its own exterior staircase to the pool area and cove.
“It feels like living in a house,” Cheri Guentner said. “It’s very private.”
Summer Cove is pet friendly. Owners can have as many as two large dogs.
Condo fees are $3,179 per quarter.
In 2013, three sales ranged in price from $875,000 to $1.2 million. Five units are on the market now, from $795,000 to the Guentner’s $1.6 million listing.
“Where can you buy a condo like that in town or on Siesta Key at this price?” Bryan Guentner asked.
Most of the residents are CEOs and business owners who sold their companies. For many of them, Summer Cove is their second or third home, and they spend from a few weeks to a few months a year there. While maximum occupancy rarely reaches 60 percent, people area friendly and social.
Jim and Dona Schlesing, the owners of the unit the Guentners represent, said they will miss the sense of community.
“We loved the city and our wonderful neighbors. They are very interesting, very nice people,” Jim Schlesing said.
His wife agreed. “We socialized a lot with the others and entertained at the clubhouse,” she said. “We’ll be friends with them for the rest of our lives.
“Summer Cove is a slice of paradise.”
