Mixed in with a heavy dose of nostalgia at Sarasota MOD Weekend was the feeling that the architecture of the 1950s still has something to teach the house designers and consumers of today.
Susan Harkavy, Tim Seibert, Frank Folsom Smith, Shirley Hiss, from left, and Muffi Hiss (standing behind her mother) at Sarasota MOD Weekend in The Francis in downtown Sarasota before Seibert joined a panel discussion with "Sarasota School of architecture" veterans Carl Abbott, Gene Leedy, Smith, Seibert and architect/author John Howey. The late Phil Hiss, as Lido Shores developer and school board chairman in the 1950s, commissioned many of the greatest houses and schools of the "Sarasota School" period, including the Harkavy House by Paul Rudolph. Staff photo / Harold Bubil; 10-11-2014.
That is, that concepts such as the honest use of materials, clarity of geometry, blending of indoor and outdoor spaces and the embracing of new technologies, which were at the heart of the Sarasota School of architecture, are as relevant now as they were 60 years ago. The lesson seems to be gaining traction. In neighborhoods where Mediterranean revival architecture has dominated in the past 20 years, much of today’s new construction has a strong, if updated, modernist vocabulary. Other new houses have Dutch West Indies or “coastal contemporary” designs, the latter clearly inspired by modernism. The emphasis is on timelessness.
“These buildings represented a fresh new style that still influences architectural design today,” said Joyce Owens, an architect in Fort Myers who moderated a panel discussion that featured four architects from the Sarasota School of Architecture’s glory days in the 1950s.
The answers offered by Carl Abbott, Frank Folsom Smith, Tim Seibert and Gene Leedy, as well as author and architect John Howey of Tampa, were underscored by a simple fact. The seminar hall at The Francis on Palm Avenue was standing room only. Most other presentations were fully attended, as well, and the local walking and trolley tours were sold out well in advance of the Oct. 9-12 event.
So it could be surmised that midcentury modernism, far from being a relic of the past, is inspiring a new generation of architects and consumers, some of them old enough to remember when it was new, and some of them young enough to make it relevant in a new century.
Not that the architects of today are building with the thin roof planes, slender pipe columns and vast expanses of glass that were used by Paul Rudolph and Victor Lundy. Current building codes don’t allow it.
But the use of materials and space still echo with Sarasota’s adaptation of International Style modernism.
In the postwar years, the spare modernism of Walter Gropius and Mies van der Rohe was altered in geometric complexity by Rudolph, and eventually was replaced, for two decades, by postmodernism.
But the architects of today, while respecting current codes that call for beefier, elevated houses, have returned to the purity of modernism, with one concession: the use of tropical wood accents to create a look that builders, developers and marketers call “soft modern.”
This was clearly evident in Lido Shores, where the walking tour-goers saw “millennial moderns” next to the vintage moderns.
A future for MOD
So the look has legs. But what about the event? Does Sarasota MOD Weekend have a future?
The best answer comes from an event sponsor.
“Our team was totally impressed with the enthusiasm at the events, and the response from the media we had here,” said Virginia Haley of Visit Sarasota.
A packed house hears Joyce Owens, AIA, moderate the panel "Veterans of the Sarasota School" during Sarasota MOD Weekend in The Francis, Sarasota. Staff photo / Harold Bubil; 10-11-2014.
That most of the program was sold out, Haley said, “showed the vibrancy of what we can pull at this time of year. Everything doesn’t have to be in March.”
When asked if Visit Sarasota would want to sponsor Sarasota MOD Weekend again in 2015, she answered, “Absolutely!
“The value is in two different things: It is celebrating something that is unique in our history, that has an interesting story to tell about how our beautiful environment is married to the arts, particularly in architecture.
“But it is also an opportunity to talk about this area continuing to have a vibrancy in architecture. The University of Florida’s architecture program will provide a whole new set of stories we can tell when it is up and running in August of next year.”
Haley said she would like to see other organizations work with the Sarasota Architectural Foundation to “grow” the event.
“I think there is a huge opportunity for collaborations and other creativity,” said said. “There are so many ways to extend this.
“SAF started with just the perfect size, and the fact everything was sold out speaks to the adage, ‘Leave them wanting more.’ ”
John Howey, Carl Abbott, Tim Seibert, Gene Leedy and Frank Folsom Smith, all fellows of the American Institute of Architects, during a panel discussion titled "Veterans of the Sarasota School" at Sarasota MOD Weekend in The Francis, Sarasota. Staff photo / Harold Bubil; 10-11-2014,
The event attracted architectural writers from several national publications, including Beth Dunlop of Modern magazine.
“We had targeted specific writers from Coastal Living, Architectural Record, Modern magazine," said Haley. "They were pretty impressed, especially considering it was the first year. And they were impressed with what we had to offer."
“I was amazed at the generous people who opened their quite beautiful homes for tours, and it was a real thrill to see the living legacy of the Sarasota School,” Dunlop said
“Out-of-towners who were seeing Sarasota architecture for the first time, from complete neophytes to architects with abundant knowledge, were fascinated and quite charged up.”
