The American Institute of Architects’ Florida chapter featured SOLSTICE Planning and Architecture’s restoration of the Sarasota Municipal Auditorium in their Winter 2021 edition of the Florida/Caribbean Architect magazine. The article highlights the firm’s work for the City of Sarasota renovating the historic 1938 structure. The project was showcased as the cover story for the seasonal journal that celebrates the architecture of AIA members in Florida and the islands of the Caribbean. Read the Florida/Caribbean article here.
About the Sarasota Municipal Auditorium
The Sarasota Municipal Auditorium is one of the only remaining historic Art Deco buildings in Sarasota. It was built as a public gathering place with funding from President Roosevelt’s WPA program. Completed in 1938, it was designed by Thomas Reed Martin and Clarence A. Martin, and was listed with the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1995. It continues to serve the community.
The building had fallen into disrepair with cracks, water intrusion and many critical structural issues despite minor renovations over the years. With a $500,000 historical preservation grant from the State of Florida, Jonathan Parks was hired to update and restore it. The careful renovation was completed over a one-year period and has updated this iconic structure for future generations.
Click below to learn more about the Sarasota Municipal Auditorium renovation, including historic photography and before and after images as well. SOLSTICE project team members included Jonathan Parks AIA and Selma Göker Wilson, RIBA.
