Below is the official Compass Rose History position on the proposed demolition of the Mira Mar Apartments. The staff of the City of Sarasota has recommended that the application of demolition be denied. Next, a recommendation will be decided on Tuesday, June 14, 2022 by the City of Sarasota Historic Preservation Board. The final decision will be made by the City of Sarasota Commission. We will update [...]
In celebration of old buildings in Sarasota that are still in use, we decided to each curate a top five list. Although, it was difficult to narrow it down to just five, we hope that you enjoy our final selections, complete with blog posts and our own fan art! Andrea's Top 5 Mimi's Top 5 5 Binz Warehouse 4 Sarasota Times Building 3 Sarasota High School [...]
Sarasota Terrace Hotel 101 S Washington Blvd Built 1925/1926 Architects: Francis Palmer Smith and Robert Smith Pringle 1925 drawing of the Sarasota Terrace Hotel from Pringle and Smith. From "The Architecture of Francis Palmer Smith, Atlanta's Scholar-architect" By Robert Michael Craig Charles Ringling was dedicated to developing an economic infrastructure for his beloved Sarasota. He opened a bank, donated the land for the courthouse, and [...]
S. H. Kress & Co. 5-10-25 Cent Store 1442 Main Street Architect: Edward F. Sibbert Builder: G.A Miller Built: 1932 Samuel Henry Kress opened his first "stationery and notions" store in Pennsylvania in 1887. By 1896 this had turned into a chain of S. H. Kress & Co. 5-10-25 Cent Stores (yes, 25 cents too!). I am a big fan of five and dime history and could [...]
#3 Sarasota High School 891 S Tamiami Trail Built: 1927 Architect: M. Leo Elliott I love learning, I love academia, and I love Collegiate Gothic Architecture - although I didn’t know that’s what it was called until I began researching Sarasota High School. Postcard of 1927 Sarasota High School. Image courtesy of Florida Memory. Sarasota was booming during the early 1920s which meant that the [...]
The Sarasota Times Building 1216 1st Street, Sarasota FL 34236 Architect: Dwight James Baum Builders: Ricketts and Haworth Construction Began 1925 Completed 1926 Don’t let the 1899 that is carved above the entrance at the Sarasota Times Building fool you. That was the founding of the newspaper, construction on this building began in 1925. Founded in 1899 by C.V.S. and Rose Wilson, The Sarasota Times was the [...]
The Binz Fireproof Warehouse and Storage Company 1646 10th Way, Sarasota, FL 34236 Binz Lambert Construction Completed 1926 Frank Binz came to Sarasota from Chicago in 1925 and quickly established the Sarasota Transfer Company, Binz Lambert Construction, Binz Cast Stone, and the The Binz Fireproof Warehouse and Storage Company which comes in at #5 on my list. When the Warehouse was built, it was on the corner [...]
Sometimes you look for a history mystery and sometimes, like in this case, the mystery finds you. In preparing for our next presentation (History Under the Stars on July 16 - be there!), I needed a photo of Ben Stickney’s grave. This is his headstone: Headstone of Joseph Leach and Benjamin Stickney Well, that’s different. I have not seen a shared grave marker for two [...]
Rose Wilson's Obituary, Sarasota Herald Tribune, October 24, 1964 Fair warning, this is a DENSE blog post, but I think it is important for three reasons: 1) I love Rose Wilson and want people to know more about her. 2) It illustrates the dedication that Mimi and I give to our research. We look for multiple primary sources and pride ourselves in creating a [...]
In preparation for an upcoming presentation, I am researching Rose Phillips Wilson. Rose took on the role of editor of the Sarasota Times when her husband C.V.S passed away in 1910 and continued to publish the paper until she sold it in 1923. At that time simply being a woman newspaper publisher is impressive enough, but Rose used her intellect, skill, and platform to become a force [...]
