Sarasota, FL – Not in a bus. Not with a group. Not in a house. COVID-19 changed all that.
SarasotaMOD Weekend (November 6-8, 2020) is known for letting visitors immerse themselves in the architecture of the Sarasota School movement. This year, SarasotaMOD Weekend will feature a novel array of outdoor tour options. In particular, the “Gulf and Gardens” self-guided walking tours on Lido Shores will allow visitors to explore one of Sarasota’s most desirable neighborhoods featuring midcentury architecture while observing social distancing.
Lido Shores is a small neighborhood of about 100 homes, including Paul Rudolph’s iconic Umbrella House, on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico. Developed in 1950 by Philip Hiss, an adventurer, anthropologist and architect, Hiss wanted his neighborhood to showcase the works of the Sarasota School architects who soon went on to attract international attention. Hiss applied what he had learned while living in Bali to champion modern architectural design that would employ tropical breezes for ventilation and cooling, deep overhanging eaves for shade and comfort, and terrazzo flooring for beauty and low maintenance in the sandy island soil.
“Lido Shores is known to architecture buffs for its importance in the Sarasota School of Architecture movement, and, as an enclave of modernist homes both midcentury and new, it is equally one of the loveliest parts of Sarasota for its physical beauty and location,” said Anne Essner, a Lido Shores resident and Board Chair of the Sarasota Architectural Foundation, the non-profit organization presenting SarasotaMOD. “For the first time ever, visitors will be given access to see amazing views from Gulf and Bayside properties, as 7 of the 10 properties we are showing are completely new to the tour.”
With COVID precautions still at the top of organizers’ minds, SarasotaMOD Weekend’s focus this year is on the outdoors. The Lido Shores tour being held both Saturday, November 7, and Sunday, November 8, includes the Carl Abbott Putterman Residence on Pansy Bayou, long considered one of Abbott’s masterpieces.
In tandem with the Lido Shores Walking Tour, with a bundled ticket purchase, visitors can enjoy an interior tour of the Umbrella House designed as the neighborhood’s show house by Paul Rudolph in 1953.
Whether you are a local or winter resident, be sure to head out to Lido Shores for the “Gulf and Gardens” Tour and see it at your own pace. Tickets are on sale now at www.SarasotaMOD.com.