The Sarasota Architectural Foundation (SAF) in partnership with the School Board of Sarasota County, Fla., recently completed a restoration project preserving a section of covered walkway at Sarasota High School designed by modernist architect Paul Rudolph, a pioneer of the Sarasota School of Architecture movement.
Two plaques commemorating Paul Rudolph Way have been installed on the walkway pillars. The project consisted of renovating approximately 235 feet of the concrete structure, which involved removing pipes, patching, waterproofing and painting. The walkway connects the Rudolph-designed Building 4 on the school campus and the former Sarasota High School building, soon to be the home of the Sarasota Museum of Art.
“I felt we needed to honor Paul Rudolph’s design,” says SAF board member Michael Kalman. “I hope people will come here to the walkway to read and learn about his work.” Kalman and Sarasota Magazine founder emeritus Dan Denton each donated $15,000 to the $34,000 project budget. SAF covered the rest of the costs through its preservation fund.
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| The restored Paul Rudolph-designed canopy walkway at Sarasota High School is adorned with two plaques commemorating the modernist architect’s career and midcentury modernism in Sarasota. PHOTOS: Sarasota Architectural Foundation |
“Education and art in all its forms—including architecture—will be celebrated and showcased at this center of creativity and learning. We’re pleased that SAF is playing a key role in this ongoing community success story,” adds Kalman.
SarasotaMOD, a midcentury modern architecture festival, will celebrate the 100th birthday of Paul Rudolph, November 9-11, 2018. The weekend will feature once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to tour Rudolph’s residential and public structures, including, but not limited to, the Cocoon House, the Umbrella House and the Revere Quality House.
The festival will also feature lectures, film screenings, an art exhibition and cocktail receptions. Headlining the event is a talk by writer Paul Goldberger, educator and longtime architectural critic for The New Yorker and The New York Times, who will also conduct his own tour of exclusive Paul Rudolph structures. — Sarasota Architectural Foundation, www.sarasotaarchitecturalfoundation.org