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The Sarasota School of Architecture, 1941-1966

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This is the story of a group of talented young architects who were in the right place at the right time. The time (1946-66) was when America was in a building boom, the public wanted fresh, clean designs. Sarasota was a growing town and Modern Architecture was going to change the world. The Father of it all was an architect named Ralph Twitchell. In 1940 Twitchell hired a young intern architect named Paul Rudolph. Rudolph would go onto Harvard GSD, serve in the Navy and return to Sarastoa in 1946, and then become Twitchell's partner in 1950. The two of them, with a group of other talented architects (most notably Victor Lundy) would go on to design some extraordinary custom homes, churches and schools. Their architecture stressed the tectonic (the use of new technologies). Although the Sarasota aesthetic was in similar vein to the California post- war architecture, it also was heavily derivative of a Florida vernacular architecture. Rudolph's early philosophy stressed five points: the Clarity of construction; Maximum economy of means; Simple overall volumes penetrating vertically and horizontally; Clear geometry floating above the Florida Landscape; Honesty in details and in structural connections. It is always a treat to see his pen and ink renderings. A must for the serious student of modernism.

John Howey does an excellent job of connecting the place, the time, and the influence of Frank Lloyd Wright and Walter Gropius, to explain the development and evolution of a fine group of architects who practiced in Sarasota beginning in the 1940s, and a few of whom remain even today. While he ends his book on a down note, the book itself and the hard work and dedication of the Sarasota Architectural Foundation have resulted in a revived interest in the work of these architects. Hopefully, efforts to save and restore their surviving masterworks will succeed, despite the forces of McMansionization at work in Sarasota.

What a wonderful book! Definitely well worth the purchase! John Howey was the first to collect the information and compile a book about this important school of thought found in Sarasota, and has managed to collect all of the important biographies and works of these master architects. The photos and information are outstanding in this collection. By collecting these works he really has done an outstanding service to the world of architecture. This movement was so important in bringing these works to light and sharing the outstanding ideas that these architects possess(ed). Carl Abbott said of this movement that it is a fine example of two major philosophies combining: the Bauhaus style (that everything we make is affected by the machine) and the Frank Lloyd Wright school of thought (that everything build comes from the earth and is of the earth), and that in only two places did these schools combine: in LA and in Sarasota. We all are aware of the contributions that Rudolph made to the world of architecture, but this book really sheds some light on the other important architects of the school: specifically the supremely talented architect Victor Lundy- who's work should have been celebrated long before. Anyone interested in architecture should have this book and learn from these masters!