Laurel Park Landmark celebrates 91 Years…………

The Sarasota Herald Tribune is celebrating 91 years of publication.  The newspaper’s first home was in the building best known today as the Woman’s Exchange at the corner of Oak Street and Orange Avenue.  Read the article in today’s paper….

An earlier post on the building…………

Woman’s Exchange

 

A landmark in Sarasota and an anchor building in Laurel Park’s national historic district – The Woman’s Exchange.  The not-for-profit organization benefiting the arts has occupied the building since 1969.

539 S. Orange Avenue – Building in the rear is todays spanish Oak Apartments

 

The structure was constructed in 1925 for the Sarasota Herald Newspaper – today’s Sarasota Herald-Tribune, our city’s longest running newspaper.  This building, along with several industrial and commercial buildings, and the Sarasota County Courthouse, which was briefly housed on Oak Street, created a pocket of commerce in a growing residential area during Florida’s Land boom.

Sarasota Herald Building

 

In the 1980’s the city surveyed and inventoried its historic properties and selected 24 buildings that it felt exemplified Sarasota’s history to be preserved for future generations.  Those 24 properties became the first in Sarasota to be honored by inclusion on our nation’s most prestigious list of valuable historic buildings and sites – The National Register of Historic Places.  The Woman’s Exchange building is one of those honored properties.

 

 

Why are Laurel Park’s Historic Structures now being Regulated?

Laurel Park became the City’s seventh National Register of Historic Places District March 11, 2008.  It took 3 years, the work of many volunteers and came at a cost to the City of more than $15,000 (paid consultants) to survey, create boundaries, record the history and make application for the State of Florida to submit to the National Park Service for determination.

Before moving forward with the application meetings were held, articles published, and notices were sent to Laurel Park’s property owners to explain the process and the advantages of becoming a National Register Historic District. It was made clear to the owners by the City-hired consultant and City staff that designation would not impose any restrictions on what owners could do with their property.

Designation is an honor. By becoming a National Register District Laurel Park joined a prestigious list of more than 86,000 properties across our country and 1,602,903 resources whose history is now recorded and woven together to form a great heritage quilt of historic fabric throughout the United States.

To learn more about the National Register go to Dwight Young’s article in Preservation Magazine.  It is a fantastic read!

There are 270 structures in Laurel Park’s National Register District that are designated as “contributing” to the Historic District, and 2 properties that were individually nationally designated prior to the district designation.

After Laurel Park was awarded the National Register District designation the City then enacted an ordinance that created regulations which now affect the owners of both the Individually designated national structures and those 270 structures that contribute to make up the District.

Division 8 of the Sarasota Zoning Code applies to historic preservation.  It was written to regulate locally designated individual structures and local districts.  The words National Register were never in the code prior to 2009 and today they only show up in two sections of the code.

Sec. IV-822

and Sec. IV-824

Minutes from the City’s Historic Preservation Advisory Board meetings confirm the lack of  authority to review Individually designated  National Register properties or properties that contribute to National Register Districts even after 2009……….

“Chair Hall noted that, at the last meeting, members were exploring the idea of increasing protections to historic resources within the City; particularly those listed individually on the National Register that are not locally designated and those listed as contributing structures to National Historic Districts that are also not locally designated.  Those structures do not go though local review by this board.” Jan. 11, 2011

“Historic preservation protections in place in the City’s ordinances do not extend to National Register Properties.” Dec. 14, 2010

“It came as a surprise to citizens that nationally nominated properties are outside the reach of this Board.” Oct. 12, 2010

City staff, in the person of the City’s historic preservation planner, appears to be taking a different approach.  More recent HP Board meeting minutes below find the historic preservation planner explaining why a structure is before the board for review…..

“the proposed demolition was before the HPB due to being a contributing structure to the Laurel Park National Historic District…”March 10, 2015

329 S. Osprey

“329 S. Osprey…when the Laurel Park Historic District was created the structure was listed as a contributing structure, and that is why it was coming before the HPB.” Feb. 10, 2015

But staff seems to pick and choose what is regulated and what comes to the HBP Board. The structures below, all contributing structures to the Laurel Park NRHD, did not come to the HP Board for review.

1902 Laurel Street

1902 Laurel St. – a 1920’s contributing structure – Demolished 3/2014

1652A Oak St. – a 1925 contributing structure – Demolished 6/2015

1910 Laurel St. – a 1925 contributing structure – Demolished 10/2010

Let’s back up a little…..Prior to 2009 if you wanted to demolish your historically designated structure in Laurel Park and your structure was on the Florida master site file, which it likely is, you had a 45 day demolition stay after filing for a demolition permit with the building department.  This stay was created to allow time for the City’s HP Board and local historic preservationists to contact interested parties who might move and reuse the structure rather than demolish it.  After that 45 day period the property owner was free to proceed with the demolition.

So, what started as a way for the City, interested parties and preservationists to have time to find options to reuse historic structures vs. demolition has morphed into a burdensome, often hardship, situation by creating requirements for the structure owner to have to comply with. The 2009 demolition ordinance creates a 120 day stay period and the HP Board has the authority to extend the time to a year.  The City requires a review of the building by the City’s historic preservation planner. The City has the right to require mitigation. The City may, and often does, require the owner appear before the City’s Historic Preservation Advisory Board, hire a preservation professional to document the building history, and obtain written quotes from a certified house mover for relocation of the structure and quotes from a salvage company to remove anything that can be repurposed. The City also charges an additional fee for an historic structure to be demolished, over an above the demolition fee. Whoa!  That is a big dump on owners who never expected and were never notified they would have this responsibility.

We live in a great small city.  It’s comparable in size to Charleston but it has nowhere near the amount of, or quality of, historic structures.  Sarasota is not a community that values historic preservation due in large part to the lack of public discussion, inclusion and neglect of noticing residents about structures deserving of preservation.

In Laurel Park, property owners have little idea of the status of their old homes and even less about what incentives or benefits are offered to them to preserve and retain these small bungalows and cottages. Even the neighborhood association makes no effort to help the residents to understand what is designated in the district.

There are actually incentives and benefits offered by the City to preserve historic resources such as relief from building codes and an exemption from FEMA so you can add on to a historic structure in Laurel Park’s flood zone without having to build up.  Who would know???   Where is the discourse, the education, the promotion?  The City’s 2030 Comprehensive Plan has an entire chapter on Historic Preservation with goals and objectives that states the City will do just that.

This past May was preservation month. Every year in May communities and cities and states throughout the United States take the month to celebrate, honor and  promote historic preservation.  In the City of Sarasota, not one event was scheduled.

The regulations imposed on nationally designated structures should be removed.
They were enacted without notice to those most affected by them.
They are applied unequally and they fly in the face of the City of Sarasota’s voluntary program to preserve our historic resources.

Why Laurel Park’s design standards are not perfect…….

Updating post…………

One of the design requirements for new construction in Laurel Park’s zone district –    RSM-9 was not adhered to during the site development for the new homes on Devonshire, Alderman and Rawls streets.  Each lot was mounded up with fill to provide a “platform” to build a home on without the necessity to elevate construction.

 

The developer had crews on site removing the tons of fill that was trucked in only a month ago.

 

 

 

 

Already the land is looking more like the city blocks they started with.   New homes built here will have to comply with all of the design standards adopted by the city for the RSM-9 zone district.

 

It is sad that so much money and energy was wasted on this.

 

The RSM-9 zone district and design standards were adopted decades ago for Laurel Park, well before a portion of the district became a National Register of Historic Places District and without consideration for the area of Laurel Park located in a flood zone or the varying size of the rights-of-ways that exist throughout the neighborhood.  As a result, the standards for redevelopment in Laurel Park have not always produced the results they were intended to accomplish.

Redevelopment on properties within the flood zone are required to meet the FEMA regulations ( The Federal Emergency Management Agency of the Federal government) as well as the RSM-9 design standards.

For some properties this means building the first floor as high as 6 to 7 feet off the ground. This can and has become awkward for maintaining a comfortable scale and balance in a district that is made up primarily of bungalows and cottages that are rarely higher off the ground than 18 inches.

RSM-9’s front yard setbacks can also be challenging for new construction in the flood zone.   Steep front steps are difficult to avoid constructing especially on properties that have no right-of-way extending beyond the curb and are required to build within 20 feet of the property line.

For the development of the homes on Devonshire within the flood zone, tons of fill has been trucked in creating a subdivision in the middle of Laurel Park’s traditional downtown city blocks.  The finished grade of the land is well above the surrounding neighborhood – an apparent disregard of the RSM-9 design standard “f.”

In recent years the design standard for front porches has had to be rewritten to correct a wide interpretation of this standard after some new homes were built with porches facing side yards rather than the desired front porch.

Over the past decade planners and urban designers have designed far more effective tools to help build better, more comfortable, sustainable neighborhoods.  Form-base codes is one of these successful tools that has been applied throughout our country in some of the most desired cities, towns and neighborhoods.  Form-based codes are more flexible and adapt to the specific characteristics of each individual district, neighborhood and block so that all land issues are taken into account as well as the architectural fabric and relationship to the street.

The RSM-9 zone district design standards do not adequately fit the nature of all of the district.  Laurel Park and all of Sarasota deserve codes that do the very best to sustain our city’s unique built environment.

Read more about the City of Sarasota’s existing zoning code for RSM-9 and the 6 design standards below ……………..

As with all residential zone districts the intent of the City’s zoning code is:

“To create, maintain and promote the development and redevelopment of these neighborhoods while preserving their existing residential character. The regulations promote desirable residential areas by addressing aesthetically pleasing environments, safety, privacy, and recreational opportunities. The site development standards allow flexibility of development while maintaining compatibility within the City’s various neighborhoods. In addition, the regulations provide clarity to property owners, developers, and neighbors about the limits of what is allowed.”

 The area of downtown Sarasota known as Laurel Park* is zoned RSM-9 (Residential Single Multiple 9 units per acre.)   The zoning category is unique to Laurel Park and includes six design standards that must be adhered to when building in the zone district.

Woman’s Exchange……….

 

A landmark in Sarasota and an anchor building in Laurel Park’s national historic district – The Woman’s Exchange.  The not-for-profit organization benefiting the arts has occupied the building since 1969.

539 S. Orange Avenue – Building in the rear is todays spanish Oak Apartments

 

The structure was constructed in 1925 for the Sarasota Herald Newspaper – today’s Sarasota Herald-Tribune, our city’s longest running newspaper.  This building, along with several industrial and commercial buildings, and the Sarasota County Courthouse, which was briefly housed on Oak Street, created a pocket of commerce in a growing residential area during Florida’s Land boom.

Sarasota Herald Building

 

In the 1980’s the city surveyed and inventoried its historic properties and selected 24 buildings that it felt exemplified Sarasota’s history to be preserved for future generations.  Those 24 properties became the first in Sarasota to be honored by inclusion on our nation’s most prestigious list of valuable historic buildings and sites – The National Register of Historic Places.  The Woman’s Exchange building is one of those honored properties.

 

 

Orange Avenue after 1908

This is a terrific view of Orange Avenue looking south from Ringling Boulevard.  The street immediately on the right is Cross Street.  The street further down on the left is Morrill.  At the corner of Orange and Morrill stands the Church of the Redeemer.  It was moved to the site in 1908 and remained there until 1944.  Today’s Laurel Park is off to the left beyond the Church of the Redeemer.

The map below may help to orient you to the view.

Laurel Park’s Washington Park Subdivison……

The plat of the subdivision named Washington Park.  The plat was recorded in February 1925.

This subdivision was owned and developed by Owen Burns.  Mr. Burns arrived in Sarasota in 1910.  His businesses, real estate developments and his extraordinary service to the community forever changed Sarasota from a small fishing village into a city.

Sarasota 1913………

Sarasota 1913 – The year Sarasota became a City.

In 1913 John Hamilton Gillespie, the town of Sarasota’s first mayor, resided in what is today’s Laurel Park historic district.  His home, built in 1880 was named Roseburn.

 The Sarasota Yacht and Automobile Club while not in Laurel Park, was located at the bayfront on Gulfstream Avenue.  It was one of many multi-story buildings beginning to crop up in Sarasota in the teens.

The club was a center of activity.  In 1913 a banquet was held for Colonel Gillespie to celebrate his vision and his part in developing Sarasota.  He was made an honorary member of the yacht club and the date of March 10th was set as  “Gillespie Day” to duly remember his contributions.  This photo of a woman’s tea was taken in 1914 in front of the club.

270 Buildings Contribute Over 9 City Blocks…..

A National Register of Historic Places District in the City of Sarasota’s downtown core………..Laurel Park was awarded the distinction in February 2008

The district is bounded on the north by Morrill Street and on the south by Alderman St. & Brother Geenen Way.  It extends west to Rawls Ave. & Orange Avenue and east to Julia Place & Lafayette Court.

Washington Park is one of ten platted subdivisions located within the district boundaries.

Madison Court

“Preservation of historic properties and communities fosters community pride resulting in more involved and informed citizenry.  By preserving existing historic resources, a connection is established with our past.  This connection sparks recognition that we have an obligation to responsibly manage our community for future generations.”

Historic Preservation/Smart Growth Principles

Please note – This website and its content are in no way related to the neighborhood association of Laurel Park.

Take a walk through Sarasota’s past…..

Roseburn, the home of Sarasota’s 1st mayor is gone but the area is teeming with unique  bungalows, cottages and old apartment buildings from the 1920’s.

You can download and print a black and white copy to take on your stroll through this 9 city block district.

Its roots……….

Laurel Park was not always Laurel Park.  The name is a recent addition.  The nine city blocks of downtown Sarasota that make up the historic district were first platted in 1886 as Block G of the Florida Mortgage and Investment Company’s  Town of Sarasota.  One of the first homes constructed in the district in the 1880’s was Victorian in architecture.

In the early 1900’s the house was remodeled and a greenhouse was added to accommodate a bride’s love of flowers and plants.    It became the residence for Sarasota’s 1st mayor, John Hamilton Gillespie and his wife Blanche. It was the second of three homes Mr. Gillespie would reside in in Sarasota before his death in 1923.

The 1920’s brought a flurry of land sales and development.  The district was divided into a large number of subdivisions including Washington Park, Owen Burns Subdivision and the Marable Subdivision.   Owen Burns was, without question  the most significant developer of property within the district.  He is credited with constructing the brick paved streets and the addition of sidewalks as well as building many of the distinctive houses in the Washington Park subdivision.

Residents of the district from the 1920’s on were apt to describe their home location in the town by the name of the particular subdivision their house was in or by its location relating to Little Five Points, the crossroads of Orange, Oak and Pineapple which is officially titled Owen Burns Square.  It wasn’t until the 1980’s or 90’s that the residents of the district selected a name for the district – Laurel Park.

Laurel Park District’s great neighbor…….

Towles Court Arts District is Laurel Park’s neighbor to the north.   The districts are so similar you will have a hard time distinguishing one from the other by architecture or street design.   Like Laurel Park, Towles Court is made up of several subdivisions platted almost 100 years ago.  In more recent years the districts “re-invented” themselves choosing the new names, Laurel Park and Towles Court for definition.

The specific district designations and the allowed uses in each district are what make them unique.  Towles Court was created to allow for a mix of residential, business and commercial uses for the benefit of artists and the arts. You can read more about the district’s history at – http://towlescourt.com/history.htm.

Towles Court is a vibrant, fun place to stroll through, to visit artist studios, galleries and to enjoy lunch or dinner.  Indigenous , Lavanda, and Shoogie Boogies are special dining places in the district.  Not to be missed is the third Friday Towles Court Art Walk held each month.

Laurel Park on the other hand, was first organized into a neighborhood through a desire to preserve the old building and residential fabric of downtown Sarasota.  A new zone district was created just for Laurel Park called RSM-9.   Years later the neighborhood was surveyed,  mapped and nominated by the State of Florida for inclusion in the National Register.  The prestigious award was given to the neighborhood in 2008 designating it a National Register of Historic Places District for its architecture and its contribution to the early development of the city.  Laurel Park became the 7th National Register historic district in the City of Sarasota.

There are businesses and offices located within the district but the neighborhood’s district is primarily residential in nature.  For more information on its history visit the “About” page on this website.

photo credit: Towlescourt.com