Towles Court | Laurel Park Historic District

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.

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