The Anna Maria Island Sun Newspaper


Vol. 16 No. 34 - June 22, 2016

REAL ESTATE

Mid-century perfection

 

Carol Whitmore

John Bolger | Submitted

Visit the Walker Guest House on the grounds of the
Ringling Museum to see a tiny house with minimalist design.

 

Beach houses started out as a way to live simply, stay close to nature and block out the stressful world. But beach houses, like so many other mid-century concepts, have evolved and not necessarily in a good way.

The architect Paul Rudolph developed a reputation for designing mid-century modernist residential homes, many in Sarasota and the surrounding area, featuring geometric forms and dynamic interiors influenced by the Bauhaus School of Design. In 1952 he designed and built a true beach house for Dr. Walter Walker on a piece of property on Sanibel Island. The Walker Guest House, as it is known, is unique in many ways, and its tiny house minimalist design is a teaching moment in what relaxed living really is.

The house is 576 square feet and measures 24 by 24, with a combination of screens and glass walls that can be covered with plywood panels operated on a counterweight system fitting together like a puzzle. Rudolph was a naval architect who used that experience in the Walker house design; he even uses boat cleats inside the house to tie off the wood panels when they were in the raised position.

The interior of the house is a flow of space with one bedroom and one bath, an open living area and galley kitchen. The structure is elevated off the ground and is compared to a crouching spider in the sand. Rudolph said, "With all of the panels lowered the house is a snug cottage, but when the panels are raised it becomes a large screened pavilion."

I happen to know about this wonderful one of a kind house because I attended a lecture at the Ringling Museum regarding Paul Rudolph and specifically the Walker Guest House and subsequently toured a duplicate of the home on the museum grounds.

The duplicate at Ringling is the exact size and structure as the original, and except for a few interior modifications, is identical to the Walker property, which I believe still exists on Sanibel Island. I also learned at the lecture that this modern home was one of Paul Rudolph's favorite projects.

I found this to be an educational experience and encourage anyone who is interested in home design to take a ride over to the Ringling and walk through the house. It is a fun and interactive experience that you can participate in through April of next year without paying an entrance fee to the museum. Paul Rudolph died in 1997, but thanks to the Sarasota Architectural Foundation and the Ringling Museum, one of his iconic projects continues to be an inspiration.

There has been a lot of discussion recently about mid-century design in homes, and indeed Anna Maria Island has many homes built in the 1950s. Hopefully some of these properties will survive and retain their beach house character and mid-century values. In the meantime, you can always check out the "crouching spider in the sand," an elegant tiny house.

Real Estate Transactions
Real estate transfers of January-February 2016

Sponsored by Alan Galletto Island Real Estate

Sold Date | List Price | Sold Price | Address | Provision | Property Style

Anna Maria

2016-04-14 549,000 500,000 318 Hardin Ave 1550 2 Br/2 Ba SFR
2016-04-01 615,000 670,000 502 N Shore Dr 1306 2 Br/2 Ba SFR
2016-04-15 829,000 790,000 512 Magnolia Ave 1742 3 Br/2 Ba SFR
2016-04-21 899,900 873,000 520 South Dr 2207 5 Br/5 Ba SFR
2016-04-01 949,000 900,000 612 Fern St Dr 1472 3 Br/2 Ba SFR
2016-04-01 1,395,000 1,175,000 871 North Shore Dr 2546 50x150 5 Br/4 Ba SFR
2016-04-13 1,299,000 1,203,500 810 N Shore Dr 2896 90x100 5 Br/3 Ba SFR
2016-04-22 1,595000 1,550,000 117 Park Ave 2120 3 Br/3.5 Ba SFR
2016-04-19 1,700,000 1,600,000 802 Jacaranda 2742 3 Br/3.5 Ba SFR
2016-04-18 399,000 329,500 75 Jacaranda Rd 50x100 Lot

Bradenton Beach

2016-04-08 575,000 475,000 113 8th St S 1008 50x100 2 Br/1.5 Ba SFR
2016-04-08 249,000 230,000 308 2nd St N #201 522 1 Br/1 Ba Condo
2016-04-22 625,000 625,000 1457 Gulf Dr N #1457 1524 3 Br/2.5 Ba Condo

Cortez

2016-04-22 1,289,000 1,048,500 12413 Baypointe Ter 3198 3 Br/2.5 Ba SFR
2016-04-29 1,388000 1,350,000 12403HarbourLand Dr 5659 5 Br/3.5 Ba SFR
2016-04-28 599,900 585,000 4004 128th St W #902 2600 3 Br/3 Ba Condo
2016-04-29 209,000 209,000 12619 Safe HarbourDr 76x116 Lot
2016-04-04 319,950 295,000 12405 Baypointe Ter 81x190 Lot

Holmes Beach

2016-04-29 189,900 190,500 427 62nd St 688 1 Br/1 Ba SFR
2016-04-15 459,000 420,000 7402 Palm Dr 1518 3 Br/2 Ba SFR
2016-04-15 540,000 540,000 607 Dundee Ln 2191 3 Br/3 Ba SFR
2016-04-13 599,000 550,000 3018 Gulf Dr 3300 6 Br/3 Ba SFR
2016-04-15 599,900 575,000 506 Key Royale Dr 1712 86x112 3 Br/2.5 Ba SFR
2016-04-18 629,000 620,000 410 79th St 1814 3 Br/2 Ba SFR
2016-04-29 699,000 684,000 309a 59th St #A 2083 3 Br/2 Ba SFR
2016-04-27 785,000 718,186 202 64th St #A & B 1580 67x100 3 Br/3 Ba SFR
2016-04-15 762,255 762,255 204 55th St 1677 3 Br/2 Ba SFR
2016-04-08 1,298,000 1,200,000 8021 Marina Isles Ln 2828 4 Br/2.5 Ba SFR
2016-04-29 1,475,000 1,360,000 203 69th St #B 2546 6 Br/4.5 Ba SFR
2016-04-08 1,495,000 1,400,000 114 48th St 2366 50x100 4 Br/3 Ba SFR
2016-04-25 1,699,000 1,550,000 210 75th St 2563 4 Br/ 4.5Ba SFR
2016-04-20 285,000 285,000 600 Manatee Ave #117 1187 2 Br/2 Ba
2016-04-08 325,000 315,000 3301 Gulf Dr #6 700 2 Br1/Ba Condo
2016-04-05 329,000 325,000 600 Manatee Ave #233 1179 2 Br/2 Ba Condo
2016-04-04 340,000 336,500 600 Manatee Ave #145 1179 2 Br/2 Ba Condo
2016-04-14 475,000 450,000 7106 Marina Dr 850 111x75 2 Br/2 Ba Condo
2016-04-01 549,000 520,000 5608 Gulf Dr #114 1092 2 Br/2 Ba Condo
2016-04-15 599,000 599,000 6006 Gulf Dr #115-215 1356 2 Br/2.5 Ba Condo
2016-04-04 840,000 825,000 7000 Gulf Dr #101 1212 2 Br/2 Ba Condo
2016-04-27 785,000 718,186 202 64th St #A & B 1580 67x100 Duplex
2016-04-08 286,000 286,000 205 71st St #B HB 886 2 Br/1Ba Half Duplex
2016-04-13 599,000 550,000 3018 Gulf Dr 3300 50x150 Multi
2016-04-08 175,000 160,000 3017 Avenue C Lot8 50x100 Lot
2016-04-01 450,000 410,000 8009 Marina Isles Ln 113x108 Lot

Source: Mid Florida Multiple Listing Service


AMISUN ~ The Island's Award-Winning Newspaper