SAVE Riverview

2008-06-21T13:29:00.002-04:00

Article in Sarasota Herald Tribune:

Article published Jun 19, 2008

Too little, too late

Riverview High proposal received a fair hearing but fell shortIt was a lot to ask.

An aspirational concept, a detailed site plan, a solid business model, a list of prospective tenants, a show of money in the bank and multimillion-dollar financial commitments -- the Sarasota County School Board wanted it all.

By Tuesday night.The board's five members didn't get all they had sought from proponents of a proposal to redesign the reconstruction of Riverview High School and, in the process, restore an architecturally significant building and create an innovative music center.

So, the board voted 3-2 to reject the proposal and maintain the current plan for renovating Riverview, which includes the demolition of a 1958 building complex designed by a one-time Sarasotan, Paul Rudolph.

The decision pleased Riverview teachers, parents, students and others who feared that the redesign would delay the sorely needed renovation that's under way, shrink student facilities, reduce parking space and possibly leave the school district with an unsustainable project.

The decision disappointed architects, preservationists, arts leaders and others who wanted to save the Rudolph buildings and convert them into a cleverly conceived Riverview Music Quadrangle.

The proposal -- made by a first-class architectural firm, with the School Board's agreement and the support of both preservationists and architects -- was, in fact, aspirational, if not inspirational. It called for preservation and adaptation, as well as the introduction of more environmentally friendly features on the campus. The proposal was not simply about saving an "old" building, as some critics charged.

But the proposal materialized late in the life of the Riverview reconstruction project, which was years overdue but is proceeding on schedule. The architects' concept also lacked the level of specificity -- especially in economic terms -- that would have given more School Board members the assurance they needed to take a big leap of faith.

Opponents of redesigning the Riverview project and protecting the Rudolph buildings mischaracterized the decision facing the School Board as a no-brainer. The proposal deserved a fair hearing, and it received one: Board members rightly gave it a lot of thought.

As we wrote in an editorial before Tuesday's vote, the board was asking for a lot. But so were the proponents of redesigning the project.

The burden was on the proponents to meet the reasonable conditions; on the financial side, they didn't come close, leaving the board with no choice but to proceed as previously planned.

The architects who delivered the proposal deserved a better reception than they received in many sectors of the community. Their challenge to the community to dream about the possibilities of the Riverview Music Quadrangle was courageous and the designs were impressive but, sadly, the proposal wasn't tempered by reality.

NY Times Article About Riverview Decision

2008-06-21T13:23:00.001-04:00

Time Is Running Out for a Celebrated Building
By DAVID HAY

Of the many Modernist buildings Paul Rudolph designed in Sarasota, Fla., his stomping ground in the 1940s and ’50s, Riverview High School is among the most influential.

Not only is it a classic example of his early Sarasota style, with clean, horizontal planes; natural lighting; and inventive sunshades to cool the interiors, but it has also housed tens of thousands of students who have been schooled there in the last half-century.

This week the Sarasota County School Board cleared the way for the demolition of the building at the end of the 2008-9 school year. The board voted 3 to 2 not to proceed with a restoration proposed by preservationists that would turn the school, built in 1958, into a music conservatory.

School board members voting against the plan said the building’s defenders had failed to come up with a credible strategy to finance the restoration. They also said the project could jeopardize the future of a new Riverview High School building currently under construction on the tight 42-acre campus.

The entire story can be found here

Report on School Board Decision

2008-06-20T11:18:00.002-04:00

School Board comments:

"When we granted the extension six months ago, why didn’t these questions come up? Now we’re looking for another extension? I’m just having a hard time with this." -–Sarasota County School Board Vice Chairwoman Caroline Zucker on the adaptive reuse project for Riverview High School during Tuesday’s school board meeting.

[TALK] No Saving Riverview

There were too many unanswered questions, school board members said, for an architectural proposal to turn famed architect Paul Rudolph’s Riverview building into a music quadrangle. School board members voted 3 to 2 on Tuesday to reject plans to save the building. During the meeting, Riverview students and parents asked the school board not to allow the music quadrangle to be constructed on campus, citing security and space concerns.

Architects pleaded with members to save the structure, which is listed on the World Monument Fund’s 100 Most Endangered Sites. “If you allow this vote to go yes, it will draw a lot of attention to this community,” said Joel May, president of the Florida Gulf Coast Chapter of the American Institute of Architects.

School board members repeatedly asked architects representing the project how much total money the music quadrangle would cost and how much money was already raised. Architects explained they couldn’t get major foundations to donate to the project until it was approved.

“It (the project) seems to have morphed from this local group and now we’re talking about all these groups from New York and that area in all these contracts,” school board member Shirley Brown said. “You’re asking us to go into a contract with somebody…I don’t know who it is. I have the public trust of our local tax dollars. It seems so gray.”

From: PAGE 1 is produced by the editors and writers of SRQ: Sarasota's Premier Magazine, an e-mail newsletter.

Rudolph Building To Be Demolished

2008-06-18T09:42:00.002-04:00

"The district's plan calls for demolishing the original building and paving the site with a parking lot."

The Sarasota County School Board voted 3-2 to demolish Rudolph's historic building.

The full story is here.

School Board Votes to Tear Down Rudolph Building

2008-06-17T23:07:00.002-04:00

From the SHT

Board votes to tear down historic building on Riverview campus
Tiffany Lankes
Published Tuesday, June 17, 2008 at 7:06 p.m.Last updated Tuesday, June 17, 2008 at 7:10 p.m.

Sarasota County — The School Board decided to move forward with plans to tear down historic buildings at Riverview High School, ending a two-year-long effort by local activists to save the structures.

The split vote — 3 to 2 — came after an hour of emotional comments from about 20 teachers, parents and architects forcing the board to weigh the value of preserving the building against what they say is the practicality of rebuilding a high school.

In the end, board members said their decision hung on whether the group trying to save the buildings could come up with enough money for the project.

Despite giving the group three months to come up with a financial plan, board members said they were not convinced the group could raise the funding and were afraid the district would get stuck with the old, deterioriated buildings.

“The time to show me the money was today,” said board member Shirley Brown. “I’m sorry.”

Message from Carl Abbott

2008-06-09T11:37:00.001-04:00

Dear All,

On June 17 the Sarasota County School Board is going to make a final decision about demolishing or saving the original Riverview High School.

I am asking you to join me in urging them to vote in favor of preserving and rehabilitating this world-reknonwned architectural icon which was designed by architect Paul Rudolph in 1958.

Riverview High School is listed as one of the most important endangered buildings by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, by the National American Institute of Architects, Time Magazine, numerous publications around the world, and by the World Monument Foundation. Riverview High School is an important part of Sarasota's reputation as a Cultural Center.

Presently, the original School maintenance issues are extreme - the building is structurally sound as is stated in a 2004 Report. New York architect Diane Lewis has designed a handsome rehabilitation with the Riverview Music Quadrangle that will be a multi-purpose space for the musical arts.

Saving the building will not interfere with the new Riverview High School which is now under construction. The result will be a restored architectural gem with a vibrant musical life which all the community can enjoy. Letters and e-mails from you and your friends (the more, the better) can make a significant impact. Please write before June 17.

Thank you.

For more information, please go to the website of the Sarasota Architectural Foundation: info@SarasotaArchitecturalFoundation.org.

The school board members and their contact information follow:
Dr. Kathy Kleinlein, Chair kathy_kleinlein@sarasota.k12.fl.us
Mrs. Caroline Zucker caroline_zucker@sarasota.k12.fl.us
Mrs. Shirley Brown shirley_brown@sarasota.k12.fl.us
Mrs. Carol Todd carol_todd@sarasota.k12.fl.us
Mr. Frank Kovach frank_kovach@sarasota.k12.fl.us

You can write all five of them in one e-mail.

Sarasota County Schools; 1960 Landings Blvd; Sarasota, FL. 34231

CARLCARL ABBOTT FAIA ARCHITECT / PLANNER
2846 RIVERSIDE DRIVE
SARASOTA FL
34234
941.351.5016

School Board Decision Near

2008-06-08T23:38:00.003-04:00

The Sarasota School Board will be deciding next week whether to allow the proposal to save the Rudolph move forward.

A series of articles was publishedtoday in the Sarasota Herald Tribune:

Current status

What is the Sarasota School of Architecture

Rudolph's Perplexing Legacy

Riverview Photos

Historcal Photos

New renderings of plans for Riverview

News

2008-04-09T22:05:00.002-04:00

From a recent Pelican Press article:

Presentation on Music Quadrangle 'fires up' attendees

By Rachel Brown Hackney

Local preservationists working to save the original Paul Rudolph building at Riverview High School in Sarasota say they were pleased with the turnout last week at a fundraiser hosted by Northern Trust at its Ringling Boulevard offices.
More than 60 people - including Sarasota County School Board member Carol Todd - heard a revised presentation by New York City architect Diane Lewis about her plans for transforming the building into the Riverview Music Quadrangle. The plans call not only for use of the structure by students but as a setting for nationally and internationally known musicians who could work as artists in residence.
When the school board voted on March 4 to give the Sarasota Architectural Foundation a three-month extension on its efforts to put together a viable plan for the Music Quadrangle, Todd was an enthusiastic supporter of the project. She initially proposed the board give the SAF a six-month extension, before staff said that would hamper the August 2009 completion date for the new school if the Rudolph building ultimately had to be demolished.
Referring to the April 2 event, former Sarasota Mayor Mollie Cardamone told the Pelican Press, "I believe that we educated a lot of people as to the importance of our job" - to save the Rudolph building. Lewis "dazzled the audience" with her vision and with her talk of the significance of the building as an example of the Sarasota School of Architecture, Cardamone added.

Links: The rest of the story

Laurie Beckelman

Riverview in the News

2008-03-20T22:34:00.002-04:00

A good article in Metropolis:

Indigenous Design
Architecture in the twenty-first century can be intensely local—but only if we stop, look, and understand site and regional conditions.
By Susan S. Szenasy
Posted March 19, 2008

The process continues

2008-03-12T20:27:00.003-04:00

The latest information from Sarasota:

From the Pelican Press:

Group wins reprieve for Rudolph buildin
By Rachel Brown Hackney

The request was for six months, the staff proposed six weeks, but in the end, the Sarasota County School Board voted 4-1 on March 4 to give the Sarasota Architectural Foundation a three-month extension to get plans and funds in place to save the historic Paul Rudolph structure at Riverview High School.

The lone "No" vote came from board member Frank Kovach, who has made his position known on numerous occasions that he would prefer to see the building razed on the campus where new facilities are scheduled to open for the 2009-2010 school year.

Kovach said the board had given the Revive Rudolph's Riverview group and SAF a year since a design charrette organized by the National Trust for Historic Preservation was held in March 2007 to find a way to save the 1958 Rudolph building, "and I have not seen any kind of forward motion."

However, board member Carol Todd pointed to a presentation earlier in the evening about the plans for transforming the original 1920s Sarasota High School building into a museum of modern and contemporary art along with studios for Ringling College of Art and Design students."

If anyone had told me when I voted [to allow the museum plans to go forward] that they would be where they are today," Todd said, she would not have believed them. "I am awed by where they are today."

Further, Todd said, "How do you ask people for millions of dollars if you don't have [a firm] commitment" from the school board. It would be a good faith effort, she added, for the board to give the SAF the full six-month extension.

Board member Shirley Brown agreed that it would be hard for the SAF to raise money without a commitment from the board. Still, she said she felt the board first needs to see where the group was with its efforts to save the structure.

"Does this plan have dollars in it that make sense?" When Vice Chairman Caroline Zucker asked whether a three-month extension would have any negative impact on the construction of the new school, Chief Operating Officer Scott Lempe responded that it would not. However, he said, "Six months makes me real nervous."

Kovach also pointed out that the Music Quadrangle plan for the building, envisioned by New York City architect Diane Lewis, was not the type of future the board had foreseen when it approved an April 17, 2007, resolution with the SAF. "

They seem to want to use our resources.""All I hear is 'we,' 'they,' 'we,' 'they,' " Todd responded. "Are we going to partner with them or are we going to parcel out the barrels so they will never be successful?"

Superintendent Gary Norris told the board an SAF representative had phoned him to say that district staff "had potentially delayed them by six weeks" in working on their site plans and fundraising. " I told him immediately I wanted to make it right." That was why staff had suggested the six-week extension, he added.

Chairman Kathy Kleinlein noted that Lewis' design entails moving athletic fields and reconfiguring other parts of the new campus - something that was not a factor with the historic SHS building. However, she added, "I like the idea of the Music Quadrangle. ... I would be in favor of giving them three months more. I think that's more than fair."

After the vote, SAF Chairman Les Fishman told the Pelican Press, "Three months is better than nothing." As Todd had pointed out, he continued, it was difficult to raise funds without a commitment from the board.Further, he said that, in light of the economic downturn, it would be very difficult in the Sarasota area, or even in the United States, to raise all the money needed to save the building. However, with Rudolph fans all over the world, he said, the SAF, could seek international support.

Mark Smith of Siesta Key, immediate past president of the Florida Association of the American Institute of Architects, was delighted on March 5 to hear about the board's vote. " That's excellent. That's much, much better."

A civil engineer with the WilsonMiller firm in Naples is working with SAF to oversee the necessary site work to enable Lewis' plan to blend with the new Riverview, he said. The first round of fundraising for the Lewis plan will cover that consultant's expenses, he added."It's such a worthwhile project," he said of the Music Quadrangle. "I'm glad that the school board's giving it every opportunity to succeed."
-----------------------------
Earlier articles in the Pelican Press describing the process are listed below:

http://www.pelicannews.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=4669&SectionID=130&S=1

http://www.pelicannews.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=4542&SectionID=132&S=1

Current Status of Saving the Rudolph Building

2008-01-03T23:15:00.000-05:00

The Pelican Press has an editorial this week that summarizes the current status of this effort:

Rudolph building finally has real hope for rescue

A year and a half ago, we would have laid better than even odds that the original Paul Rudolph structure at Riverview High School ultimately would face the wrecking ball. Now this community has before it a clear vision for the building's rescue and resurrection.
Fortunately both the conservationists fighting to save this fine example of the Sarasota School of Architecture and the Sarasota County School Board members were able to push beyond their almost childlike petulance in debating its future and work toward common ground. They managed to pave the way for what we find is a magnificent means of saving a piece of history while making Sarasota's cultural star shine even more brightly.
The intervention of the National Trust for Historic Preservation in holding a "charrette" last March to ponder just how the Rudolph building could be saved was invaluable in this process. As a result, the Sarasota Architectural Foundation was able to fund and hold a competition seeking a viable future for the structure. That competition produced a proposal for a Music Quadrangle that would build upon Riverview's much-deserved reputation as a Music Demonstration School in this state.
The SAF will have until March 15 to prove that the Music Quadrangle is more than just a designer's dream, but given architect Diane Lewis' passion for her proposal, we truly believe it can become a reality.
Speak to Lewis for just a few minutes and you will know not only that she is absolutely committed to saving the Rudolph building and restoring it to its former luster but that she wants to use her many resources to expand on just the type of activity that the Itzhak Perlman Music Program has become for Sarasota. She wants to see other world-class musicians as artists in residence working with young people on the Riverview campus, and musical programs open to the public to showcase internationally known stars and the next generation who will be following in their footsteps.
When the school board met with Lewis and SAF epresentatives on Dec. 11, we heard a lot of concerns raised about the work that will have to be done - with the new school already under way - to make the Music Quadrangle fit on the redeveloped campus. Yet, we also heard Diane Lewis say those obstacles are in no way insurmountable.
Of course, the final act in this process belongs to the school board. Come March, its five members will decide once and for all whether Paul Rudolph's original vision for Riverview High will be burnished in a new use or left only as a memory in the pages of architectural students' textbooks.
If Diane Lewis and the SAF fulfill their part of the bargain, as we believe they will, then it should be very easy for the school board to give them their blessings to proceed.

In the Sarasota Herald Tribune there is a podcast of the Herald Tribune's real estate editor, Harold Bubil, interview with Diane Lewis. It is titled:

The case for Rudolph's Riverview
Architect Diane Lewis explains her team's proposal for the reuse of the Paul Rudolph-designed building at Riverview High School. The world is watching, she says.

News About the "Save Riverview" Proposals

2007-11-29T23:37:00.000-05:00

Four proposals were selected for review by the jury and the school board.

Local news articles about the status of saving the Riverview are in the Sarasota Herald Tribume and the Pelican Press.

A Pelican Press article about the selection process is here.

The public meeting tonight to view the selection results was well attended. Diane Lewis , architect for the chosen design, participated via telephone from New York. The proposal is exciting and was very well recieved.

More news and graphics will be posted when they are available.

Invitation from Sarasota Architectural Foundation

2007-11-27T21:45:00.000-05:00

The SARASOTA ARCHITECTURAL FOUNDATION in association with SCOPE and the SARASOTA COUNTY ARTS COUNCIL presents:

Revive Rudolph's Riverview –
Campaign For Preservation & Recommended Adaptive Use Design

When: Thursday, November 29th, 2007
Time: 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Where: Roskamp Center for the Arts & Humanity
1226 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota

SAF will discuss the campaign for preserving Paul Rudolph's Riverview High School, including a showing of the Metropolis film Site Specific.

Mark Smith, AIA FL President and member of the Revive Rudolph’s Riverview Committee will discuss the program.

The team that submitted the recommended adaptive use design – RMJM Hillier with Diane Lewis Architect and Beckelman+ Capalino, LLC, New York, NY, with Seibert Architects, Sarasota, FL – will present their proposal for the Riverview Music Quadrangle.

There will also be a display of the proposals by the other three finalist teams:
Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects, Atlanta, GA, in association with John McAslan + Partners, London; Mark S. Kauffman, Developer, The ADP Group, Architects, Sarasota, FL; and The Folsom Group and TOTeMS Architecture, Inc. Sarasota, FL.

This event is free and open to the public.

If you have any questions, please contact:
Samantha Allard
Sarasota Architectural Foundation
941.365.4723
www.sarasotaarchitecturalfoundation.org

Riverview Building Close to Being Saved

2007-11-25T22:17:00.000-05:00

Harold Bubil has commented on progress made this past week toward saving the Paul Rudolph designed Riverview high School. The school board is in the process of rebuilding the entire campus, but has allowed proposals for saving the Rudolph building if the cost is not increased and the timetable is not delayed.

Harold's column says in part:

There's still a long way to go, but the effort to save the Paul Rudolph-designed buildings at Riverview High took a big step this week.

The Sarasota Architectural Foundation's Revive Rudolph's Riverview committee presented proposals to the Sarasota County School Board, which is building a new complex at the 42-acre site on Proctor Road.

Five architect-developer teams participated in the Request for Proposals process; one team withdrew. The four remaining proposals were ranked in order and presented to the School Board on Tuesday.

The first-ranked proposal, which called for an adaptive use that would join the historic and new RHS buildings, was dismissed by School Board members because it did not fit the criteria set forth by the board: the Rudolph project could not delay or add cost to the new RHS project.

That leaves the second-ranked proposal -- something called the Riverview Music Quadrangle.

Submitted by the design team of RMJM Hillier, with Diane Lewis Architect and Beckelman+Capalino of New York, and Seibert Architects of Sarasota, this plan calls for "a collaborative environment for new and existing Sarasota music activities," according to a statement by the Revive Rudolph's Riverview committee. "It would complement the Riverview High School and other Sarasota County school music programs, and it would provide studio space and performance venues for community groups and orchestras."

This and other proposals will be shown to the public on at 5 PM, Thursday (Nov 29) at the Roskamp Center on the North Trail.

More information can be found at the SAF Revive Riverview site.

Progress Toward Saving Riverview

2007-09-18T22:16:00.000-04:00

From the Sarasota Herald Tribune:

Article published Sep 15, 2007

Harold Bubil

Making progress on Riverview

The Sarasota Architectural Foundation (SAF) is making progress in its efforts to save Paul Rudolph's Riverview High School from demolition.

The SAF has received "Statements of Qualification" from several prominent international and local teams of architects and developers who may take part in the competition to find an adaptive use for Riverview.

The five finalists will be announced at a reception held by the Paul Rudolph Foundation in New York today. I'm told a world-class Chicago firm is one of them.

Formal proposals are due by Nov. 16; the winner will be chosen by an international jury in Sarasota on Nov. 19.

The School Board's final decision will be made March 15, 2008.

The SAF has raised the $25,000 required to qualify for a matching $25,000 grant from the World Monuments Fund (WMF) to help with the preservation as part of the WMF's "Modernism at Risk" program and its founding sponsor, Knoll.
----

See also the "Revive Rudolph's Riverview" homepage at the Sarasota Architectural Foundation web site.

The wikipedia entry also gives onformation about this project.

Plan to Save Rudolph Buildings

2007-06-21T22:20:00.000-04:00

The following article was printed in the Sarasota Herald Tribune:

Article published Jun 20, 2007

INTERESTED?
What: The Riverview Committee is soliciting design ideas to restore the famed Paul Rudolph buildings at Riverview High and create a unique parking deck for the campus. If no proposal is found by March 2008, the School Board will tear down the buildings.

When: The design competition should begin this summer. The final idea should be selected by November.

Information: Contact Les Fishman at 365-4723, or e-mail James Bowen at james@bowenarchitecture.com.

Riverview group seeks champion to save buildings
By LIZ BABIARZ
liz.babiarz@heraldtribune.com

SARASOTA COUNTY -- What was once a grassroots effort to save the historic buildings at Riverview High is now an organized movement, looking for a partner with design ideas and funding before the School Board's demolition deadline.

The citizens group Save Riverview Committee recently merged with the Sarasota Architectural Foundation, a nonprofit organization, to form the Riverview Committee.

The 12-member committee will soon host an international competition to find a new use for Riverview High's courtyard buildings, designed by famed architect Paul Rudolph. They are also seeking a design idea for a unique parking solution -- a parking garage with ball fields on top -- that would provide the space for the Rudolph buildings to remain on the campus.

The group hopes to have a winning proposal by November in order to present to the School Board by its March 2008 deadline. If no solution is found, the buildings will be demolished, the School Board has said."It isn't just a design problem; it's a problem of funding as well," said Greg Hall, an Sarasota architect and committee member. "It's a pretty daunting task, but we are optimistic."

The Sarasota County School Board in March agreed to give the group one year to come up with a design plan and the funding, about $20 million, before demolishing the Rudolph buildings as planned to make way for the new school's parking lot.

The resolution came after outcry over the demolition and a three-day workshop, hosted by the National Historic Trust, in which architects, school officials and concerned citizens brainstormed ways to save the buildings without hindering the construction of the new school.Instead of razing the buildings for a parking lot, the group came up with the space saving idea of a parking deck with fields on top so the buildings could remain. And although the group decided the Rudolph buildings could not be part of the new school, they could be renovated for an alternative use, preferably a university that complements the high school.

The committee plans to announce more details about its competition at the end of this month. It will be requesting that firms or developer teams that are interested submit their qualifications. Based on those, by mid-September the committee will select five finalists that will then have three months to submit proposals. Then a jury committee, with public input, will make a final selection that will be presented to the School Board in the spring.At this point, committee members say, the possibilities for the Rudolph buildings are endless.

"It's wide open," said James Bowen, a Sarasota architect who is chairing the Riverview committee. "It could be an organization, a corporation, a university, a building collector. It could be anyone if the idea is right and they are capable.

"Yet as the group is moving forward with its plan, so is the School Board. It recently finalized legal agreements with Sarasota County government, and is moving forward with a land swap with the county, the final steps before construction will begin.

On Tuesday, the School Board also approved the plans for Riverview High's 1,000-seat auditorium and 40,000-square-foot gymnasium. Construction is expected to begin next month on the $19 million structures. The remaining plans for Riverview should be finished by this fall.At roughly $134 million, the Riverview High School project is one of the most expensive in school district history. The School Board has said the district will not pay to revitalize the Rudolph buildings. Nor can the preservation slow down the project, interfere with instruction or diminish student safety.

"They are welcome to pursue any avenue to save the buildings, but the board has nothing to do with it," board member Kathy Kleinlein said.

Catching up with the news

2007-04-04T21:01:00.000-04:00

There has been much acticity in the last couple weeks concerning the positive steps toward saving the Rudolph building on the Riverview High campus. Excerpts from these news stories are as follows:

Mar 20
Group offers Riverview plan
Idea would save Paul Rudolph buildings, raise cost of project
By LIZ BABIARZ Sarasota Herald Tribune

SARASOTA COUNTY -- A committee seeking to preserve historic buildings at Riverview High School will recommend to the School Board today that the new campus include a raised soccer field and tennis court that would have parking space underneath.The group met this weekend to explore alternatives to the district's plan for Riverview, which includes building a new school and razing the courtyard buildings -- designed by famed architect Paul Rudolph -- to make room for a parking lot.

Mar 21
Riverview's future hinges on $20 million
School Board gives preservationists one year to raise funds to save the Rudolph buildings.
By LIZ BABIARZ Sarasota Herald Tribune

SARASOTA COUNTY -- The fate of the historic buildings at Riverview High now hinges on a group's ability to raise millions of dollars.The School Board on Tuesday agreed to give a group of preservationists one year to come up with roughly $20 million for an innovative parking solution that would allow the buildings, designed by famed architect Paul Rudolph, to remain on campus.Instead of razing the Rudolph buildings to make room for a parking lot as the district planned, the group wants the district to build an elevated soccer field and six tennis courts -- with parking space underneath -- in the campus' southeast corner.For about an additional $11 million, the Rudolph buildings would be restored for an alternative use, possibly a satellite campus for a university, housing for teachers or an art museum.But that's only if the group, called the Save Riverview Committee, can come up with a partner and secure the funding by March 2008, the School Board said.

Mar 22 SHT Editorial
Compromise built on trust
Proposal to save Riverview High buildings is daunting but fair
Principled compromises, progressive thinking and constructive debate were the products of a recent workshop that explored alternatives to the demolition of Riverview High School's signature buildings, tired but notable pieces of modern architecture.Not bad for a weekend of intense work by local preservationists and architects, Sarasota County School District representatives and facilitators from the National Trust for Historic Preservation.Actually, the process and the results were amazing in light of the time constraints, the parameters of the task and the polarized views of key participants.

Mar 24
RHS plan is 'win-win'
Like the architecture it is meant to protect, the National Trust/Save Riverview Committee's alternative plan for Sarasota's Riverview High School is a stroke of simple genius -- aside from the issue of paying for it.

Saving the Paul Rudolph-designed buildings on the school's cramped campus by putting soccer fields and tennis courts atop a large parking garage is a "win-win," says School Board attorney Lamar Matthews.

Because the estimated $15 million cost would be raised from private sources, the plan would neither add to the cost of the new school facility nor delay its construction -- key requirements for the School Board.

Rudolph Pictures - including Riverview

MODERN ARCHITECTURE DOCUMENTARY PREVIEWS AT FILM SOCIETY

2007-03-19T12:56:00.000-04:00

MODERN ARCHITECTURE DOCUMENTARY PREVIEWS AT FILM SOCIETY

“Site Specific: The History of Regional Modernism,” a documentary prepared by Susan Szenasy and Metropolis magazine, will have a free preview screening at the Sarasota Film Society’s Burns Court Cinemas Saturday, March 24, at 10 a.m.

The film, which includes an examination of the significance of Paul Rudolph’s world-famous Riverview High School, will be shown in conjunction with a discussion sponsored by the Save Riverview Committee, AIA Florida and the Sarasota Architectural Foundation.

In view of the recent charrette conducted by the National Trust for Historic Preservation about the feasibility of rehabilitation and re-use of the iconic Rudolph structures in the new Riverview campus now under consideration, the generous offer of Metropolis magazine to make the film available in advance of Susan Szenasy’s fall lecture tour of the United States is key to this important airing of the issues of historic preservation, community history and education.

Greg Hall AIA will moderate the discussion, which will include comments by Mollie Cardamone, former City Commissioner and one of the first teachers to work in the Rudolph buildings when they were opened in 1958. Other speakers include local architect and President of AIA Florida Mark Smith AIA, as well as Les Fishman, president of the Sarasota Architectural Foundation.

The event, which begins at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 24, has been made possible by the generous gesture of the Sarasota Film Society in making their theatre on Burns Court, just off South Pineapple Avenue in downtown Sarasota available. Free parking can be found at the city lot opposite the Dolphin center on South Orange Avenue.

For more information, call: Carl Abbott, FAIA, Architect and Planner PA, 941-351-5016.

New Metropolis Film To Be Shown in Sarasota

2007-03-16T11:03:00.000-04:00

To all members of the Sarasota Architectural Foundation and Other Interested Parties, Metropolis Magazine, in conjunction with the Committee to Save Riverview is presenting a twenty minute documentary.

Here are the details:

Title: Site Specific.

This is a film about Regional Modernist Architecture.

It features Riverview High School as a case study.

Saturday, March 24, 2007 at 10:00 A.M.

Burns Court Theater, Burns Court, Sarasota.
Free Admission

Following the showing there will be a presentation and discussion led by Greg Hall. There will be other architects, preservationists and representatives from various organizations participating.

We urge you to attend and support The Committee to Save Riverview.

Les Fishman,
SAF Chairman

National Trust Charrette Process

2007-03-08T22:14:00.000-05:00

From the Pelican Press:

Riverview High charrette to be held March 16-18

Question remains whether sessions will be private
BY RACHEL BROWN HACKNEY

A brainstorming process that may determine the fate of the historic Paul Rudolph buildings at Riverview High School in Sarasota has been set for March 16-18, the Pelican Press has learned.

The biggest question remaining in the planning is whether the "charrette," to be held under the auspices of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, will be open to the public, local architects Greg Hall and Mark Smith said.

However, Smith and Scott Lempe, acting associate superintendent of the Sarasota County Schools, said they felt the process would have to be open because of Florida's Sunshine laws.

"Frankly, I don't think that there is any way we can talk about spending $135 million of the taxpayers' money and not have that meeting open to the public," Lempe said, referring to the estimated cost of the new Riverview High School, which is scheduled to open in August 2009.

Hall said John Hildreth, director of the National Trust's southern office, located in Charleston, S.C., preferred the charrette be private.

In Florida, Hall said, people are used to a public issue being discussed in open session. "On the other hand, it can have the unwanted effect of politicizing the process." "[The National Trust has] found that it's easier and quicker and more direct if they just have the workshop participants in the room," Smith said.

Nonetheless, Smith has e-mailed Hildreth his concerns. If the charrette is held behind closed doors, Smith noted, Hildreth has said the conclusions will be announced in a public forum. Hildreth did not return calls.

The charrette is scheduled to begin about noon on March 16 and conclude about noon on March 18, according to Lempe. It probably will be held at the school district offices in The Landings on South Tamiami Trail, he added.

The Save Riverview committee has been advocating for the preservation of the Rudolph buildings in spite of a school board vote in June 2006 to tear down the structures in preparation for the new school. During their Feb. 6 regular meeting, the school board members agreed to the charrette. However, they were firm that they would not allow the process to delay construction.

In a Feb. 20 interview, Lempe said he had contacted Hildreth the previous week to begin the planning for the charrette. He had asked Hildreth to contact the Vancouver, British Columbia, architectural firm of Busby Perkins + Will to provide an architect to lead the sessions, as agreed to by the Save Riverview committee. Perkins + Will, Lempe said, "is recognized nationally as a leader in education design." The Sarasota firm of BMK Architects worked in partnership with Perkins + Will on the new Riverview design.

On Monday, the Save Riverview committee was working to finalize who would represent it during the charrette. Hall said he would be participating, along with Smith, the current president of the Florida Association of the American Institute of Architects. Hall was not certain whether Smith would have to be counted as one of the three Save Riverview people or whether he could participate as a fourth in his AIA capacity.

Lempe said last week that he had asked the Save Riverview committee to limit its representation to three people. "Committees tend to be ineffective if they get too big," he said.

Asked whether he was optimistic the charrette could produce a workable proposal for saving the Rudolph buildings, Hall said, "It is our hope [the conclusions] will carry some weight" with the school board. "I'm happy with the way it's all come together," Smith said. "I think it's an honor for Sarasota" to have the National Trust involved in the process, he added. "It reinforces what we have been talking about as a committee and as architects" regarding the value of the Rudolph buildings as examples of the internationally known Sarasota School of Architecture.

The charrette will provide the "thorough evaluation [that] should be given" to those structures, Smith said. Moreover, "it's never too late if you save history."

In the News - The Hits Keep On Coming

2007-03-08T10:37:00.000-05:00

Time Magazine's on line version has a story about the demolition of Paul Rudolph buildings. Included is a reference to Riverview High School here in Sarasota:

And Riverview High School in Sarasota, Fla., the city where Rudolph started his career in the 1940 and '50s, is now in danger of being sacrificed for a parking lot.

Check the entire story at this link. There is also a reference to the NY Times article about the same issue a couple days ago.

Update: National Trust Moderated Review of Riverview High School

2007-03-01T20:43:00.000-05:00

From the Sarasota School Administration (Mar 1, 2007):

All,

This e-mail is intended to give you an update on where we are regarding a session with the National Trust for Historic Preservation to talk about Riverview High School.

The National Trust has been in contact with Perkins & Will (at the mutual agreement of the parties) and they have agreed to facilitate this process. The National Trust has identified a window of opportunity for us to hold this session, beginning around noon on Friday, March 16, 2007 and planning to be complete by noon on Sunday, March 18, 2007.

I hate to ask anyone to give up a part of a weekend but this may be the only way to make this happen in a timely fashion. I think we need to make sure our group is large enough to get the work done and small enough to be functional and efficient.

I've recommended to the National Trust the list below. For those of you on the list, please let me know if you think you can participate in this two-day session. Details will follow--at this point I'm just looking at the calendar... I don't know that we will have an opportunity for "alternate dates."

District Team
Scott Lempe Assoc Supt, Business
Darrell McClain BMK Representative
Linda Nook Principal

Community Reps
Cathy Layton Community member
Marion Almy Community member

Save Riverview Team
Greg Hall plus 2 (at your discretion but I do think we need to keep it small)

Staff Support
Lamar Matthews Counsel to the School Board
John Neel Project Manager

Thanks!!! More to follow as the date nears...

ScottScott J. LempeActing Associate Superintendent
Business Support Services

Riverview Editorial

2007-02-09T23:51:00.000-05:00

Editorial published Feb 9, 2007 in Sarasota Herald Tribune
The Riverview review

Requirement of a strict timeline is lamentable but necessaryAfter a parents' group pleaded, in a Herald-Tribune guest column, for construction of a new Riverview High School to proceed without delay, a community group proposed, in another guest column, an expert review of the possibilities of preservation.

The Sarasota County School Board and superintendent agreed on both counts.

The board and Superintendent Gary Norris took a principled yet politically practical stand Tuesday. They accepted a proposal by the Save Riverview Committee to let the National Trust for Historic Preservation facilitate a three-day workshop. The workshop will examine the feasibility of rehabilitating the school courtyard buildings designed by the renowned Paul Rudolph and incorporating them into a new campus.

The School Board's agreement came with important caveats, such as limits on costs and a provision that preservation proposals not delay the sorely needed, overdue Riverview campus-reconstruction plan.It's lamentable that adherence to a strict timeline is required, but it's necessary. As we wrote in an editorial last June, the Riverview campus -- which includes "Sarasota School of Architecture" designs by Rudolph -- is overcrowded, outdated and rundown. Even one of the leading proponents of rehabilitation, architect (and Riverview graduate and parent) Mark H. Smith, wrote that today's campus is a "dreadful place.

"The school district, preservationists and the community should be embarrassed by the fact that any school -- much less one of distinctive design -- has deteriorated to the condition of Riverview.

We sympathize with the preservationists' desire to save the architecture. More than history is at stake, however. The health, safety and welfare of students and staff are at risk. If those priorities can be met through preservation, wonderful, but they must be met without delay.

School Board OKs National Trust Review

2007-02-09T23:46:00.000-05:00

Article published Feb 7, 2007

Sarasota board open to saving historic school
School Board OKs Riverview study
By LIZ BABIARZ
liz.babiarz@heraldtribune.com

After weeks of lobbying by local architects, school district officials appear more open to saving the historic buildings at Riverview High as they rebuild the school.

But it can't delay construction, increase costs, diminish security or interfere with student learning, those officials said Tuesday.

"We still want the school open by 2009; this is what we want to see," board member Shirley Brown said. "If we can see that and save that portion of the old school, we'll go forward.

"The School Board on Tuesday agreed to invite an architect from the National Trust for Historic Preservation to Sarasota in the next few weeks to study the viability of saving the historic courtyard buildings, designed by architect Paul Rudolph.

The Historic Trust will host a three-day "brainstorming session" with 15 to 20 interested parties -- including architects, Riverview teachers and parents, residents and district officials -- to see what can be done to preserve the Rudolph buildings and build a school that meets the needs of 21st century education.

The board's decision to hold the independent review was supported by all the members except Chairman Frank Kovach.It is a victory for local architects who have been pushing the board to reconsider its vote last fall to tear down the Rudolph buildings to make way for a parking lot and bus loop.

"It's an iconic building," said Edward "Tim" Seibert, an AIA fellow and member of the Save Riverview Committee.

"Paul Rudolph was a very fine architect, known around the world. I hope we can open up a conversation and make (the preservation) happen."But while they were open to the idea of investigating ways to preserve Rudolph's work, the School Board was clear it may not result in any change.

"I think our students deserve a safe and healthy school to go to," board member Caroline Zucker said. "If it is going to delay the project at all, I'm not in favor of it.

"At the end of the three-day "charrette," the National Trust architect will make a recommendation to the School Board on how to proceed with Riverview High, a suggestion the board can accept, reject or modify.If the board chooses to proceed with the demolition, Superintendent Gary Norris is suggesting it wait at least two years to give the community a chance to raise money and find another use for the structure.

Norris compared it to the process the district used to save Sarasota High School's old red brick building, by accepting a proposal from the Ringling School of Art and Design to transform it into a visual arts education center.

"If there's really this cry out there to save the building, I think the money is out there, too," Norris said.

Mold, drainage and other problems have plagued Riverview for years, and school officials have maintained it would cost too much to save it.

But preservationists say the district didn't do enough to try to save the buildings designed by Rudolph, one of the founders of the Sarasota School of architecture. They recently nominated the glass and steel structures to be included on the list of "America's 11 Most Endangered Historical Sites.

"At Tuesday's meeting, the board also instructed BMK Architects to proceed with its construction drawings for Riverview. Under the current plan, construction of a new school building on vacant land would start in September and be completed in fall 2009. The students would relocate to the new building and the Rudolph buildings would be demolished in late 2009 or early 2010. Then a parking lot and bus loop would be built.

School Board members continue to express concern about the project's price tag, now hovering at $134 million. At their meeting next week, they will discuss ways to reduce costs, which may mean cutting back on extras such as the planetarium, a balcony in the auditorium and computers for students.

School Board Accepts National Trust's Offer

2007-02-06T22:10:00.000-05:00

Today the Sarasota School Board voted 4-1 to accept the offer made by the National Trust for Historic Preservation to facilitate an independent review of the Rudolph buildings on the Riverview site.

The review will likely be a three-day workshop at no cost to the community or the Sarasota County School Board and will focus on the feasibility of rehabilitating the original Paul Rudolph courtyard buildings and incorporating them into the campus of the new 21st-century Riverview.

We are pleased that the School Board took this step.