Excerpts from a letter to the School System Associate Superintendent from the National Trust for Historic Preservation:
Thank you for talking with me Monday afternoon January 22nd, regarding the future of Riverview High School. From conversations conducted with you, and with Riverview’s principal Linda Nook, the National Trust understands circumstances surrounding Riverview to be complex, and that in-depth discussion regarding Riverview’s future has been ongoing. The National Trust is aware that a wide range of alternatives has been explored over a number of years. I thank you for this level of discussion.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a nonprofit organization with more than 250,000 members nationwide. As the leader of the national preservation movement, we are committed to saving America’s diverse historic environments and to preserving and revitalizing the livability of communities throughout the country.
Riverview High School, and the work of architect Paul Rudolph, is well known to the National Trust. Riverview’s construction in 1957 and the addition constructed to Sarasota High School the following year, mark Rudolph’s strongest statements of public place-making in Florida. While school administrators question Riverview’s suitability as an educational site, the building’s iconic status warrants identifying a continuing use for, at minimum, a significant portion of Rudolph’s original complex.
The National Trust shares the Sarasota County School Board’s concern that county schoolchildren be provided a safe, secure learning environment that meets 21st century educational needs. It is the National Trust’s belief that with careful planning, Riverview
can be adapted to the demands of 21st century learning.
We respectfully request you join Florida’s preservation community in developing a strategy to preserve this highly significant landmark while adapting it to future use. We offer our assistance in facilitating such an effort, including funding to engage other designers to participate.
Monday, January 29, 2007
Thursday, January 18, 2007
A Rudolph Designed Home Goes to the Landfill
We are saddened to learn about the demolition of the Paul Rudolph designed home in westport, CT.
WESTPORT, Conn., Jan. 13 — A Modernist house designed by the renowned architect Paul Rudolph and at the center of a highly public dispute over its demolition was being torn down Saturday, despite a last-minute effort by the state attorney general to save it.
Crews arrived at the property on Minute Man Hill Road just after 8 a.m. When they began demolishing the house, the police ordered members of the news media out of the immediate area.
As the morning wore on, trash-hauling trucks carried away the remnants of the 4,200-square-foot home designed in 1972 by Mr. Rudolph, the chairman of Yale’s School of Architecture in the early 1960s. The house was an elongated series of interconnecting cubes, with the eastern end hovering over the ground. By the afternoon, little of it remained.
Morley Boyd, the chairman of the Westport Historic District Commission, said, “An irreplaceable piece of our town, indeed our state’s, architectural heritage has been consigned to a landfill. It’s hard to fathom.”
We hope that Sarasota's School Board and Superintendent show more concern, sensitivity a dn a sense of community history than was shown in Westport.
WESTPORT, Conn., Jan. 13 — A Modernist house designed by the renowned architect Paul Rudolph and at the center of a highly public dispute over its demolition was being torn down Saturday, despite a last-minute effort by the state attorney general to save it.
Crews arrived at the property on Minute Man Hill Road just after 8 a.m. When they began demolishing the house, the police ordered members of the news media out of the immediate area.
As the morning wore on, trash-hauling trucks carried away the remnants of the 4,200-square-foot home designed in 1972 by Mr. Rudolph, the chairman of Yale’s School of Architecture in the early 1960s. The house was an elongated series of interconnecting cubes, with the eastern end hovering over the ground. By the afternoon, little of it remained.
Morley Boyd, the chairman of the Westport Historic District Commission, said, “An irreplaceable piece of our town, indeed our state’s, architectural heritage has been consigned to a landfill. It’s hard to fathom.”
We hope that Sarasota's School Board and Superintendent show more concern, sensitivity a dn a sense of community history than was shown in Westport.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Riverview Demolition Nominated for National Trust's Most Endangered List
The Sarasota Herald-Tribune has a story today about our group's application to nominate the planned Riverview demolition to the National Trust's 11 Most Endangered List for 2007. It is currently on the Florida Trust's Endangered List.
Article published Jan 14, 2007
ENDANGERED
By ANNA SCOTT
SARASOTA -- Local architects are trying to dub Riverview High school one of "America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places of 2007," a designation that carries no legal punch but packs a mean public awareness campaign.
In the 20-year history of the National Trust for Historic Preservation's famed listing, only two of the chosen endangered places were ever demolished: the Mapes Hotel in Reno, Nev., where stars including Tony Bennett performed, and the Madison Lenox Hotel in Detroit, one of the downtown area's original turn-of-the-century buildings.
The Riverview application, filed this week by the head of the state's largest architectural association, came with letters of support from industry leaders from New Jersey to Michigan, each making the case why the Sarasota County School Board should reverse its decision to demolish the school.
"Hopefully it will show the local folks in charge of this thing that they've made the wrong decision," said Mark Smith, a Siesta Key architect and member of the Save Riverview committee.
About 70 to 100 apply for status each year, according to the trust. Winners will be announced May 15.
The movement to save the school is picking up national support.
World-famous urban planner Andres Duany called the demolition plans "barbaric" at a City Hall meeting a few days ago.
But the national attention might not be enough to spare the buildings designed by modernist architect Paul Rudolph, who is considered one of the most talented members of the Sarasota architecture movement of the 1950s, and whose reputation in recent years has been revived.
One of his designs, the architecture school at Yale, even appears on a postage stamp.
School officials say, despite the attention, they'll hold fast to plans to tear down and rebuild by 2010.
The Proctor Street lot is too small to preserve the glass-and-steel Rudolph buildings and still build something suitable for the 21st century, they say.
They're thinking hurricane-proof, high-tech, secure, cost-efficient. They want parking spots.
When the Rudolph buildings come down, pavement will be laid in their place.
"Students first, taxpayers second and architectural design third," said School Board member Caroline Zucker.
The application to the historic trust is the latest turn in the growing war between school leaders and local preservationists since the School Board voted last fall to tear down the school.
After hearing from members of the Save Riverview committee, who believe there is a cost-efficient way to renovate the Rudolph buildings and still build a new school, the Sarasota County government decided to investigate whether there was a code prohibiting destruction of the 58-year-old campus.
School officials are planning to meet with county officials one-on-one this week to share the deteriorating condition of Riverview, from the mold to the dark classrooms, and reasons why restoring the Rudolph buildings won't work.
Several school officials said they worried the national attention might further delay the Riverview rebuild.
"It's frustrating," said Principal Linda Nook. "I'm worried about anything that could halt this."
The school district plans to restore a smaller Rudolph building on the Sarasota High campus, said Superintendent Gary Norris.
And the district is committed to including Rudolph-inspired touches at the new Riverview, such as staircases that seem to float and steel beams.
For some, that will never be enough.
"You know what the world thinks of your tearing down Riverview?" Duany said before a packed City Commission chambers last week. "It doesn't matter how many concerts you have and how many art museums you have. You will be considered forever barbarians if you take it down."
The crowd cheered.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Pelican Press Editorial
Pelican Press
EDITORIAL
Rudolph's Riverview High must be preserved
Unless you've just returned to town, you know by now that despite months of active campaigning by local and national preservationists, the Sarasota School of Architecture-styled, Paul Rudolph-designed Riverview High School, which was built in 1957, has been slated for destruction since last summer.
Since the announcement, Save Riverview, which is committed to finding a way to preserve the Rudolph structures, has generated a groundswell of international support. The county commission recently directed its legal staff to research Florida statutes and determine if there are provisions to block the school board's plan to replace the historic structure with a new one by the autumn of 2009. The commission directed County Attorney Steve DeMarsh to research both applicable laws and the county's comprehensive plan for a report about "historic preservation and off-site impacts." A report has been tentatively scheduled for Jan. 25.
And, as reported in this week's Pelican, Metropolis, an internationally known design and architecture magazine, is producing a documentary on the ongoing saga of the Rudolph buildings.
Clearly this is not an issue that is going to fade away gracefully - probably much to the chagrin of the school board, which voted unanimously to demolish the school.
On May 18, 2006, the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation listed the building as one of the 11 Most Endangered Historic Sites in the state. Then, to the surprise of local and international Rudolph devotees, one month later, the school board announced a multimillion-dollar plan for building a new Riverview that means all the existing school's buildings would be demolished to make way for parking.
The school district had already paid approximately $1.2 million for an in-depth facilities assessment by the firm 3D/International (3DI). Unfortunately - and this is really where they missed the boat - the Paul Rudolph-designed structures were left out of the assessment; because they were intended to be razed, no discussion necessary. This, despite a 2004 memorandum to Superintendent Dr. Gary Norris from BMK Architects overviewing its extensive 2002 Long-Range Facilities Review on Riverview High School, which stated "plan on replacing all existing buildings on campus ... with the exception of the original Rudolph buildings, which should be rehabilitated."
Rudolph's designs tend to be polarizing. But whether you love or hate the building is really irrelevant; it is a historically important piece of the Sarasota School of Architecture that should be saved.
Rudolph was a pioneering architect and a major figure of the Sarasota School of Architecture. Before designing Riverview High School in 1957, he focused his groundbreaking talents on designing private residences on Siesta Key and Sarasota.
In his designs, Rudolph synthesized the Modernist ideas of Le Corbusier, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Louis I. Kahn. He used sweeping monolithic forms and intricate interior spaces to create a powerful sculptural quality.
This community should have enjoyed a lasting, living legacy with its Sarasota School of Architecture. Instead, the school and what it represented are rapidly becoming relics of the past. And remaining structures designed and built in this style are becoming as rare as affordable housing.
Each historic building's importance increases exponentially every time another piece of our local history is destroyed. The need to preserve this small slice of Sarasota's past becomes painfully obvious when one starts considering all the historic places that have been destroyed in favor of "progress."
Grant money is available for places on the Historic Register, especially if it is being renovated for public use. Contributions from local foundations, federal and state funds and matching grants could be explored.
If the worldwide response to this issue is any indication - and it should be - Riverview must be protected as a historic structure.
The powers that be have managed to whittle away much of what was an already very limited local history.
Do we really want to be remembered for destroying what little remains? Do we want that to be our legacy?
EDITORIAL
Rudolph's Riverview High must be preserved
Unless you've just returned to town, you know by now that despite months of active campaigning by local and national preservationists, the Sarasota School of Architecture-styled, Paul Rudolph-designed Riverview High School, which was built in 1957, has been slated for destruction since last summer.
Since the announcement, Save Riverview, which is committed to finding a way to preserve the Rudolph structures, has generated a groundswell of international support. The county commission recently directed its legal staff to research Florida statutes and determine if there are provisions to block the school board's plan to replace the historic structure with a new one by the autumn of 2009. The commission directed County Attorney Steve DeMarsh to research both applicable laws and the county's comprehensive plan for a report about "historic preservation and off-site impacts." A report has been tentatively scheduled for Jan. 25.
And, as reported in this week's Pelican, Metropolis, an internationally known design and architecture magazine, is producing a documentary on the ongoing saga of the Rudolph buildings.
Clearly this is not an issue that is going to fade away gracefully - probably much to the chagrin of the school board, which voted unanimously to demolish the school.
On May 18, 2006, the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation listed the building as one of the 11 Most Endangered Historic Sites in the state. Then, to the surprise of local and international Rudolph devotees, one month later, the school board announced a multimillion-dollar plan for building a new Riverview that means all the existing school's buildings would be demolished to make way for parking.
The school district had already paid approximately $1.2 million for an in-depth facilities assessment by the firm 3D/International (3DI). Unfortunately - and this is really where they missed the boat - the Paul Rudolph-designed structures were left out of the assessment; because they were intended to be razed, no discussion necessary. This, despite a 2004 memorandum to Superintendent Dr. Gary Norris from BMK Architects overviewing its extensive 2002 Long-Range Facilities Review on Riverview High School, which stated "plan on replacing all existing buildings on campus ... with the exception of the original Rudolph buildings, which should be rehabilitated."
Rudolph's designs tend to be polarizing. But whether you love or hate the building is really irrelevant; it is a historically important piece of the Sarasota School of Architecture that should be saved.
Rudolph was a pioneering architect and a major figure of the Sarasota School of Architecture. Before designing Riverview High School in 1957, he focused his groundbreaking talents on designing private residences on Siesta Key and Sarasota.
In his designs, Rudolph synthesized the Modernist ideas of Le Corbusier, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Louis I. Kahn. He used sweeping monolithic forms and intricate interior spaces to create a powerful sculptural quality.
This community should have enjoyed a lasting, living legacy with its Sarasota School of Architecture. Instead, the school and what it represented are rapidly becoming relics of the past. And remaining structures designed and built in this style are becoming as rare as affordable housing.
Each historic building's importance increases exponentially every time another piece of our local history is destroyed. The need to preserve this small slice of Sarasota's past becomes painfully obvious when one starts considering all the historic places that have been destroyed in favor of "progress."
Grant money is available for places on the Historic Register, especially if it is being renovated for public use. Contributions from local foundations, federal and state funds and matching grants could be explored.
If the worldwide response to this issue is any indication - and it should be - Riverview must be protected as a historic structure.
The powers that be have managed to whittle away much of what was an already very limited local history.
Do we really want to be remembered for destroying what little remains? Do we want that to be our legacy?
More on the Metropolis Film
The Pelican Press has a report this week about the film being produced by Metropolis Magazine concerning the planned demolition of Rudolph's Riverview High buildings:
Film will be seen around the country
Magazine making documentary on Rudolph buildings
BY RACHEL BROWN HACKNEY
An internationally known magazine that focuses on architecture and design is producing a documentary on the historic Paul Rudolph buildings at Riverview High School in Sarasota, which are scheduled to be demolished to make way for new facilities set to open for the 2009-2010 school year.
Susan S. Szenasy, editor of Metropolis magazine, told the Pelican Press that she had learned about the saga of the Rudolph buildings while she was researching historic architecture on the Internet.
In her commentary for the November issue of the magazine, which is based in New York City, Szenasy wrote of the primary Rudolph structure at Riverview, "Its breakthrough features, such as an ingenious system of cross-ventilation, concrete sunshades, and daylighting, have been subverted through decades of 'modernizing.'
In fact the Rudolph design is now barely recognizable. But, the old school's advocates say, the wounds can be healed and the building brought back to teach a vital lesson of connections between people, architecture, and nature."
She added in the article, "These days the precedents established at Riverview, as well as other regional Modern buildings in the county, offer helpful lessons to current practitioners who are challenged to find new ways to save energy and realign their buildings with the natural world. Rudolph's experimental architecture can pass on what he learned about observing climate (subtropical), terrain (the building was sited to blend in with the surrounding pines), and culture (progressive Modern buildings represented the aspirations of the county as a center for the arts)."
The plan for the documentary, Szenasy told the Pelican, "is to take it around to large architects' offices and public meetings about architecture and planning." She added, "I have commitments to take it around the country. ... [People] are really interested in this."
She hopes to bring the film to Sarasota, as well.
The documentary crew arrived in Sarasota on Nov. 28 and completed its work on Dec. 3, Szenasy said. The magazine had secured permission from the Sarasota County School District to film at Riverview, said Sheila Weiss, supervisor of communications and public relations.
Interviews were conducted with numerous people, Szenasy said, including representatives of BMK Architects of Sarasota, which designed the new high school.
Among others interviewed were architect Carl Abbott, former Mayor Mollie Cardamone and former school board chairman Lee Byron, all of Sarasota. They are members of a group called Save Riverview, which is committed to finding a way to preserve the Rudolph structures at the high school.
Abbott and two other members of the group - including Mark Smith, incoming president of the Florida Association of the American Institute of Architects - most recently addressed the school board during public comments at the Nov. 21 meeting.
Editing of the film is to start by the end of the year and be completed in February or early March, Szenasy added. While she understands that members of the public have expressed concerns about the age of the main Rudolph building at the school, Szenasy said, "If we think that way [about other structures], then we might as well blow up our world and get the hell out of here. ... Old buildings have a lot of significance to us."
She found the main Rudolph structure at Riverview to be "so incredibly powerful and beautiful," though its state of disrepair, she added, was "really demoralizing and depressing."
Asked how it happened that Metropolis, a magazine, chose to take on a film project, Szenasy pointed out, "Magazines do all kinds of things these days. ... We're in the business of disseminating information." Film, she added, is "a natural progression."
Returning to the topic of the Rudolph building itself, Szenasy pointed out that "sustainable building" - designing and erecting structures that can endure over a long period of time - has become very important. "We have to talk about those issues in an open forum ... and create a public dialogue."
Szenasy ended her November column by asking, "Can we afford to lose Rudolph's legacy?"
Film will be seen around the country
Magazine making documentary on Rudolph buildings
BY RACHEL BROWN HACKNEY
An internationally known magazine that focuses on architecture and design is producing a documentary on the historic Paul Rudolph buildings at Riverview High School in Sarasota, which are scheduled to be demolished to make way for new facilities set to open for the 2009-2010 school year.
Susan S. Szenasy, editor of Metropolis magazine, told the Pelican Press that she had learned about the saga of the Rudolph buildings while she was researching historic architecture on the Internet.
In her commentary for the November issue of the magazine, which is based in New York City, Szenasy wrote of the primary Rudolph structure at Riverview, "Its breakthrough features, such as an ingenious system of cross-ventilation, concrete sunshades, and daylighting, have been subverted through decades of 'modernizing.'
In fact the Rudolph design is now barely recognizable. But, the old school's advocates say, the wounds can be healed and the building brought back to teach a vital lesson of connections between people, architecture, and nature."
She added in the article, "These days the precedents established at Riverview, as well as other regional Modern buildings in the county, offer helpful lessons to current practitioners who are challenged to find new ways to save energy and realign their buildings with the natural world. Rudolph's experimental architecture can pass on what he learned about observing climate (subtropical), terrain (the building was sited to blend in with the surrounding pines), and culture (progressive Modern buildings represented the aspirations of the county as a center for the arts)."
The plan for the documentary, Szenasy told the Pelican, "is to take it around to large architects' offices and public meetings about architecture and planning." She added, "I have commitments to take it around the country. ... [People] are really interested in this."
She hopes to bring the film to Sarasota, as well.
The documentary crew arrived in Sarasota on Nov. 28 and completed its work on Dec. 3, Szenasy said. The magazine had secured permission from the Sarasota County School District to film at Riverview, said Sheila Weiss, supervisor of communications and public relations.
Interviews were conducted with numerous people, Szenasy said, including representatives of BMK Architects of Sarasota, which designed the new high school.
Among others interviewed were architect Carl Abbott, former Mayor Mollie Cardamone and former school board chairman Lee Byron, all of Sarasota. They are members of a group called Save Riverview, which is committed to finding a way to preserve the Rudolph structures at the high school.
Abbott and two other members of the group - including Mark Smith, incoming president of the Florida Association of the American Institute of Architects - most recently addressed the school board during public comments at the Nov. 21 meeting.
Editing of the film is to start by the end of the year and be completed in February or early March, Szenasy added. While she understands that members of the public have expressed concerns about the age of the main Rudolph building at the school, Szenasy said, "If we think that way [about other structures], then we might as well blow up our world and get the hell out of here. ... Old buildings have a lot of significance to us."
She found the main Rudolph structure at Riverview to be "so incredibly powerful and beautiful," though its state of disrepair, she added, was "really demoralizing and depressing."
Asked how it happened that Metropolis, a magazine, chose to take on a film project, Szenasy pointed out, "Magazines do all kinds of things these days. ... We're in the business of disseminating information." Film, she added, is "a natural progression."
Returning to the topic of the Rudolph building itself, Szenasy pointed out that "sustainable building" - designing and erecting structures that can endure over a long period of time - has become very important. "We have to talk about those issues in an open forum ... and create a public dialogue."
Szenasy ended her November column by asking, "Can we afford to lose Rudolph's legacy?"
Museum of Florida History Has an Exhibit of Architecture by Paul Rudolph
Paul Rudolph: The Florida Houses ExhibitionDecember 14, 2006-February 11, 2007
The Museum opens a new exhibit on mid-century modern architecture by architect, Paul Rudolph. He was one of the architects whose work came to be known as the Sarasota School of Architecture. The book by the same title will be sold in the History Shop.
The flat roof and open horizontal plan were characteristics of the Rudolph style. The exhibit contains panels, photographs, and models representing the architect's work in Florida.
Museum of Florida History
R. A. Gray Building
500 South Bronough Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0250
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
County May Step In On Riverview
Another story about the possibility of Sarasota County Government reviewing the proposed demolition of the Rudolph builidngs at Riverview High School:
The full story, can be found in the Sarasota Herald Tribune.
Preservationists who want to save Riverview High School have found a glimmer of hope in a Sarasota County government investigation into whether the county could challenge plans to demolish the 48-year-old school.
The Sarasota County School District plans to tear down parts of Riverview, including buildings designed by famed architect Paul Rudolph, and rebuild the school within four years.
But newly elected County Commissioner Joe Barbetta fears the demolition could violate the county's rules about preserving historic resources. Sarasota County staff is investigating whether the county needs to perform a historic evaluation before the three Rudolph buildings can be torn down.
Some county leaders are also concerned the school could worsen traffic in Riverview's suburban Sarasota neighborhood, a charge county staff is investigating as well. A report is expected by mid-January.
The full story, can be found in the Sarasota Herald Tribune.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
A Flicker of Hope
Recently the Sarasota County Commissioners have begun questioning the school board decision to demolish the Rudolph buildings on the Riverview Campus.
We are pleased that the County Commissioners have heard the community concern (and national and international concern) that we have been able to generate.
An article in the Pelican Press indicates:
Last week, the county commission directed its legal staff to research Florida statutes and determine if there are provisions to block a Sarasota County School Board plan that would replace the 48-year structure with a new one by the autumn of 2009.
"There are a lot of people having heartburn over the Riverview situation," Commissioner Joe Barbetta said. "I heard about it during the recent election. We as a county should request a historic evaluation of that building and not wait until it is too late."
In the same issue of the Pelican is an editorial concerning the current leadership in Sarasota. It specifically addresses issues with City Commissioners in Sarasota. The title of the editorial: "Is Anybody in City Hall Listening?"
We would ask the Sarasota School Board the same question. Is any body listening, listening to the people that live here in Sarasota?
The editorial is based on a recently released citizen survey, and the residents are not happy. They are not happy with the direction that the city has taken. It is not much of a stretch to say that much of the same dissatisfaction resides with recent school board and superintendent decisions.
We are happy that the County Commissioners are tuned in to the residents and have taken steps to review the historical resource value of the Rudolph buildings. Hooray! We applaud these commissioners.
We are pleased that the County Commissioners have heard the community concern (and national and international concern) that we have been able to generate.
An article in the Pelican Press indicates:
Last week, the county commission directed its legal staff to research Florida statutes and determine if there are provisions to block a Sarasota County School Board plan that would replace the 48-year structure with a new one by the autumn of 2009.
"There are a lot of people having heartburn over the Riverview situation," Commissioner Joe Barbetta said. "I heard about it during the recent election. We as a county should request a historic evaluation of that building and not wait until it is too late."
In the same issue of the Pelican is an editorial concerning the current leadership in Sarasota. It specifically addresses issues with City Commissioners in Sarasota. The title of the editorial: "Is Anybody in City Hall Listening?"
We would ask the Sarasota School Board the same question. Is any body listening, listening to the people that live here in Sarasota?
The editorial is based on a recently released citizen survey, and the residents are not happy. They are not happy with the direction that the city has taken. It is not much of a stretch to say that much of the same dissatisfaction resides with recent school board and superintendent decisions.
We are happy that the County Commissioners are tuned in to the residents and have taken steps to review the historical resource value of the Rudolph buildings. Hooray! We applaud these commissioners.
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Restoration of Rudolph Building at Yale
A recent article in the NY Times highlights the restoration work at Yale's campus.
The article says in part:
Yet the project should also be understood as part of a larger effort to reclaim a corner of the Yale campus that includes Paul Rudolph’s 1963 Art and Architecture building, now being renovated by Charles Gwathmey, and the construction of an addition for art history students across the street. As a whole, these works address one of the most volatile periods in American architecture and remind us of how history is constantly being challenged and revised.
Charles Gwathmey recently visited Sarasota and toured the Riverview Campus where Rudolph's first public building now faces demolition.
The article says in part:
Yet the project should also be understood as part of a larger effort to reclaim a corner of the Yale campus that includes Paul Rudolph’s 1963 Art and Architecture building, now being renovated by Charles Gwathmey, and the construction of an addition for art history students across the street. As a whole, these works address one of the most volatile periods in American architecture and remind us of how history is constantly being challenged and revised.
Charles Gwathmey recently visited Sarasota and toured the Riverview Campus where Rudolph's first public building now faces demolition.
Connecticut Ruddolph Building Faces Demolition
Another Paul Rudolph building faces demolition. This time it is a residence in Westport, CT
The NY Times describes this possibility.
Docomomo, a publication aimed at documentation and conservation of modern buildings, also has publicized this possibility.
There is a discussion of the demolition potential at WestportNow.
The NY Times describes this possibility.
Docomomo, a publication aimed at documentation and conservation of modern buildings, also has publicized this possibility.
There is a discussion of the demolition potential at WestportNow.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Recognizing Riverview
My Florida History is a blog that comments on Florida's history and culture. Many fascinating articles can be found. A recent post describes our efforts and pointed out some of the references to the Sarasota School of Architecture. Take a look.
Friday, December 08, 2006
New York Team Films Documentary On Riverview High School
The Metropolis Team of five people, from New York City, was in Sarasota for four days last week filming a Documentary on Riverview High School, which is scheduled for demolition. The school was designed by Internationally recognized Architect Paul Rudolph.
Metropolis, based in New York for 25 years and distributed Internationally, is one of the world’s outstanding publications - “in reviewing Contemporary Life through DESIGN”.
Metropolis EDITOR IN CHIEF, Susan Szenasy, learned of Riverview High School’s proposed demolition from the American Institute of Architects’ Headquarters in Washington and visited the Riverview Site. The Documentary is to investigate the following :
- How a Community could allow such an Internationally important building to be up for demolition.
- How the Save Riverview Committee, a broad-based, grass roots effort, is working to save this important part of the Community's Architectural Legacy.
The Metropolis Team filmed interviews with the following leaders of the Save Riverview Committee : Mollie Cardamone (former Mayor of Sarasota), Lee Byron (former Chairperson of the Sarasota County School Board) and Carl Abbott FAIA Architect / Planner.
Others Committee Members interviewed : Architect Mark Smith, the new President of the State of Florida American Institute of Architects (Mark is a graduate of Riverview High School and has a daughter in school there now); John Howey in Tampa, author of the MIT publication Sarasota School of Architecture; Joe King (author of a book on Rudolph buildings in Florida) and Guy Peterson FAIA (a graduate of Riverview High School). To be interviewed are Charles Gwathmey FAIA in New York and other Design Experts throughout the Country.
BMK Architects' Darryl McClain, head of the firm who is designing the new school to replace Riverview High School, was interviewed ; Dr. Norris, Superintendent of the Sarasota County School Board, refused to be interviewed.
The Metropolis Documentary on Riverview High School will be shown across America as a guide for other Communities.
Susan Szanasy has written an editorial titled "What We Value" that includes a description of the effort to save the Rudolph courtyard buildings:
Rudolph’s experimental architecture can pass on what he learned about observing climate (subtropical), terrain (the building was sited to blend in with the surrounding pines), and culture (progressive Modern buildings represented the aspirations of the county as a center for the arts).
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Follow Up On School Superintendent
A couple articles describe the turmoil surrounding the superintendent.
Today the superintendent announced he would like to stay. The SHT news item says:
Today the superintendent announced he would like to stay. The SHT news item says:
Norris decides to remain as superintendent
By LIZ BABIARZ
liz.babiarz@heraldtribune.com
Gary Norris announced Wednesday afternoon he will stay on as superintendent of Sarasota County schools to bring stability to the district and finish work on his reform plan.
Norris will now start negotiating a new contract with the School Board. He said he intends to remain in his position for at least seven years, until he retires.Norris abruptly resigned in September, citing obstacles within the district to his plans for reform.
“My goal is to stop this revolving door of superintendents and return consistency and stability to the school district,” Norris said. “I am sorry for the turmoil my resignation caused these past few months but I hope the lessons learned will make us wiser.”
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
School Superintendent Performance Is Reviewed
Sarasota's School Board is reviewing the performance of the School Superintendent, Dr Gary Norris. Readers of this blog may be aware that Dr Norris made the decision to demolish the Riverview Rudolph buildings and convinced the school board this was the direction the board must take.
This, and other examples of his top down decision making management style has become an issue throughout the community. Lack of opportunity for citizen input prior to decision making can lead to poor decisions.
Read the Sarasota Herald Tribune article about this issue.
This, and other examples of his top down decision making management style has become an issue throughout the community. Lack of opportunity for citizen input prior to decision making can lead to poor decisions.
Read the Sarasota Herald Tribune article about this issue.
Friday, November 17, 2006
Riverview Timeline
Established by the SAVE Riverview Committee based on review of Sarasota County School District records, acessed under Florida open records law.
2002... Committee formed by Tom Sheeran, Ass’t. Superintendent. Stated opinion that build new was more cost efficient. Suggests canvassing Alumni & RHS Foundation Re: “Historic” value of buildings.
May 2002... Long Range Facilities Review report by Barger+Dean Architects, Inc. (approx. 480 +/- pages) [No record of this report was in the School Board files, the report was obtained from another source]
15 Sep 04... Letter from Stu Barger stating rehabilitation of Rudolph buildings recommended.
21 Oct 04... BMK memo documents minutes of meeting with Dr. Norris where his concept is stated as, “Riverview High School should be rebuilt as a new high school, not remodeled or renovated.”
1 Jun 05... Riverview Planning Group [School Staff] established.
25 Jul 05.... RHS Planning Group meeting outline states.”Buildings that will remain - just #28.” Building #28 is the Rudolph Building]
20 Sep 05... BMK contract date for “Riverview High School - Replacement”.
22 Sep 05... BMK memo sets 5-6 Oct 05 meeting date to set “goals” of new RHS, sets 19-20 Oct 05 meeting w/ Perkins/Will, sets 28-29 Dec 05 deadline to complete Phase 1 - Schematic Design.
19 Oct 05... BMK letter to Chuck Collins recommending demolition of RHS Re: economics.
16-17 Nov 05... Faculty, Parent, & Neighborhood meetings - all presented “new RHS facility”. Meetings described as “walk-thru” in interoffice memo. [This was described to SAVE Riverview Committee members as a "public meeting" but was in reality a walk through, show and tell event not publicized to the wider community]
12 Dec 05... BMK power point presentation w/ Rudolph buildings demolished and the new school to the west with parking where the Rudolph building were.
25 Jan 06... Historic review of Riverview by Dave Baber, BMK, and Perkins/Will scheduled. [No minutes or notes found in files.]
7 Feb 06... School Board meeting scheduled for approval of RHS schematic design.
22 Feb 06... Letter to Bob Early, Assoc. Superintendent, from Dave Baber, Sarasota County History Center, stating that “Riverview High School is an important historic resource”. “The Historic Preservation Chapter of Apoxsee states that it is the goal of Sarasota County to identify, evaluate, document, and promote the protection of its prehistoric and historic resources.”
1 Mar 06... Memo from Sarasota County Development Services to Bob Early Re: Sarasota County Code on Historic Preservation.
31 Mar 06... National Trust for Historic Preservation writes Dr. Todd to urge the school board to save Riverview and includes information on grants.
14 Apr 06... 1st meeting with Dr. Norris, Dr. Todd, and SAVE Riverview Committee.
17 Apr 06... Florida Trust for Historic Preservation writes Dr. Norris to “encourage the Sarasota County School District to reconsider their decision to demolish Riverview High School”.
28 Apr 06... 2nd meeting with Dr. Norris, Dr. Todd, Bob early, and SAVE Riverview Committee.
1 May 06... Dr. Norris directs BMK to hire Cook to do the construction cost analysis. Addendum to architectural contract for $40,000.
11 May 06... BMK letter to the Office of Education Facilities describing the project as the demolition of Riverview High School and the construction of a new school.
30 May 06... Letter from FDOE stating buildings 1-5,7-9,11,12,13-20,23-25 can be demolished. Buildings 6,10,21,27,28,30-33,50-54,56-58, & 86 to remain.
20 Jun 06... Sarasota County School Board votes unanimously on a plan that demolishes Riverview High School.
28 Jul 06... Letter from FDOE concurring with BMK that buildings 1-25, & 86 to be demolished. Building 21 remains till 2009. Buildings 27,28,30-33,50-54,56,57,58 to remain.
2002... Committee formed by Tom Sheeran, Ass’t. Superintendent. Stated opinion that build new was more cost efficient. Suggests canvassing Alumni & RHS Foundation Re: “Historic” value of buildings.
May 2002... Long Range Facilities Review report by Barger+Dean Architects, Inc. (approx. 480 +/- pages) [No record of this report was in the School Board files, the report was obtained from another source]
15 Sep 04... Letter from Stu Barger stating rehabilitation of Rudolph buildings recommended.
21 Oct 04... BMK memo documents minutes of meeting with Dr. Norris where his concept is stated as, “Riverview High School should be rebuilt as a new high school, not remodeled or renovated.”
1 Jun 05... Riverview Planning Group [School Staff] established.
25 Jul 05.... RHS Planning Group meeting outline states.”Buildings that will remain - just #28.” Building #28 is the Rudolph Building]
20 Sep 05... BMK contract date for “Riverview High School - Replacement”.
22 Sep 05... BMK memo sets 5-6 Oct 05 meeting date to set “goals” of new RHS, sets 19-20 Oct 05 meeting w/ Perkins/Will, sets 28-29 Dec 05 deadline to complete Phase 1 - Schematic Design.
19 Oct 05... BMK letter to Chuck Collins recommending demolition of RHS Re: economics.
16-17 Nov 05... Faculty, Parent, & Neighborhood meetings - all presented “new RHS facility”. Meetings described as “walk-thru” in interoffice memo. [This was described to SAVE Riverview Committee members as a "public meeting" but was in reality a walk through, show and tell event not publicized to the wider community]
12 Dec 05... BMK power point presentation w/ Rudolph buildings demolished and the new school to the west with parking where the Rudolph building were.
25 Jan 06... Historic review of Riverview by Dave Baber, BMK, and Perkins/Will scheduled. [No minutes or notes found in files.]
7 Feb 06... School Board meeting scheduled for approval of RHS schematic design.
22 Feb 06... Letter to Bob Early, Assoc. Superintendent, from Dave Baber, Sarasota County History Center, stating that “Riverview High School is an important historic resource”. “The Historic Preservation Chapter of Apoxsee states that it is the goal of Sarasota County to identify, evaluate, document, and promote the protection of its prehistoric and historic resources.”
1 Mar 06... Memo from Sarasota County Development Services to Bob Early Re: Sarasota County Code on Historic Preservation.
31 Mar 06... National Trust for Historic Preservation writes Dr. Todd to urge the school board to save Riverview and includes information on grants.
14 Apr 06... 1st meeting with Dr. Norris, Dr. Todd, and SAVE Riverview Committee.
17 Apr 06... Florida Trust for Historic Preservation writes Dr. Norris to “encourage the Sarasota County School District to reconsider their decision to demolish Riverview High School”.
28 Apr 06... 2nd meeting with Dr. Norris, Dr. Todd, Bob early, and SAVE Riverview Committee.
1 May 06... Dr. Norris directs BMK to hire Cook to do the construction cost analysis. Addendum to architectural contract for $40,000.
11 May 06... BMK letter to the Office of Education Facilities describing the project as the demolition of Riverview High School and the construction of a new school.
30 May 06... Letter from FDOE stating buildings 1-5,7-9,11,12,13-20,23-25 can be demolished. Buildings 6,10,21,27,28,30-33,50-54,56-58, & 86 to remain.
20 Jun 06... Sarasota County School Board votes unanimously on a plan that demolishes Riverview High School.
28 Jul 06... Letter from FDOE concurring with BMK that buildings 1-25, & 86 to be demolished. Building 21 remains till 2009. Buildings 27,28,30-33,50-54,56,57,58 to remain.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Visitors
Last week Nepal Asatthawasi of the Paul Rudolph Foundation.Nepal and her husband Michael were able to view many of the Rudolph and other Sarasota School of Architecture projects in Sarasota. She wrote:
We managed to see every Paul Rudolph house listed in the Modern Sarasota tour and made it to Riverview before the sun set. We interacted with some of the students, who had mixed opinions about the building and managed to get a very clear spatial sense of the institution.
As noted elsewhere in this blog and in other sources, the Riverview building has been poorly maintained as well as having had some of the important features removed over the years.
Our hope is to rehabilitate the building so it can be a true example of Rudolph's architecture for years to come, as well as serving the very important purpose of providing an excellent learning space.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Can we afford to lose Rudolph’s legacy?
From Metropolis Magazine:
What We Value
Two lessons in historic Modernism: What will we learn from them?
By Susan S. Szenasy
Posted November 8, 2006
Next spring when the Connecticut countryside turns green again, visitors will take field trips to the Philip Johnson compound in New Canaan. On this formerly private property, accessible only to the architect’s 300 or so best friends, they will examine Johnson’s iconic Glass House, his neoclassical folly, and his sculptural buildings, as well as a traditional New England shingle-style house (see page 81). There will be lessons learned about nature as wallpaper, clipped and rearranged to make the best vistas from behind the glass walls. There will be occasion to meander through the late architect’s restless form-making adventures during the second half of the twentieth century as well as examine what he read, find evidence of his glamorous guests in the archives, and in general, have a pleasant day in the country.
Another important piece of architecture, in another climate, may not make it to next spring. Paul Rudolph’s 48-year-old Riverview High School, in Sarasota, Florida, is scheduled for demolition; a parking lot is to take its place. Though advocates for the Sarasota School of Architecture—a group of Modernists who practiced there after the Second World War—are making every effort to save the iconic school, its future seems doubtful. Its breakthrough features, such as an ingenious system of cross-ventilation, concrete sunshades, and daylighting, have been subverted through decades of “modernizing.” In fact the Rudolph design is now barely recognizable. But, the old school’s advocates say, the wounds can be healed and the building brought back to teach a vital lesson of connections between people, architecture, and nature.
In 1958, when Riverview was built, “there was a great deal of interest in natural ventilation, which is what the design is predicated on,” Bert Brosmith told HeraldTribune.com earlier this year. “The elevated areas over the walkways permitted air to come down through the glass in the walkways and through the glass in the outside wall. That was the idea. In those days it seemed to work,” added the architect, who worked in Rudolph’s Florida office at the time. These days the precedents established at Riverview, as well as other regional Modern buildings in the county, offer helpful lessons to current practitioners who are challenged to find new ways to save energy and realign their buildings with the natural world. Rudolph’s experimental architecture can pass on what he learned about observing climate (subtropical), terrain (the building was sited to blend in with the surrounding pines), and culture (progressive Modern buildings represented the aspirations of the county as a center for the arts).
Johnson reinterpreted socially conscious European Modernism as the International Style, which could fit into any climate and many cultures. Glass buildings work very well in Connecticut and in the subtropics when the AC can blast 24/7 and you forget about the rich variations of seasonal shifts in temperature and humidity. Rudolph’s work teaches us to pay attention to these things and learn how to use them well. It looks like Johnson’s legacy will endure. Can we afford to lose Rudolph’s legacy?
What We Value
Two lessons in historic Modernism: What will we learn from them?
By Susan S. Szenasy
Posted November 8, 2006
Next spring when the Connecticut countryside turns green again, visitors will take field trips to the Philip Johnson compound in New Canaan. On this formerly private property, accessible only to the architect’s 300 or so best friends, they will examine Johnson’s iconic Glass House, his neoclassical folly, and his sculptural buildings, as well as a traditional New England shingle-style house (see page 81). There will be lessons learned about nature as wallpaper, clipped and rearranged to make the best vistas from behind the glass walls. There will be occasion to meander through the late architect’s restless form-making adventures during the second half of the twentieth century as well as examine what he read, find evidence of his glamorous guests in the archives, and in general, have a pleasant day in the country.
Another important piece of architecture, in another climate, may not make it to next spring. Paul Rudolph’s 48-year-old Riverview High School, in Sarasota, Florida, is scheduled for demolition; a parking lot is to take its place. Though advocates for the Sarasota School of Architecture—a group of Modernists who practiced there after the Second World War—are making every effort to save the iconic school, its future seems doubtful. Its breakthrough features, such as an ingenious system of cross-ventilation, concrete sunshades, and daylighting, have been subverted through decades of “modernizing.” In fact the Rudolph design is now barely recognizable. But, the old school’s advocates say, the wounds can be healed and the building brought back to teach a vital lesson of connections between people, architecture, and nature.
In 1958, when Riverview was built, “there was a great deal of interest in natural ventilation, which is what the design is predicated on,” Bert Brosmith told HeraldTribune.com earlier this year. “The elevated areas over the walkways permitted air to come down through the glass in the walkways and through the glass in the outside wall. That was the idea. In those days it seemed to work,” added the architect, who worked in Rudolph’s Florida office at the time. These days the precedents established at Riverview, as well as other regional Modern buildings in the county, offer helpful lessons to current practitioners who are challenged to find new ways to save energy and realign their buildings with the natural world. Rudolph’s experimental architecture can pass on what he learned about observing climate (subtropical), terrain (the building was sited to blend in with the surrounding pines), and culture (progressive Modern buildings represented the aspirations of the county as a center for the arts).
Johnson reinterpreted socially conscious European Modernism as the International Style, which could fit into any climate and many cultures. Glass buildings work very well in Connecticut and in the subtropics when the AC can blast 24/7 and you forget about the rich variations of seasonal shifts in temperature and humidity. Rudolph’s work teaches us to pay attention to these things and learn how to use them well. It looks like Johnson’s legacy will endure. Can we afford to lose Rudolph’s legacy?
Friday, November 10, 2006
Recent Riverview Pictures
These are current pictures of the Paul Rudolph designed building at Riverview High School. While changes have been made to the original building, the basic design remains true.
More pictures can be seen here.
More pictures can be seen here.
Friday, November 03, 2006
Homage?
Homage = respect or reverence paid or rendered
Following is an excellent article recently published in Sarasota's Pelican Press:
Mollie Cardamone, Lee Byron and Carl Abbott are all members of the SAVE Riverview Committee.
Following is an excellent article recently published in Sarasota's Pelican Press:
Superintendent sees new Riverview design as homage to Rudolph
Group argues again for rehabilitation
BY RACHEL BROWN HACKNEY
Some people may feel the design BMK Architects of Sarasota has created for the new Riverview High School is an homage to the historic Paul Rudolph buildings on campus, which are recognized worldwide as examples of the Sarasota School of Architecture.
Others maintain that, homage or not, the Sarasota County School Board should be reconsidering preserving the primary Rudolph building, because rising construction costs make rehabilitation far more reasonable.
Darrell McLain, president of BMK, told the Pelican Press in an interview, "We're not trying to model our design after (the Rudolph) building at all." Still, he said, every effort will be made to enhance the views students will have of the central courtyard around which the new buildings will be erected and to allow as much daylight as possible into the school. The new Riverview High is set to be completed by the start of the 2009-2010 school year.
The design includes a lot of glass in the cafeteria, the media center and the stairways, McLain added. "You want [it] to feel open … [and be able to] see daylight, see some sun, some trees."
After viewing the design for the first time on Oct. 6, Superintendent Gary Norris told the Pelican, "I think the architects are trying to pay homage" to Rudolph, with extensive use of steel and "quite a bit of use of glass."
Approximately 50 percent of the primary Rudolph building on campus is glass, McLain said. The Florida Department of Education requires that 5 percent of any new school structure be glass, he added; his firm didn't want to use a higher percentage because all that glass has to be hurricane resistant.
McLain pointed out that the new high school will be a hurricane shelter capable of handling between 2,500 and 3,000 people.
When contacted about the design, former Sarasota Mayor Mollie Cardamone, a member of the group that wants to save the Rudolph structures, told the Pelican, "I think that the new cost figures put the school board in a position of reusing the Rudolph buildings." She added that it was "foolish to spend so much money" on a design "that may have some of the glass and light fixtures" when the historic building could be "cleaned up and dressed up" to remain part of the school.
During an Oct. 10 work session, the school board learned the new school could end up costing $135 million - $40 million more than the previous estimate the board had seen.Norris reminded the board members that the earlier figure covered construction only. The latest figure, he said, included the $5 million in design fees as well as the expenses for furniture and new technology. The cost per square foot for school construction had risen from $165 in January to $227, Norris noted in an interview."
You'll never make me believe that the steel and concrete and glass in those old buildings should be turned into rubble for a parking lot," Cardamone told the Pelican.
Sarasota's Lee Byron, member of the Save Riverview Committee and former school board member, said in an interview she found it sad that the current board members "really didn't get the information they needed" in making a determination about the costs of new structures in comparison with rehabilitating the old ones.
Sarasota architect Carl Abbott had found numerous errors in a document provided to the board in June by a consultant who had analyzed the various designs for an updated Riverview High, Byron pointed out.
The Save Riverview Committee issued a formal statement to the Pelican. It began, "In response to your report that Dr. Norris called the new Riverview High School design an 'homage to Paul Rudolph' we must regretfully term his remark an insult to the intelligence of our community."
The Sarasota School of Architecture marked a high point in the cultural history of the Sarasota area and is recognized throughout the world as a key element in the development of modern American architecture. As such, the buildings created by Rudolph and his colleagues are studied and appreciated everywhere. The buildings proposed for the Riverview site are in no way related to the vision expressed by Paul Rudolph - a vision of light and air, of our relationship to nature, of the joy of learning in the modern world."
The statement concluded, "We have heard that Dr. Norris has suggested placing a plaque 'honoring' Paul Rudolph in the lobby of the new school. To do so would be analogous to placing a statue of Frank Lloyd Wright in the parking lot of a new Wal-Mart to replace the Guggenheim Museum."
"When preserving [the Rudolph building] could also save money," Byron said, "I don't know how [the school board member] won't consider this again." She added, "I just don't think the board is aware of the outcry that will happen when the bulldozers come in to tear [the main Rudolph building] down."
Mollie Cardamone, Lee Byron and Carl Abbott are all members of the SAVE Riverview Committee.
Umbrella House
From Harold Bubil's blog at the Sarasota Herald Tribune:
The Umbrella House was the scene of an architectural summit of sorts Friday morning. Veteran architects of the Sarasota School were joined at the iconic Lido Shores residence by current Sarasota modernists Carl Abbott and Guy Peterson, as well as New York architect Charles Gwathmey, for a tour of the Paul Rudolph-designed house on Westway Drive.
On the upstairs bridge that joins the bedrooms, the architects gathered to inspect a model of the house that shows the sun-shading "umbrella" still in place. The architects examined documents related to the house's construction and the design of the umbrella.
A picture showing the architects and the model is at the SHT link.
The Umbrella House was the scene of an architectural summit of sorts Friday morning. Veteran architects of the Sarasota School were joined at the iconic Lido Shores residence by current Sarasota modernists Carl Abbott and Guy Peterson, as well as New York architect Charles Gwathmey, for a tour of the Paul Rudolph-designed house on Westway Drive.
On the upstairs bridge that joins the bedrooms, the architects gathered to inspect a model of the house that shows the sun-shading "umbrella" still in place. The architects examined documents related to the house's construction and the design of the umbrella.
A picture showing the architects and the model is at the SHT link.
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