Municipal Auditorium-Recreation Club
Encyclopedia
]
The historic Sarasota Municipal Auditorium is a unique, multi-purpose facility owned and operated by the municipal government of Sarasota. The auditorium has 10000 square feet (929 m²) of potential exhibit space on its main floor and also contains an unusual Art Deco style stage measuring 1500 square feet (139.4 m²).
The Municipal Auditorium-Recreation Club is a historical site and structure in Sarasota
, Florida
that is used for many diverse community functions and recreational activities on a large parcel of public land that is reserved for civic uses.
Sarasota Municipal Auditorium is the name of the auditorium complex, but it also has been known as the Sarasota Exhibition Hall or the Sarasota Civic Center Exhibition Hall, depending upon eras.
The auditorium and its outdoor recreational facilities are located at 801 Tamiami Trail North, within easy walking distance of the urban core of the city and its nearby high-rise downtown residences.
On February 24, 1995, this complex was added to the U.S.
National Register of Historic Places
.
. The structure contains a generous amount of glass block in its eastern elevation that provides natural lighting for the interior of the large building, especially needed because of lighting issues related to a vault structure. Typically, the design of the auditorium is described as Modrene
and Art Deco
, but elements of the design also suggest the International Style
that is associated with the Bauhaus
.
The solid hardwood
maple
floor
in the building contributes to the atmosphere, acoustics
, and comfort for all attending events, dances, and concerts.
It is a site that is used by more than 100,000 visitors a year as they attend banquets, charrettes for long-range planning, civic meetings, concerts, dances, events for teenagers, fund raising events, health lectures, homecoming events, political forums, proms and galas, training seminars, and wedding receptions.
The auditorium is the voting
location for three precincts during all official elections that may be accessed readily by many seniors living in nearby buildings. The venue also provides them access to educational programs, entertainment, exhibits, recreation, and shows. Several days are booked most weeks for exhibits and shows that support antique sales, art exhibits, auctions, coin shows, conventions, flea markets, flower and gardening shows, gem and jewelry shows, seminars, and stamp collection and sales exhibits.
The federal government granted the sum of $131,000 toward the project and work began in July 1937. Skilled labor was paid for by the municipal general fund and common labor was paid for by the WPA. Several local business and civic leaders donated funds to the construction as well. Records in the archives of the Sarasota County History Center http://www.scgov.net/HistoryCenter/AboutUs/AboutUs.asp indicate that $10,000.00 was raised in one drive for donations from residents that created a loan to speed the construction. This was a project to benefit the residents and it was built by their efforts, donations, and labor.
The auditorium was opened on February 24, 1938 with great fanfare and used for the annual Sara de Soto Celebration that was sponsored by the Sarasota Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution
(DAR). Three thousand attended the celebration.
The building was designed in the Art Deco
and Moderne
styles by Chicago architects, Thomas Reed Martin and Clarence A. Martin. Thomas Reed Martin was dubbed as one of the builders of Sarasota because of the numbers of buildings that came out of the ground following his plans. His first contract after his arrival in 1911 was remodeling “the Oaks” residence for none other than Bertha Palmer
, one of the largest land holders and developers of the Sarasota region during the early twentieth century. She also was a major promoter of tourism
and the innovator of many industries that helped Sarasota to prosper. Martin made the original sketches for the Mable and John Ringling
residence, Cà d'Zan
, although his design was not executed.
He designed more than five hundred homes in the Sarasota area, ranging from "Floridian" homes to the use of glass block and formed concrete in later compositions and his work often reflected modern streamlined forms embellished with Mediterranean Revival features. All of the latter characteristics are found in the Municipal Auditorium. Some of Martin’s 1920s work included residences for Dr. Fred Albee, a surgeon and real estate developer; John J. McGraw, manager of the New York Giants
baseball team; and Samuel W. Gumpertz, a successful showman.
Freeman H. Horton was the engineer for the project and designed the truss
system that supports the barrel-vaulted roof. Horton also collaborated with Thomas Reed Martin on recreational structures such as boathouses, pools, landscaping, and walkways. When the auditorium was constructed, the property had waterfront access and boating was a significant activity from the recreation center. Later, dredge and fill extended the shoreline farther westward.
Ida and John Chidsey donated funding for the construction of a second floor for the Recreation Club at the western end of the auditorium. That portion of the facility contained a lounge area, a recreation room, and a card room—all of which continue to be used today for clubs and meetings.
The recreation center was dedicated in January 1940. North of the building, facilities for shuffleboard
, lawn bowling, and tennis
were built. The tennis courts have been relocated, but the other facilities are in active use and their location fiercely defended by the associated leagues playing on the courts.
During World War II
, the auditorium served as the Army and Navy Club
and was the preferred venue for hosted dances, graduations, and concerts. The Florida West Coast Symphony (now the Sarasota Orchestra
) performed in the facility from its inception in 1949 until the 1969 opening of the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall
that was constructed at the bay front of the same large public parcel. Moderate fees charged by the municipality have enabled charities to sponsor fund raising events that would not be profitable after booking comparable private facilities.
in the community, being a significant building that was constructed at the crest of a small hill.
It initiated the community efforts to develop a civic and cultural center for public uses along the bay and marked the urban boundary of downtown for visitors entering from the north along Tamiami Trail
, a major thoroughfare now designated as a portion of U.S. Route 41
and one of the most well-traveled roads in Sarasota, which hosts over a million tourists annually.
At the entry of the auditorium was an electrically-illuminated fountain designed by the son of the auditorium's original architect.
architect, Jack West. The front façade was covered over and a large canopy installed to extend beyond the sidewalk in front of the building. The glass blocks were covered. Numerous changes to the interior were made that later were reversed in an extensive restoration of the interior of the building.
During the 1980s a historic preservationist working for the city purchasing director Bob Gerkin, whose department oversaw the hall, pressed for the listing of the building in the national register. After being won over, Gerkin even encouraged an effort to fund the restoration of the building to its original state. Under the direction of local architects and planners, restoration work by local builders began in 1992. The building was restored to its 1937 condition under the direction of architects, Gary B. Hoyt and Jeff Hole. On October 13, 1994 the municipal government sponsored a gala and dinner dance to raise funds for the restoration and to celebrate the re-dedication of the building. Profits from the donations of three hundred and thirty-two attendees went to the restoration.
Funding for the major historic restoration of the building was achieved through a combination of governmental efforts that included the state Bureau of Historic Preservation, the Historic Preservation Advisory Council, and the municipal government of Sarasota. Many volunteers donated work on the restoration planning and many citizens attended planning sessions with great enthusiasm. The Municipal Auditorium was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
on February 24, 1995.
The work was completed in 1997. The interior of the building was restored carefully and stands as an example of dedicated restoration efforts. The distinctive glass blocks not only were uncovered, but were reinforced with building techniques not in existence at the time of the original construction. The exterior was returned to its original status as well and may be compared closely to historic postcard
s and photograph
s of the building produced shortly after its opening.
Tourists have mailed images of this historic building home throughout the numerous decades of its existence as a souvenir
of some of their favorite activities in Sarasota. It is one of the most popular postcards of Sarasota.
The Municipal Auditorium is one of few remaining buildings in Sarasota of the Art Deco or Moderne style and it is the most easily recognized and used public venue in the downtown because of its easy access and plentiful parking. According to its manager, during 2010 the auditorium will be self-sufficient through its bookings with revenue projections of $376,813. The previous year it required only minimal subsidies, being the type of community benefit appreciated most by taxpayers and considered quite a bargain for the community.
Given the extensive use by all factions of the city, any subsidy ever required for the building has been accepted readily by the taxpayers. Annually, the facility draws 100,000 attendees to its bookings and numerous events.
This historic landmark is treasured in the community as a visible link that bridges the past and present where people gather frequently for events and recreation.
Since most beloved historic buildings in the community have fallen under the wrecking balls driven by private development, a 2010 proposal to convert the building with interior demolition and reconstruction for academic, commercial, and, essentially, industrial uses that would prevent public access under an exclusive, dollar-a-year contract to a well-endowed private institution that is located a mile and a quarter away from the site, raised an alarm in the community that promised to unite many diverse factions into unified opposition to the proposed take-over of the building.
Ranging from Internet websites to newspapers—in articles, blogs, forums, letters, polls, and postings—the broad-based opinion, expressed consistently, was to retain the municipal auditorium as a much used and appreciated civic facility for continued public use and to consider alternatives elsewhere that might be appropriate for the proposed private institutional use.
Many attempts to introduce private re-development within this large parcel designated for civic and public uses have failed when brought before the voters and their elected officials, but none have been opposed with such immediate and broad-based opinions as this proposal.
The prospect of barring the public from traditional uses of the popular auditorium and destruction of its distinctive and historic interior made the take-over proposal unlikely to garner approval when many ready alternatives for the proposed industrial use exist nearby in the community and much nearer to the institution proposing the take-over, but prohibitive engineering issues noted by a local historic preservationist in public testimony before the city commission on April 5 soon were cited as the basis of the withdrawal of the proposal, which was submitted to the commissioners on April 16 before extensive pursuit of the take-over.http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20100417/ARTICLE/4171035
The Hazzard Fountain has been moved several times and placed in a variety of settings. Due to a widening of Tamiami Trail the fountain was removed from its original location, stored for years, and next placed at the entrance to the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art
during the late 1970s. After a few years on that site, however, it was removed by a new museum director and, again, placed in storage.
Another move in 1995 resulted in a "dream come true", the Hazzard Fountain returned home—once again. The re-dedication of the fountain was held on January 6, 1996 at the Municipal Auditorium. It was a public event attended by many citizens and visitors.
The Art Deco style fountain is unique, being thought the only one of its kind still in public ownership in the country today. The current site of the fountain is parallel to the front entrance, but east of parking for the complex, on the landscaped area close to historic Tamiami Trail.
on February 24, 1995 and the complex is cited for historic designation on several levels. Foremost among them, because of its architecture
and engineering features
, as well as for its use as an auditorium
. Entertainment
and recreation
, along with community planning and development
are aspects cited as its area of historical significance in the community. Its function in the community also is cited as historical because of its uses for recreation and culture
. The importance of its historic uses as a public auditorium and for outdoor and indoor recreation, therefore, are cited as significant for its designation, as well as the more typical architectural and engineering features of most designations.
The extensive and meticulous restoration of its unusual interior features makes the building especially significant to the community and its history.
Given the historical listing for the auditorium and all of the criteria justifying the nomination, re-dedication of the structure for private use might have threatened its historical significance and eligibility for its classification as historic.
The historic Sarasota Municipal Auditorium is a unique, multi-purpose facility owned and operated by the municipal government of Sarasota. The auditorium has 10000 square feet (929 m²) of potential exhibit space on its main floor and also contains an unusual Art Deco style stage measuring 1500 square feet (139.4 m²).
The Municipal Auditorium-Recreation Club is a historical site and structure in Sarasota
Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota is a city located in Sarasota County on the southwestern coast of the U.S. state of Florida. It is south of the Tampa Bay Area and north of Fort Myers...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
that is used for many diverse community functions and recreational activities on a large parcel of public land that is reserved for civic uses.
Sarasota Municipal Auditorium is the name of the auditorium complex, but it also has been known as the Sarasota Exhibition Hall or the Sarasota Civic Center Exhibition Hall, depending upon eras.
The auditorium and its outdoor recreational facilities are located at 801 Tamiami Trail North, within easy walking distance of the urban core of the city and its nearby high-rise downtown residences.
On February 24, 1995, this complex was added to the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Description
The building has a barrel vaulted roofBarrel vault
A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault or a wagon vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve along a given distance. The curves are typically circular in shape, lending a semi-cylindrical appearance to the total design...
. The structure contains a generous amount of glass block in its eastern elevation that provides natural lighting for the interior of the large building, especially needed because of lighting issues related to a vault structure. Typically, the design of the auditorium is described as Modrene
Streamline Moderne
Streamline Moderne, sometimes referred to by either name alone or as Art Moderne, was a late type of the Art Deco design style which emerged during the 1930s...
and Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
, but elements of the design also suggest the International Style
International style (architecture)
The International style is a major architectural style that emerged in the 1920s and 1930s, the formative decades of Modern architecture. The term originated from the name of a book by Henry-Russell Hitchcock and Philip Johnson, The International Style...
that is associated with the Bauhaus
Bauhaus
', commonly known simply as Bauhaus, was a school in Germany that combined crafts and the fine arts, and was famous for the approach to design that it publicized and taught. It operated from 1919 to 1933. At that time the German term stood for "School of Building".The Bauhaus school was founded by...
.
The solid hardwood
Hardwood
Hardwood is wood from angiosperm trees . It may also be used for those trees themselves: these are usually broad-leaved; in temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen.Hardwood contrasts with softwood...
maple
Maple
Acer is a genus of trees or shrubs commonly known as maple.Maples are variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or together with the Hippocastanaceae included in the family Sapindaceae. Modern classifications, including the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system, favour inclusion in...
floor
Wood flooring
Wood flooring is any product manufactured from timber that is designed for use as flooring, either structural or aesthetic. Bamboo flooring is often considered a wood floor, although it is made from a grass rather than a timber....
in the building contributes to the atmosphere, acoustics
Acoustics
Acoustics is the interdisciplinary science that deals with the study of all mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids including vibration, sound, ultrasound and infrasound. A scientist who works in the field of acoustics is an acoustician while someone working in the field of acoustics...
, and comfort for all attending events, dances, and concerts.
It is a site that is used by more than 100,000 visitors a year as they attend banquets, charrettes for long-range planning, civic meetings, concerts, dances, events for teenagers, fund raising events, health lectures, homecoming events, political forums, proms and galas, training seminars, and wedding receptions.
The auditorium is the voting
Voting
Voting is a method for a group such as a meeting or an electorate to make a decision or express an opinion—often following discussions, debates, or election campaigns. It is often found in democracies and republics.- Reasons for voting :...
location for three precincts during all official elections that may be accessed readily by many seniors living in nearby buildings. The venue also provides them access to educational programs, entertainment, exhibits, recreation, and shows. Several days are booked most weeks for exhibits and shows that support antique sales, art exhibits, auctions, coin shows, conventions, flea markets, flower and gardening shows, gem and jewelry shows, seminars, and stamp collection and sales exhibits.
History
The concept of a bay front park and municipal auditorium for Sarasota was first conceived in 1935. During 1936, the municipal government obtained the 37 acres (15 ha) parcel from a private company that owed $15,000.00 in taxes on the site. Citizens, politicians, and city employees began the effort to secure a federal Work Projects Administration (WPA) Grant for the center.The federal government granted the sum of $131,000 toward the project and work began in July 1937. Skilled labor was paid for by the municipal general fund and common labor was paid for by the WPA. Several local business and civic leaders donated funds to the construction as well. Records in the archives of the Sarasota County History Center http://www.scgov.net/HistoryCenter/AboutUs/AboutUs.asp indicate that $10,000.00 was raised in one drive for donations from residents that created a loan to speed the construction. This was a project to benefit the residents and it was built by their efforts, donations, and labor.
The auditorium was opened on February 24, 1938 with great fanfare and used for the annual Sara de Soto Celebration that was sponsored by the Sarasota Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution
Daughters of the American Revolution
The Daughters of the American Revolution is a lineage-based membership organization for women who are descended from a person involved in United States' independence....
(DAR). Three thousand attended the celebration.
The building was designed in the Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
and Moderne
Moderne
Moderne may refer to:* Moderne architecture, also sometimes referred to as "Style Moderne" or simply "Modern", a more general term for a style of architecture that became popular in 1925 and was described in the 1960s as "Art Deco"...
styles by Chicago architects, Thomas Reed Martin and Clarence A. Martin. Thomas Reed Martin was dubbed as one of the builders of Sarasota because of the numbers of buildings that came out of the ground following his plans. His first contract after his arrival in 1911 was remodeling “the Oaks” residence for none other than Bertha Palmer
Bertha Palmer
Bertha Palmer was an American businesswoman, socialite, and philanthropist.- Biography :Born Bertha Matilde Honoré in Louisville, Kentucky, her father was businessman Henry Hamilton Honoré...
, one of the largest land holders and developers of the Sarasota region during the early twentieth century. She also was a major promoter of tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
and the innovator of many industries that helped Sarasota to prosper. Martin made the original sketches for the Mable and John Ringling
John Ringling
John Nicholas Ringling now is the most well-known of the seven Ringling brothers, five of whom merged the Barnum & Bailey Circus with their own Ringling Brothers Circus to create a virtual monopoly of traveling circuses and helped shape the circus into what it is today.-Early circus life:John was...
residence, Cà d'Zan
Ca d'Zan
Ca' d'Zan, a Mediterranean Revival residence in Sarasota, Florida, was the winter home of the American circus owner, developer and art collector John Ringling and his wife Mable. Lovers of the Venetian aesthetic, the Ringlings chose the site overlooking Sarasota Bay for its vista, which reminded...
, although his design was not executed.
He designed more than five hundred homes in the Sarasota area, ranging from "Floridian" homes to the use of glass block and formed concrete in later compositions and his work often reflected modern streamlined forms embellished with Mediterranean Revival features. All of the latter characteristics are found in the Municipal Auditorium. Some of Martin’s 1920s work included residences for Dr. Fred Albee, a surgeon and real estate developer; John J. McGraw, manager of the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
baseball team; and Samuel W. Gumpertz, a successful showman.
Freeman H. Horton was the engineer for the project and designed the truss
Truss
In architecture and structural engineering, a truss is a structure comprising one or more triangular units constructed with straight members whose ends are connected at joints referred to as nodes. External forces and reactions to those forces are considered to act only at the nodes and result in...
system that supports the barrel-vaulted roof. Horton also collaborated with Thomas Reed Martin on recreational structures such as boathouses, pools, landscaping, and walkways. When the auditorium was constructed, the property had waterfront access and boating was a significant activity from the recreation center. Later, dredge and fill extended the shoreline farther westward.
Dedicated to recreation and public uses
At the time of its planning the Sarasota mayor, E. A. Smith, announced plans to construct "one of the finest recreation centers in the South” on the public property.Ida and John Chidsey donated funding for the construction of a second floor for the Recreation Club at the western end of the auditorium. That portion of the facility contained a lounge area, a recreation room, and a card room—all of which continue to be used today for clubs and meetings.
The recreation center was dedicated in January 1940. North of the building, facilities for shuffleboard
Shuffleboard
Shuffleboard, more precisely deck shuffleboard, and also known as shuffle-board, shovelboard, shovel-board and shove-board [archaic], is a game in which players use broom-shaped paddles to push weighted pucks, sending them gliding down a narrow and elongated court, with the purpose of...
, lawn bowling, and tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
were built. The tennis courts have been relocated, but the other facilities are in active use and their location fiercely defended by the associated leagues playing on the courts.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the auditorium served as the Army and Navy Club
Army and Navy Club
The Army and Navy Club in London is a gentlemen's club founded in 1837, also known informally as The Rag.-Foundation and membership:...
and was the preferred venue for hosted dances, graduations, and concerts. The Florida West Coast Symphony (now the Sarasota Orchestra
Sarasota Orchestra
Sarasota Orchestra, formally known as the Florida West Coast Symphony, is an American symphony orchestra located in Sarasota, Florida, which performs symphonic and chamber works for the Manatee, Sarasota, and Charlotte counties...
) performed in the facility from its inception in 1949 until the 1969 opening of the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall
Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall
The Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall is a theater in Sarasota, Florida.The 1,736 seat hall's 1968-69 construction was partly funded by a bequest from local residents Lewis and Eugenia Van Wezel....
that was constructed at the bay front of the same large public parcel. Moderate fees charged by the municipality have enabled charities to sponsor fund raising events that would not be profitable after booking comparable private facilities.
Cultural landmark for Sarasota
The auditorium quickly became a landmarkLandmark
This is a list of landmarks around the world.Landmarks may be split into two categories - natural phenomena and man-made features, like buildings, bridges, statues, public squares and so forth...
in the community, being a significant building that was constructed at the crest of a small hill.
It initiated the community efforts to develop a civic and cultural center for public uses along the bay and marked the urban boundary of downtown for visitors entering from the north along Tamiami Trail
Tamiami Trail
The Tamiami Trail is the southernmost of U.S. Highway 41 from State Road 60 in Tampa to U.S. Route 1 in Miami. The road also has the hidden designation of State Road 90....
, a major thoroughfare now designated as a portion of U.S. Route 41
U.S. Route 41
U.S. Route 41 is a north–south United States Highway that runs from Miami, Florida to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Until 1949, the part in southern Florida, from Naples to Miami, was U.S...
and one of the most well-traveled roads in Sarasota, which hosts over a million tourists annually.
At the entry of the auditorium was an electrically-illuminated fountain designed by the son of the auditorium's original architect.
Historical renovation began in 1992
The building had been renovated during the 1970s and many of the historic features were hidden by more modern features designed by the Sarasota SchoolSarasota School of Architecture
The Sarasota School of Architecture, sometimes called "Sarasota Modern," is a regional style of post-war architecture that emerged on Florida's Central West Coast...
architect, Jack West. The front façade was covered over and a large canopy installed to extend beyond the sidewalk in front of the building. The glass blocks were covered. Numerous changes to the interior were made that later were reversed in an extensive restoration of the interior of the building.
During the 1980s a historic preservationist working for the city purchasing director Bob Gerkin, whose department oversaw the hall, pressed for the listing of the building in the national register. After being won over, Gerkin even encouraged an effort to fund the restoration of the building to its original state. Under the direction of local architects and planners, restoration work by local builders began in 1992. The building was restored to its 1937 condition under the direction of architects, Gary B. Hoyt and Jeff Hole. On October 13, 1994 the municipal government sponsored a gala and dinner dance to raise funds for the restoration and to celebrate the re-dedication of the building. Profits from the donations of three hundred and thirty-two attendees went to the restoration.
Funding for the major historic restoration of the building was achieved through a combination of governmental efforts that included the state Bureau of Historic Preservation, the Historic Preservation Advisory Council, and the municipal government of Sarasota. Many volunteers donated work on the restoration planning and many citizens attended planning sessions with great enthusiasm. The Municipal Auditorium was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on February 24, 1995.
The work was completed in 1997. The interior of the building was restored carefully and stands as an example of dedicated restoration efforts. The distinctive glass blocks not only were uncovered, but were reinforced with building techniques not in existence at the time of the original construction. The exterior was returned to its original status as well and may be compared closely to historic postcard
Postcard
A postcard or post card is a rectangular piece of thick paper or thin cardboard intended for writing and mailing without an envelope....
s and photograph
Photograph
A photograph is an image created by light falling on a light-sensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic imager such as a CCD or a CMOS chip. Most photographs are created using a camera, which uses a lens to focus the scene's visible wavelengths of light into a reproduction of...
s of the building produced shortly after its opening.
Tourists have mailed images of this historic building home throughout the numerous decades of its existence as a souvenir
Souvenir
A souvenir , memento, keepsake or token of remembrance is an object a person acquires for the memories the owner associates with it. The term souvenir brings to mind the mass-produced kitsch that is the main commodity of souvenir and gift shops in many tourist traps around the world...
of some of their favorite activities in Sarasota. It is one of the most popular postcards of Sarasota.
The Municipal Auditorium is one of few remaining buildings in Sarasota of the Art Deco or Moderne style and it is the most easily recognized and used public venue in the downtown because of its easy access and plentiful parking. According to its manager, during 2010 the auditorium will be self-sufficient through its bookings with revenue projections of $376,813. The previous year it required only minimal subsidies, being the type of community benefit appreciated most by taxpayers and considered quite a bargain for the community.
Given the extensive use by all factions of the city, any subsidy ever required for the building has been accepted readily by the taxpayers. Annually, the facility draws 100,000 attendees to its bookings and numerous events.
This historic landmark is treasured in the community as a visible link that bridges the past and present where people gather frequently for events and recreation.
Since most beloved historic buildings in the community have fallen under the wrecking balls driven by private development, a 2010 proposal to convert the building with interior demolition and reconstruction for academic, commercial, and, essentially, industrial uses that would prevent public access under an exclusive, dollar-a-year contract to a well-endowed private institution that is located a mile and a quarter away from the site, raised an alarm in the community that promised to unite many diverse factions into unified opposition to the proposed take-over of the building.
Ranging from Internet websites to newspapers—in articles, blogs, forums, letters, polls, and postings—the broad-based opinion, expressed consistently, was to retain the municipal auditorium as a much used and appreciated civic facility for continued public use and to consider alternatives elsewhere that might be appropriate for the proposed private institutional use.
Many attempts to introduce private re-development within this large parcel designated for civic and public uses have failed when brought before the voters and their elected officials, but none have been opposed with such immediate and broad-based opinions as this proposal.
The prospect of barring the public from traditional uses of the popular auditorium and destruction of its distinctive and historic interior made the take-over proposal unlikely to garner approval when many ready alternatives for the proposed industrial use exist nearby in the community and much nearer to the institution proposing the take-over, but prohibitive engineering issues noted by a local historic preservationist in public testimony before the city commission on April 5 soon were cited as the basis of the withdrawal of the proposal, which was submitted to the commissioners on April 16 before extensive pursuit of the take-over.http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20100417/ARTICLE/4171035
Hazzard Fountain returned to site in 1996
In 1940, an electrically-illuminated fountain was donated to the Municipal Auditorium by R. P. Hazzard, a shoe manufacturer from Gardner, Maine. The cost of the fountain and its installation amounted to $8,000. The fountain was designed by Frank Martin, whose father, Thomas, designed the auditorium. Louis Larsen, one on the country's most skilled artisans, built the Hazzard Fountain. This fountain was then declared the "crown jewel" of the complex.The Hazzard Fountain has been moved several times and placed in a variety of settings. Due to a widening of Tamiami Trail the fountain was removed from its original location, stored for years, and next placed at the entrance to the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art
John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art
The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art is the state art museum of Florida, located in Sarasota, Florida. It was established in 1927 as the legacy of Mable and John Ringling for the people of Florida...
during the late 1970s. After a few years on that site, however, it was removed by a new museum director and, again, placed in storage.
Another move in 1995 resulted in a "dream come true", the Hazzard Fountain returned home—once again. The re-dedication of the fountain was held on January 6, 1996 at the Municipal Auditorium. It was a public event attended by many citizens and visitors.
The Art Deco style fountain is unique, being thought the only one of its kind still in public ownership in the country today. The current site of the fountain is parallel to the front entrance, but east of parking for the complex, on the landscaped area close to historic Tamiami Trail.
Several levels of historical significance
The Municipal Auditorium in Sarasota was added to the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on February 24, 1995 and the complex is cited for historic designation on several levels. Foremost among them, because of its architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
and engineering features
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
, as well as for its use as an auditorium
Auditorium
An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances at venues such as theatres. For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens.- Etymology :...
. Entertainment
Entertainment
Entertainment consists of any activity which provides a diversion or permits people to amuse themselves in their leisure time. Entertainment is generally passive, such as watching opera or a movie. Active forms of amusement, such as sports, are more often considered to be recreation...
and recreation
Recreation
Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for enjoyment, amusement, or pleasure and are considered to be "fun"...
, along with community planning and development
Planning
Planning in organizations and public policy is both the organizational process of creating and maintaining a plan; and the psychological process of thinking about the activities required to create a desired goal on some scale. As such, it is a fundamental property of intelligent behavior...
are aspects cited as its area of historical significance in the community. Its function in the community also is cited as historical because of its uses for recreation and culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
. The importance of its historic uses as a public auditorium and for outdoor and indoor recreation, therefore, are cited as significant for its designation, as well as the more typical architectural and engineering features of most designations.
The extensive and meticulous restoration of its unusual interior features makes the building especially significant to the community and its history.
Given the historical listing for the auditorium and all of the criteria justifying the nomination, re-dedication of the structure for private use might have threatened its historical significance and eligibility for its classification as historic.