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NO Demolition!!
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School Dept was planning to raze the building, but now they say they won't. As of Apr 3, School Dept Project Manager Chad Brogdon informed me that they have decided NOT to raze this building. A FOIA inquiry response stated that the building will be utilized for non-instructional purposes. (No further details at this time.) Below FYI is the now-outdated info on plans to destroy.
It's true that Sarasota has sadly lost a good number of its iconic, historic features. Let's not lose them all!
The School board adopted a bold and visionary long-rang plan to strengthen our neighborhood schools, expand educational opportunities for students, and preserve local control of our campuses (https://www.sarasotacountyschools.net/page/futurefocused). This plan included co-locating appropriate nonprofits on some school campuses, and the demolition, renovation or new construction of school facilities throughout the county. Among those slated for demolition was a building located on the Alta Vista school campus.
In approving this plan [Nov 7, 2025 School Board meeting], the Board was aware of the age of the Alta Vista building to be demolished, but not that it was the iconic Victor Lundy, nor its historical significance. It was referred to as Building #2 in the documents submitted for review. Built in 1957, this building, with its "butterfly roof," was immediately recognized in the national press and among architects as significant.
PLEASE WRITE TO THE SUPERINTENDENT AND SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS ASKING:
The permanent removal of the Alta Vista School [Building 2] would result in the loss of an irreplaceable historic resource that is deeply tied to Sarasota’s architectural legacy, community history, and neighborhood identity.
In the short-term, please delay the demolition of this building and give time to explore alternatives, such as:
Contact for School Board & Superintendent
Superintendent Terry Connor [email protected]
Robyn Marinelli [email protected]
Thomas Edwards [email protected]
Karen Rose [email protected]
Bridget Ziegler [email protected]
Liz Barker [email protected]
For more information and updates see Sarasota Alliance for Historic Preservation ( www.preservesrq.org ) or contact [email protected]
And much thanks to Myriam Springuel for alerting us, and for the writeup above.
The School board adopted a bold and visionary long-rang plan to strengthen our neighborhood schools, expand educational opportunities for students, and preserve local control of our campuses (https://www.sarasotacountyschools.net/page/futurefocused). This plan included co-locating appropriate nonprofits on some school campuses, and the demolition, renovation or new construction of school facilities throughout the county. Among those slated for demolition was a building located on the Alta Vista school campus.
In approving this plan [Nov 7, 2025 School Board meeting], the Board was aware of the age of the Alta Vista building to be demolished, but not that it was the iconic Victor Lundy, nor its historical significance. It was referred to as Building #2 in the documents submitted for review. Built in 1957, this building, with its "butterfly roof," was immediately recognized in the national press and among architects as significant.
PLEASE WRITE TO THE SUPERINTENDENT AND SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS ASKING:
The permanent removal of the Alta Vista School [Building 2] would result in the loss of an irreplaceable historic resource that is deeply tied to Sarasota’s architectural legacy, community history, and neighborhood identity.
In the short-term, please delay the demolition of this building and give time to explore alternatives, such as:
- Other appropriate organizations should be given the opportunity to explore co-locating on the Alta Vista campus.
- Consider moving offices from the Landings into the Butterfly Wing of Alta Vista school.
- Consider the removal of another building on the Alta Vista campus.
Contact for School Board & Superintendent
Superintendent Terry Connor [email protected]
Robyn Marinelli [email protected]
Thomas Edwards [email protected]
Karen Rose [email protected]
Bridget Ziegler [email protected]
Liz Barker [email protected]
For more information and updates see Sarasota Alliance for Historic Preservation ( www.preservesrq.org ) or contact [email protected]
And much thanks to Myriam Springuel for alerting us, and for the writeup above.
And I stumbled upon an interesting article about the School Dept's history with iconic Sarasota architecture: "Preservationists push Sarasota school board to save modernist buildings" by Zac Anderson, 10/11/2009 Herald Tribune.
GOOD READS: About the Building, the Architect, and the local midcentury architectural legacy
Society of Historical Architectural Historians; SAH Archipedia https://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/FL-01-115-0093
Sarasota Herald-Tribune article Feb. 23, 2023 Architect Victor Lundy turns 100: See seven of his landmark Sarasota buildings
About Victor Lundy: Sarasota History Alive
Also MANY good articles in Sarasota Magazine including 1/26/21 article "An Education in Sarasota Architecture"; Center for Architecture Sarasota
Also, Architecture Sarasota
UC-Irvine's Journal for Learning through the Arts, 9(1) 2003 Author: Paley, Nicholas B.: "Can Architects Help Transform Public Education? What the Sarasota County Civic School Building Program (1955-1960) Teaches Us" This article includes Read Article This article also covers changes to several buildings over the years plus some first-person local perspectives. Interesting!
Society of Historical Architectural Historians; SAH Archipedia https://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/FL-01-115-0093
Sarasota Herald-Tribune article Feb. 23, 2023 Architect Victor Lundy turns 100: See seven of his landmark Sarasota buildings
About Victor Lundy: Sarasota History Alive
Also MANY good articles in Sarasota Magazine including 1/26/21 article "An Education in Sarasota Architecture"; Center for Architecture Sarasota
Also, Architecture Sarasota
UC-Irvine's Journal for Learning through the Arts, 9(1) 2003 Author: Paley, Nicholas B.: "Can Architects Help Transform Public Education? What the Sarasota County Civic School Building Program (1955-1960) Teaches Us" This article includes Read Article This article also covers changes to several buildings over the years plus some first-person local perspectives. Interesting!
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