The Ringling Museum, Sarasota, FL
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SarasotaMOD Festival Celebrates Paul Rudolph

 

The second annual SarasotaMOD festival on November 6-8 will be hosted by the Sarasota Architectural Foundation and will celebrate mid-century modern design and the work of noted architect Paul Rudolph. Tickets to SarasotaMOD parties, presentations, and tours are now available at SarasotaMOD.com. A limited number of tickets are available to each event, so “modernistas” are encouraged to purchase their tickets early.

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The W.R. Healy Guest House designed by Paul Rudolph,FAIA, with Ralph Twitchell, Sarasota, FL.
The W.R. Healy Guest House designed by Paul Rudolph,FAIA, with Ralph Twitchell, Sarasota, FL. - Photo courtesy of SarasotaMOD

With its sugar-white sand beaches, vibrant Sarasota is chockfull of homes and buildings from the early 1940s to the mid-1960s. SarasotaMOD is the only way to experience these architectural treasures while gaining a unique insight into Rudolph, the preeminent figure of the Sarasota School of Architecture movement and the focus of MOD 2015.

“Sarasota absolutely loves Paul Rudolph,” SAF board chair Janet Minker said. “SarasotaMOD 2015 proudly celebrates Rudolph’s remarkable life and extensive works, and explores his pioneering years in Sarasota.”

Events throughout the three-day weekend will be held in the most chic of places, including Rudolph’s renowned 1953 Umbrella House and the newly renovated 1960 Rudolph addition at Sarasota High School. The weekend features tours of homes in Lido Shores and Siesta Key – named the nation’s best beach. At days’ end, attendees can relax and mingle at fabulous parties in seldom-seen private residences. 

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The Walker Guest House designed by Paul Rudolph, FAIA, Sarasota, FL.
The Walker Guest House designed by Paul Rudolph, FAIA, Sarasota, FL. - Photo courtesy © Ezra Stoller/Esto

The highlight of MOD 2015 is the official opening of the full-scale replica of Rudolph’s Walker Guest House on the grounds of The John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art. This simple yet elegant 24-by-24-foot structure was designed in 1952 for Walter Walker and built on Sanibel Island, Florida. The replica will be open through October 2016. A complementary exhibition, Paul Rudolph: The Guest Houses, will be open from September 25 to December 6, 2015.

SarasotaMOD will present thought-provoking seminars by Joe King and Christopher Domin, co-authors of Paul Rudolph: The Florida Houses, and Timothy Rohan, who wrote The Architecture of Paul Rudolph. C. Ford Peatross, the founding director of the architectural archive at the Library of Congress, will moderate a panel discussion on Rudolph’s legacy. Other prominent architects will reflect on their professional relationships with Rudolph. For more information, check SarasotaMOD.com.

SarasotaMOD is presented by the Sarasota Architectural Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to celebrating the Sarasota School of Architecture movement, in partnership with The Ringling and the Paul Rudolph Foundation.