Moderns That Matter: Through the Decades Lecture Series Bundle

About Moderns That Matter: Through the Decades*

The Moderns That Matter: Through the Decades Series is based on the exhibition Moderns That Matter: The Sarasota 100 installed at Architecture Sarasota’s McCulloch Pavilion since March 2024. Join our Scholar-in-Residence, Dr. Christopher Wilson, as he takes a deeper dive into the individual decades of the exhibition and makes them come alive. Learn more about the exhibition’s featured buildings as well as other Sarasota buildings from the same time period and the development of the city since its founding.

*Purchasers of this event Bundle will recieve a single event ticket that can be used for all three lecture dates in this series. Yout will be notified as dates appraoch, but please save these dates when you purchase this bundle

In this Series:

02/18/25 - Moderns That Matter: Through the Decades - the 1920s & 1930s

03/04/25 - Moderns That Matter: Through the Decades - the 1940s & 1950s

03/18/25 - Moderns That Matter: Through the Decades - the 1960s & 1970s

03/25/25 - Moderns That Matter: Through the Decades - the 1980s & 1990s

04/01/25 - Moderns That Matter: Through the Decades - the 2000s & 2010s - Today

All lectures in this series will take place from 5:30-6:30pm in the McCulloch Pavilion, 265 S Orange Avenue.

Individual Lecture Details:

Moderns That Matter: Through the Decades - the 1920s & 1930s

Tuesday, February18, 2025

5:30-6:30pm

McCulloch Pavilion, 265 S Orange Avenue

THE 1920s

Explore the early history of Sarasota and the development of its built environment, including its early access primarily by boat only and the breakaway of Sarasota County from Manatee County in 1921. This decade literally put Sarasota “on the map” as it began to establish itself as a tourist destination, despite the Florida Land Boom Crash of 1926.

THE 1930s

Explore how Sarasota quietly further develops its reputation as a tourist destination, despite the lingering effects of the 1929 Wall Street Crash and subsequent Great Depression, building much infrastructure that continues to serve the city almost 100 years later.

Moderns That Matter: Through the Decades - the 1940s & 1950s

Tuesday, March 4, 2025

5:30-6:30pm

McCulloch Pavilion, 265 S Orange Avenue

THE 1940s

Witness the birth of the “Sarasota School of Architecture” as Ralph Twitchell and Paul Rudolph gain national attention with their innovative Modern architecture that is uniquely adapted to the extremes of sunshine and rain in the Florida climate.

THE 1950s

Watch the peak of the “Sarasota School” as like-minded architects and potential clients flock to the city, no longer as tourists but as year-round residents, prompting authorities to commission schools, beach pavilions, post offices, shopping malls, and similar projects to serve this population, as well as the establishment new neighborhoods such as Lido Shores and Sanderling.

Moderns That Matter: Through the Decades - the 1960s & 1970s

Tuesday, March 18, 2025

5:30pm-6:30pm

McCulloch Pavilion, 265 S Orange Ave

THE 1960s

See the year-round population further explode as more neighborhoods, such as Bird Key and South Gate, are speculatively created to meet the demand. This is also the decade when the “Sarasota School” begins to appear in commercial structures, as well as the pioneering New College of Florida, solidifying the reputation of the style in the city and beyond.

THE 1970s

This decade marks the beginning of the decline of the “Sarasota School,” but not the city of Sarasota itself, which continued to grow at a miraculous pace, prompting some of the first opposition to what is later dubbed “over-development.” Counter-measures such as the further development of public facilities like the Bayfront area with the addition of the Van Wezel Performing Arts Center are introduced.

Moderns That Matter: Through the Decades - the 1980s & 1990s

Tuesday, March 25, 2025

5:30-6:30pm

McCulloch Pavilion, 265 S Orange Avenue

THE 1980s

Watch as Sarasota matures from being a quiet resort town to a small city with big-city aspirations. This is the decade of condominium building, particularly on Longboat Key, which brings a wealthier clientele to town, as well as the prevalence of the Mediterranean Revival style. Meanwhile, the “Sarasota School” is kept alive by architects Tim Seibert and Carl Abbott.

THE 1990s

Examine the architectural scene of this decade as the “growth debate” rears its head again, only to be countered by larger and newer developments that continue to give Sarasota a more urban feel. The opening of Interstate-75 not only provides easier access to visitors, but also a new area ripe for development east of it.

04/01/25 - Moderns That Matter: Through the Decades - the 2000s & 2010s - Today

Tuesday, April 1, 2025

5:30-6:30pm

McCulloch Pavilion, 265 S Orange Avenue

THE 2000s

Witness a resurgence of the “Sarasota School” as a new generation of architects move to the city and pick up the mantle, despite a major recession. This decade is also when an awareness of Sarasota’s architectural heritage begins to flourish as many private and public Mid-Century structures are renovated, restored, remolded and revamped.

2010s - TODAY

Survey the astonishingly continuing growth of the city of Sarasota as it comes to terms with being not just a small town, but also a metropolis of sorts. Traffic becomes a favorite topic of complaint, along with roundabouts, but the area also excels in its reputation for quality Modern architecture, acknowledged by the founding of the MOD Weekend architecture festival in 2014.

Host or Publisher Architecture Sarasota