Sanibel's Walker House replica at SarasotaMOD

SarasotaMOD is a weekend-long immersion in mid-20th-century, modern architecture forged by legendary architect Paul Rudolph and a cadre of other designers who made their mark following World War II through the mid-1960s. The weekend — Nov. 6 to 8 —  is a blend of six expert presentations, community and home tours, receptions and dinner parties that celebrate and explore what eventually became known as the Sarasota School of Architecture. It is organized by the nonprofit Sarasota Architectural Foundation.

What makes Rudolph and the Sarasota School of Architecture unique is that its select practitioners “adapted the principles of mid-century modernist design to the unique demands of Florida’s environment in a sleepy artists’ colony off the shores of the Gulf of Mexico. The movement they created helped transform the small town into a cosmopolitan cultural center. Today, the movement’s impact goes far beyond the region where it was born,” according to the SAF.

This year, a starring role is being played by a private Lee County residence, known as the Walker Guest House. The experimental home — only 24 by 24 feet — was built 1952-1953 on Sanibel Island by Dr. Walt W. Walker, whose family founded the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. Though the vacation home is quite miniature, particularly by today’s standards, it’s staying put. A to-scale replica has been created that will be unveiled at The John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art.

The structure’s importance was revealed by Fort Myers architect Joyce Owens, AIA, who emphasized its innovation during a midcentury architecture exhibit she curated in late 2010 at the Southwest Florida Museum of History in downtown Fort Myers. And that became the genesis for the replica.

The Sarasota Architecture Foundation “may have been aware of the Walker Guest House on Sanibel but didn’t really know about it. They were excited to learn about the house,” says Owen, who will be a panelist with a Walker heir during SarasotaMOD events. Foundation board member Dan Snyder was taken by it and “he stayed on it and kept going from there.”

While Sarasota takes pride in its many private residential and public projects, Sanibel is “very aware of what they have and are very proud of that,” Owens says.

The replica was designed and built by architect, contractor and author Joe King, whose Old Cypress Construction in Bradenton, helped fund the $200,000 project. The replica will remain on display at the Ringling through next October, and the Foundation would like to see it travel to raise awareness and promote the legacy of the regional movement. One idea is to place it in the outdoor sculpture garden at the Walker Art Center, though plans aren’t confirmed, Owens says.

Sanibel gem

In 2012, the Walker Guest House was voted the top residential building in Florida during the 100th anniversary of the Florida Chapter of the American Institute of Architect’s “Top 100 Buildings Competition: 100 Years. 100 Places” competition.

Among all his designs throughout the world, Rudolph is said to have considered this Sanibel gem one of his favorites, telling the Miami Herald that, “It crouches like a spider in the sand.” Also known as The Cannonball House by locals, the home remains in private hands and is used by Walker family and friends. Some Walker Guest House facts:

• It was one of Ralph Rudolph’s first independent practice commissions after he broke with Sarasota-based Twitchell & Rudolph in 1952. Rudolph was a graduate of the Harvard Graduate School of Design.

• The bare beach house is a modern interpretation of a cabin in the woods, blending functionality with minimalism. A living/dining area takes up half the space; the other half features a bedroom, bathroom and kitchen.
  • The home’s walls open using a system of pulleys and weights, intimately wrapping inhabitants in nature.
  • The home is raised to let air flow underneath, cooling its floors and internal temperature.
• After graduating from medical school in 1939, Dr. Walter W. Walker visited Sanibel Island and later bought two lots
• It’s called the Walker Guest House because that’s all that was built. The cottage came first, but the main house was never built.

If you go

What: SarasotaMOD Weekend 2015, a celebration of Sarasota’s iconic mid-20th-century architecture. Second annual event includes tours, parties and lectures highlighting prominent midcentury modern architects, interior designers, authors, historians and critics.

When: Nov. 6- 8 (Some events are already sold out.)

Info, tickets: SarasotaMOD.com

Get on board: The Edison & Ford Winter Estates is taking a bus to the Ringling Museum of Art on Saturday, Nov. 7, for a tour of the Ca’ d’Zan with curator Ron McCarty, which includes a discussion of the Walker Guest House Replica. For details, contact Nancy Achter at 239-334-7419 or nachter@edisonfordwinterestates.org.

More about midcentury modern Southwest Florida projects: MCMO-SWFL.com/press/. The site was curated by Fort Myers architect Joyce Owens.