Sarasota Alliance for Historic Preservation

06/01/2026

Preservation is an economic tool!

REMINDER! 🏠 The City of Venice, along with several partners, will hold a Local Register Forum this Thursday, June 4 from 5:30-7 p.m. at the Venice Public Library, 300 Nokomis Ave. S.

Learn about having your property locally designated as a historic resource. This event will provide attendees with the information and answers they need about historic preservation in Venice.

Panelists will cover the process from application and review to the benefits and obligations of being designated. Attendees will also learn about the economic benefits of historic preservation. Staff from the Planning and Zoning Department and the Historical Resources Division, along with the City’s Historic and Architectural Preservation Board, will be on hand to answer your questions. Joy Builders will share their insights from the contractor’s perspective about doing work on historically designate properties. Stephen and Ellen Clouse will share the tax benefits they received for making improvements to their locally designated home.

Attendees will also have the opportunity to learn about the economic benefits of historic preservation from members of the Sarasota Alliance for Historic Preservation and Venice MainStreet.

Bring your questions, fears, and assumptions about historic preservation and be prepared to feel better about listing your property in the local register. This is a great time to understand what historic preservation is all about.

Venice Heritage and the Venice Area Historical Society will also have tables about their organizations and answer your questions about Venice history.

05/23/2026

The fate of a more than century-old downtown Sarasota building could be headed to court following a last-ditch effort from a preservation group trying to stop it from being razed for luxury condos. 🔗 in comments

05/20/2026

This.

Today we recognize Florida Emancipation Day, commemorating May 20, 1865, when enslaved people in Florida were finally informed of their freedom in Tallahassee, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued.

As we honor the resilience, contributions, and enduring legacy of Black Floridians, we also recommit ourselves to the ongoing fight for justice, equality, and freedom for all!

05/05/2026

Join us to celebrate and paint the Blackburn Point Swing Bridge on Monday, May 18 from 9am to Noon, Blackburn Point Park, 800 Blackburn Point Road, to raise awareness of the threatened status of the bridge.

The Blackburn Point Swing Bridge has stood for 100 years and is a treasured landmark listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Now, Sarasota County traffic engineers are proposing to demolish the bridge and replace it with a larger bridge - a decision that would erase a piece of Sarasota's irreplaceable history forever.

04/24/2026

**2026 Heritage Award Winner Spotlight: Bay Haven School** 🏫

Architect Todd Sweet and Sweet Sparkman Architecture received this year's Architecture Award for their restoration of Bay Haven School of Basics Plus.

Opened in 1926 and designed by M. Leo Elliott, Bay Haven is listed on the National Register. Sweet Sparkman's work preserved the school's architectural integrity while allowing it to function as a modern public school.

"With historic projects, once you start pulling things apart, you find conditions you couldn't predict," says architect Robert Conner. "It's kind of like a lasagna of layers to pull apart."

That's the craft of preservation—and we're honoring it April 30 at our Heritage Awards Dinner.

Learn about all 11 honorees: preservesrq.org

04/23/2026

50+ years old = potentially qualified. ✨

Think your Sarasota County home needs to be a designated landmark to qualify for our Historic Loan Program?

Think again!

If your home is 50+ years old anywhere in Sarasota County, you may qualify. No formal designation required.

We believe in preserving the full spectrum of Sarasota's architectural story—not just the mansions, but the modest homes that make our neighborhoods what they are.

Photo courtesy of Virginia Hoffman.

Questions? Call us at 941-529-1833 or visit preservesrq.org/loans

**Currently accepting applications—join the list for when funds become available.**

04/22/2026

LAST CHANCE to join us for the 2026 Heritage Awards. Tickets will only be available through April 23.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2026-heritage-awards-tickets-1984380511528

Email us at [email protected] for more details.

We look forward to seeing you there!

04/18/2026

To every donor, every person who shared our posts, every supporter who believes in preserving Sarasota's irreplaceable heritage -- THANK YOU!