Sarasota Architectural Heritage Walking Exploration Tour

Sarasota is home to an amazing architectural legacy. On this 105-minute air-conditioned tour, guests will visit some outstanding examples of architecture and design, with tours featuring three of the city’s most distinctive styles: Art Deco, Mediterranean Revival, and Mid-Century Modern (featuring the "Sarasota School" of architecture, a regional adaptation of 20th-century International Style modernism that flourished in Florida from the 1940s to the 1960s.)
These tours sell out weekly so book early!

Meeting Point

Discover Sarasota Tours

1826 4th St, Sarasota, FL 34236, USA

Off Fruitville, behind the Breakfast House

What to expect:

Duration: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Sarasota Municipal Auditorium

801 N Tamiami Trl, Sarasota, 34236-4052, Florida

Travelers will learn about the Art Deco style, which first appeared in France during the 1910s, and flourished in architecture and fashion, through the 1930s. The Sarasota Municipal Auditorium is a fine example of Art Deco style. Visitors will also learn about the history of the Auditorium, built in 1938. The Art Deco Chidsey Library is also on the itinerary. The Chidsey Library opened in May 1941 as the City of Sarasota's first public library building.

Pass by without stopping

Burns Court Neighborhood

Between Pineapple Avenue And Burns Court, Sarasota, 34236, Florida

The Burns Court Historic District includes houses (and some commercial buildings) that are fine examples of Mediterranean Revival architecture. Visitors will learn about the history and design of the Burns Court development in the mid-1920s.

Pass by without stopping

Art Center Sarasota

707 N Tamiami Trl, , Sarasota, 34236-4050, Florida

The Sarasota Art Center represents the Sarasota School of Architecture, a particular movement in Mid-Century Modern architecture. The Blue Pagoda is another Mid-Century modern building on the tour. Designed by a founding member of Sarasota School of Architecture, Victor Lundy, this 1956 Japanese garden-inspired structure is a sight to behold near the bayfront. Built for the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, the structure features a Japanese blue glazed tile roof. Lundy wanted the blue tiles to reflect the nearby blue waters of Sarasota Bay.

Pass by without stopping

Center For Architecture Sarasota

265 S Orange Ave, Sarasota, 34236-6801, Florida

Commissioned in 1959, the Center for Architecture in Sarasota is an example of Mid-Century Modern architecture. Visitors will learn about the construction and design of the building.

Pass by without stopping