This Week Newsletter - March 31, 2010
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And, The Answer Is...
Last week I sent out an unofficial straw poll to get your opinion about the Ringling College of Art and Desgin's proposal that the Municipal Auditorium be utilized, by them, as a soundstage. Their offer included a $1.00 per year fee for the public facilty, as well as other considerations. I was asked by many friends and acquaintances to protest this measure and take a stand on the issue. Instead, I chose to take the temperature of our viewers, compile the results, and then publish them for our City Commissioners and residents to review. Hopefully, these results will not stir additional emotions about this topic, but instead offer positive alternatives and suggestions on how to move forward. Larry A. Kelleher, Editor... To see the results of the poll and a sampling of your comments, Click here. (photo credit: Sarasota County History Center)
Tales of Sarasota
Diane recalls many of her memories at the Auditorium, and for those of you that have not lived here long, you might be surprised to know what venues occurred there, other than the usual fare we see there today. Step back for a few minutes and Click here to enjoy her blog this week.
The Sarasota Times(The Sarasota Times newspaper was our area's first. Rose Wilson was the publisher and editor for many years after her husband passed away. Sarasota History Alive! would like to share artices from this paper with you that reflect on our heritage. Today we have chosen one with some news of the day, and attached are some recipes from the Kitchen Cabinet. Bon Appetite! Mrs. Potter Palmer to Return Mrs. Potter Palmer is about to take a motor trip through Italy, after which she will return to Sarasota for the winter, coming by way of Chicago. The work of remodeling her home at Osprey, “The Oaks” is nearing completion. A complete transformation scene has been enacted under the plans and direction of Architect Martin, of Chicago. A new house, for use in part by guests, will be erected near the home and connected by a porch and pergola.
It will be learned with regret that Miss Carolyn Painter, of Chicago, was defeated in the championship honors of the Woman’s Western Golf Association, which she has held for two years. Miss Painter is well known in Sarasota, and it was while here she became such a golf enthusiast under Col. Gillespie’s instruction, that gave her the place of one of the foremost women golf players of America.
Suggestions For Eatables - Click here.
The Dr. George Day House
The Dr. George Day House is located at 451 Woodland Drive in Sapphire Shores Subdivision in the northern section of the City of Sarasota. The house is Mediterranean Revival in style with Italianate influence and was constructed in 1926. This residential structure is one of two side-by-side mirror image houses. The original owner and a close friend and associate built the identical houses on adjacent lots. The subject property stands directly west of the other house and an original shared garden wall with a decorative wrought iron gate and Spanish tile covered portal connects the two houses on the front walls. A large banyan tree stood behind the shared garden wall for many years. Historical Context During the 1920s, residential subdivisions were platted throughout an expanded city limits. Cheap land prices and the promise of quick profits swept the city into a spiral of development. This decade brought unparalleled growth to Florida. Sarasota downtown development was coupled with expanding suburban residential areas. Sarasota was fast replacing the fishing village image that it had with that of a developing resort community. Construction following the first World War, produced what would become a modern city. In 1923, nationally renowned land planner, John Nolen, from Cambridge, Massachusetts established a comprehensive plan for Sarasota. His plan was intended to guide in the provision of adequate traffic circulation, utilities, and schools. Sarasota’s rapid development drastically altered Nolen’s original plan. During 1925 and 1926 over five hundred structures were built in Sarasota, half of them residences. Read more...
The Very Thing to Send (Electronically)
Oh, how perfectly convenient! Vintage e-Postcards of Sarasota to send to friends and family with a quick thought from you. Nobody has much free time to write and stamp a card these days, so check out our postcard service. It's fun and as 'easy as pie'. Click here to view the postcards, and try out this 'good time' feature.
The Annual Alliance Speaker's Meeting
Join the Alliance for coffee and refreshments, followed by a short business meeting, including the election of directors. The meeting will conclude with an interesting presentation entitled, “Honoring the Dead, Keeping History Alive: Sarasota’s Galilee Cemetery”, by New College of Florida Professor, Uzi Baram. The Galilee cemetery dates back to Sarasota’s early days, but time has not been kind. Until recently, when the Galilee Cemetery Task Force organized a clean-up campaign, created a more appealing entrance, and turned to Dr. Baram, to document the lives of those interred there. In February 2010, Dr. Baram assembled a team of anthropology students from New College of Florida, State College of Florida, and citizens of Newtown to systematically record the location of as many graves as possible. For more information Click here or call 941-953-8727. |
Bickel Helped Keep Florida Beautiful
A friend with a shop in Greenwich Village, New York, displayed Bickel’s collection of jewelry in her shop window before Christmas one year and every item sold out. Bickel then set up a workshop in her apartment dining room to assemble jewelry, which she displayed in several leading New York department stores. After a feature article in Woman’s Daily Wear on her jewelry, her distribution increased to more than 200 department stores all over the country. By 1935 the Bickels had decided to retire to Sarasota. They had been winter residents in Sarasota since 1928. The Sarasota Tribune announced on June 16, 1933, that the Bickels were buying the house next to the John Ringling Hotel. They regarded Sarasota as one of Florida’s beauty spots and an ideal place for a winter residence. Read more... (photo credit: Sarasota County History Center)
Yesterday's Sarasota Calendar
Also, be sure and check out Whit's website at: www.ChickenHillNC.com. Today in 1917, as Harry Higel and his family watched helplessly from their home on the mainland, the Higelhurst Hotel on Siesta Key burned to the ground. Tragically, the bridge to the key over which firemen might have reached the structure in time, was completed only one month later. (photo credit: Sarasota County History Center)
Ain't Life Grand?
With all the unseasonably early rains we've been getting lately, I wonder what this summer will be like? By the looks of these two gentlemen outside a furniture store on Main Street, it could be problematic. This photo was taken in July of 1939; nice legs, boys!
History Locator
William Henry Whitaker arrived in Sarasota Bay in the early 1840s. He built a cedar log cabin at “Yellow Bluffs,” part of nearly 200 acres he would acquire along the bay between Hog Creek and today’s Indian Beach Road. Initially a fisherman, Whitaker later added cattle and a citrus grove to his homestead. Whitaker married Mary Jane Wyatt from Manatee in 1851. They raised eight children to adulthood. During the Third Seminole War, Whitaker joined a local militia unit. After their home was burned by the Seminoles, the Whitakers built their second home adjacent to the family cemetery on today’s 12th Street, east of the Tamiami Trail. During the Civil War, Whitaker’s growing cattle herd provided beef for the Confederate forces. His family experienced hardships from the Union naval blockade and occasional raids for food. After the war, Whitaker helped facilitate the escape of Confederate Secretary of State, Judah P. Benjamin, from Sarasota Bay to the Bahamas. The Whitakers and other early settlers provided food and shelter for the colonists who arrived from Scotland in 1885 to create a new town of Sarasota. Read reverse side... (photo credit: Greg Best) Where Was I?The winner from our last quiz was Larry McLeod. We would like to thank our generous sponsors for providing prizes. You too, can become a sponsor (see below). Click here to review the photo, question and the correct answer of last week's challenge.
Let's see...at first I was a livery stable and then a second floor was added, and I became The! Inn. (Yes, the exclamation point is in the correct spot). Pictured here is Sarasota's first convention - a Baptist Convention, no less. In later years, I was unfortunately demolished, but in my place another hotel popped up in my place. It's all about location, location, location. So, my question to you is, where was I? You don't need an address, but since I am on a corner piece of property, you must provide the two intersecting street names. Good luck! (photo credit: Sarasota County History Center) Your prize this week is a gift card to Target, and is supplied by Sarasota History Alive!
If you would like to be a sponsor of our "Where Am I?" quiz, please call us at (941) 951-7727. It only cost $25 per week for us to set up your ad, and then you only have to provide a prize for the winner. What could be easier?
Do you like Saints or Sinners?
Spring Has Sprung!
Many of Sarasota County's historical organizations were showing their wares in the history tent. Pictured here is the President of the Historical Society of Sarasota County, Jane Kirschner-Tuccillo (left), and board member of the Sarasota Alliance for Historic Preservation, Joyce Waterbury (right) in a conversation. A good time was had by all, and let's hear a cheer for Palmer Ranch's dedication to a great cause.
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The Sarasota Alliance for Historic Preservation is happy to announce its 20th Annual Meeting on April 9, 2010 from 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. It will be held at the Ringling College of Art and Design Academic Center Auditorium, located at 2263 Bradenton Road.
Whether it was running her own business or her crusade to keep Sarasota and the state of Florida beautiful, Helen Madira Bickel certainly left her mark. As the wife of the president of United Press Association, Karl Bickel, Madira Bickel traveled around the world during the 1920s and early 1930s. It was during these travels that she began her career in the jewelry business. While touring China and Japan, Bickel became interested in the fine detail work in semiprecious stones. She would search the shops for semiprecious stones to bring back home to the United States. 
Every day of the year we highlight what took place in Sarasota's history, thanks to Whit Rylee and Tom Payne's extensive research and sense of humor. Frequently check our website's 
Your editor spends a great deal of time at the Sarasota County History Center finding interesting information for you to ponder. While there, he also comes across many photos that depict life at an earlier time in history. With that in mind, check out this week's mage. 
Today we are honoring the Whitaker Family marker. With all the news this week about it's potential use, it just seemed timely to reflect on the auditorium's history. It reads: 
This Week's Clues:
The Saints & Sinners Tour is sure to
delight the long time resident as well as those visiting Sarasota for
the first time. The two hour tour invites guests to examine a unique
cast of historical characters and decide for themselves who were the
saints, and who were the sinners. To learn more about the tour 
On Saturday, March 20, 2010 the Sarasota SpringFest! took place on the grounds of Palmer Ranch. Several thousand people showed up for a day of family fun, and to benefit the Child Protection Center. The day started with a 5K Family Walk/Run, and throughout the day there were performances and activities to the delight of all who attended. "Sarasota History Alive!" is a part of the "Florida History Alive!" network
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