For your viewing pleasure. Please enjoy a video of 1235 Center Place, Sarasota, Florida.
Showing posts with label Lido Living. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lido Living. Show all posts
Just Listed
Our beautiful home is for sale.
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| 1235 Center Place, Lido Shores, Sarasota, FL |
4 Beds - 3 Full Baths - 1 Half Bath - 3,774 Sq. Ft - 2012 Built - 0.32 Acre Lot
An icon of modern design in the style of the world-renowned Sarasota School of Architecture, 1235 Center Place combines award-winning pedigree with exceptional luxury in a setting that is as coveted for its natural beauty and access to amenities as for its storied mid-century and modern estates.
Known as the ‘Light Box House’ for its use of glass walls to showcase courtyard and exterior views, this home was custom built in 2012 by the current owners to foster both idyllic privacy and elevated hospitality. Designed by architect Jonathan Parks FAIA, the home has been widely celebrated for its design, winning the AIA Tampa Bay Merit Award for Architecture and the Grand Aurora Award for a custom home, with features in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune's Style Magazine, Sarasota Magazine, SRQ Magazine, Sarasota Observer and HomeDSGN magazine.
Occupying the corner lot of Westway and Center and two doors away from the famed Umbrella House, the home is thoughtfully oriented around a central pool that serves as a focal point for both reflection and recreation. Stretching between north and south wings that gently delineate spaces for private retreat and open entertaining, 3,700 A/C square feet encompass three bedrooms with three and a half bathrooms, an office, an open concept gourmet kitchen and adjacent dining and living space, all purposefully positioned to capture optimal light and accentuate the interplay of built features with the tropical landscape.
An elegant contrast to the brilliant sky and foliage outside, the interior is a refined gallery that meticulously balances walls of glass with solid surfaces for display and function, from art-hung walls to Caesarstone countertops. While complementing the mid-century modern style of surrounding homes, contemporary construction here offers the significant advantages of elevation for flood consideration, high-efficiency impact rated materials, and modern integrations including heated primary bathroom floor, motorized window coverings, Generac generator, LED landscape lighting, and more. Recent upgrades include two Carrier Infinity HVAC systems installed in 2025 and 2024.
Lido Shores is an architectural mecca, coveted for its concentration of mid-century modern, contemporary and post-modern homes, with masterpieces by architects Paul Rudolph, Carl Abbott and Don Chapell. All the homes have deeded access to North Lido Beach. Serene and private but within minutes of St. Armands Circle and Downtown, this special island enclave offers immediate access to the tropical waters of Sarasota Bay and the Gulf and innumerable cultural amenities that include fine and performing arts, dining, and shopping.
Listed by Lisa Rooks Morris, Michael Saunders & Company, 941-544-3332
Description of the Light Box House by Jonathan Parks Architect
“Situated on a quarter acre lot, this 3,700 SF island residence was designed to reflect the owners’ desire for a minimalist home in which they could equally live and entertain.
The home is in Lido Shores, an enclave for modern design centered among the Gulf of Mexico and Sarasota Bay. Located across the street from the water, the owners were surprised by their property’s lack of water view. To accommodate their want of a connection to the water, the architect designed the floor plan to be formed around the pool.
Stepping-stones at the entryway lead over a reflecting pond while the entrance hall itself acts as bridge. All the main public and private spaces pivot around the pool, including the entry, circulation areas, the living room, kitchen, outdoor area, library, and master bedroom. Daily rituals, from rising in the morning to preparing meals to arriving home, maintain the owners’ desire for a relationship to the water.
The dining room, which centers on conversation, and rooms that are meant to be introspective, like his and her office, are more intimate, taking advantage of views looking out from the property.
A second challenge was to design the home on an oddly angled, trapezoidal lot. To achieve this, the architect designed the home so that the secondary spaces absorb the angle (his office, laundry room, library, and upstairs terrace). This composition allows the principal spaces the openness of a normal flow.
The uncluttered design and palette of simple finishes creates a sense that the interior and exterior spaces are wide open, without ignoring privacy. Unencumbered doorways, multiple vistas, and transom windows grant natural light throughout the course of the day.
The result is a home where a multitude of ideas and journeys are woven into a single experience.”
Photos below by Greg Wilson, 2013
Home of the Month: Lido Luxe 10 Years Ago
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| The swimming pool separates the two wings of the home. Above, looking toward the living room. Photos ©Greg Wilson. |
Blast from the past! A look back on our Sarasota home 10 years ago.
'Your Observer' article By Robert Plunket, July 10, 2013
What is Sarasota’s most architecturally significant neighborhood? It’s
undoubtedly Lido Shores, that sandbar just north of St. Armands where
the Sarasota School of Architecture took root and blossomed during the
1950s. Many of the iconic homes are still there, and architecture
aficionados come from all over the world to drive by and marvel.
But the old standbys — the Umbrella House, the Hiss Studio — are getting some competition. In the past several years, a new generation of Lido Shores Modern has appeared, mostly designed by the local heirs to the style. On a casual tour of the area, these newer homes attract just as much attention as the old ones. Sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference.
One of the most intriguing is the home that Jonathan Parks recently designed for Janet Minker and Elliott Himelfarb. It embodies all the elements of the Sarasota School style — brilliant light, well-proportioned volumes, clean lines — but with a twist. You can peek inside.
Several discretely placed plate glass windows allow glimpses into the interior, something rare in the original Sarasota style, in which the homes presented a blank (albeit well-designed) façade to the street. The local dog walkers and joggers catch glimpses of an interior totally in sync with the home’s exterior, and the owners catch glimpses of the neighborhood’s famous modern architecture. It’s the perfect house in the perfect place.
***
Janet Minker and her husband, Elliott Himelfarb, had vacationed in Sarasota for years. (Her cousin, Jay Hunsberger, is the principal tubist for the Sarasota Orchestra.) When they decided to move here in 2008 from Bethesda, Maryland, they were planning to buy an old house in the Southside Village area and remodel. But after taking a class at Pierian Springs (the local adult-education center), they fell in love with the Sarasota School style. And when the perfect building lot appeared — right in Lido Shores — they began talking to architects.
Jonathan Parks was the best fit. He has had a practice in Sarasota since 2000 and is best known for the spectacular “sailboat” parking garage on downtown’s Palm Avenue.
“I liked the atmosphere at his office,” Himelfarb recalls. “It was a hive of activity.”
The owners-to-be presented Parks with a wish list — lots of light, four bedrooms (including a tucked-away guest room where visitors could come and go), a swimming pool and a great kitchen.
“Elliott’s the cook,” Minker explains. “He likes to grill and makes a good pasta with clam sauce.”
The home Parks designed gave the owners everything for which they asked. Although it appears simple, almost austere, its plan is a little more complicated than it first appears. The main living area is in the north wing — a large living room, a separate dining room, the carefully thought-out kitchen and an office that could be used as a bedroom. An elegant entryway, high ceilinged, with glass on both sides, separates the two wings, with the south wing expanding to three different levels. It contains the garage, three bedrooms and an open den.
Both owners have a background in design, and the home is full of carefully thought-out custom touches. There’s an outdoor shower off the master bath, and the floors in the bedrooms are whitewashed maple, while those in the living area are Travertine limestone.
But the old standbys — the Umbrella House, the Hiss Studio — are getting some competition. In the past several years, a new generation of Lido Shores Modern has appeared, mostly designed by the local heirs to the style. On a casual tour of the area, these newer homes attract just as much attention as the old ones. Sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference.
One of the most intriguing is the home that Jonathan Parks recently designed for Janet Minker and Elliott Himelfarb. It embodies all the elements of the Sarasota School style — brilliant light, well-proportioned volumes, clean lines — but with a twist. You can peek inside.
Several discretely placed plate glass windows allow glimpses into the interior, something rare in the original Sarasota style, in which the homes presented a blank (albeit well-designed) façade to the street. The local dog walkers and joggers catch glimpses of an interior totally in sync with the home’s exterior, and the owners catch glimpses of the neighborhood’s famous modern architecture. It’s the perfect house in the perfect place.
***
Janet Minker and her husband, Elliott Himelfarb, had vacationed in Sarasota for years. (Her cousin, Jay Hunsberger, is the principal tubist for the Sarasota Orchestra.) When they decided to move here in 2008 from Bethesda, Maryland, they were planning to buy an old house in the Southside Village area and remodel. But after taking a class at Pierian Springs (the local adult-education center), they fell in love with the Sarasota School style. And when the perfect building lot appeared — right in Lido Shores — they began talking to architects.
Jonathan Parks was the best fit. He has had a practice in Sarasota since 2000 and is best known for the spectacular “sailboat” parking garage on downtown’s Palm Avenue.
“I liked the atmosphere at his office,” Himelfarb recalls. “It was a hive of activity.”
The owners-to-be presented Parks with a wish list — lots of light, four bedrooms (including a tucked-away guest room where visitors could come and go), a swimming pool and a great kitchen.
“Elliott’s the cook,” Minker explains. “He likes to grill and makes a good pasta with clam sauce.”
The home Parks designed gave the owners everything for which they asked. Although it appears simple, almost austere, its plan is a little more complicated than it first appears. The main living area is in the north wing — a large living room, a separate dining room, the carefully thought-out kitchen and an office that could be used as a bedroom. An elegant entryway, high ceilinged, with glass on both sides, separates the two wings, with the south wing expanding to three different levels. It contains the garage, three bedrooms and an open den.
Both owners have a background in design, and the home is full of carefully thought-out custom touches. There’s an outdoor shower off the master bath, and the floors in the bedrooms are whitewashed maple, while those in the living area are Travertine limestone.
“Natural light is very important to us,” says Minker, and with 88 pieces of glass — some opening, some not — the home glows with sunlight. Solar shades, operated electrically, diffuse the sun when necessary.
The centrally located swimming pool, which greets visitors at the entrance and separates the two wings, is more than a place to swim. It also functions as a dramatic water feature visible from the living room and the master bedroom. Jets of water leap in the air and push around white beach balls in the strong midday sun.
Off to one side, accessed via the kitchen, is an outdoor area for grilling and entertaining.
Himelfarb made sure the kitchen was exactly what he wanted, with an island facing the living room and a four-color marble backsplash behind the sink. The custom Wolf stove has two gas burners and two induction burners. A pantry/utility space is in a completely enclosed core that provides some separation for the three main rooms.
With both husband and wife working at home, special care was given so that each had a space that suited his or her needs — and was far enough away from the other to offer a feeling of privacy. Minker, a graphic designer (she also writes a blog called lidoliving.blogspot.com) uses a studio/bedroom overlooking a side street, while Himelfarb (who’s involved in several design and construction businesses) works in a secluded space off the living room.
The couple is still furnishing their home. Most pieces are modern classics, although a French Empire daybed, covered with silk pillows, sits in the living room. In the dinning room, Himelfarb designed and built the modernistic dining table, which complements the art on the walls, including pieces by Jenny Holzer and the Starn Twins.
***
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| Kate Moss Tapestry by Chuck Close |
Though Minker and Himelfarb were initially uncertain about living on a
barrier island,
they have settled comfortably into life in Sarasota’s architectural mecca. All the homes have deeded access to North Lido Beach, and bi-monthly sunset gatherings are held in the neighborhood association beach pavilion, which Siebert and Associates designed. The shops and restaurants of St. Armands Circle are a 10-minute walk, with Shore being their current favorite. After dinner, there’s a stroll back home, past Paul Rudolph’s famous Umbrella House. Their own home looks particularly nice as darkness falls. Light glows from within, and from certain angles, you catch a glimpse of the living room’s focal point — a 10-foot high tapestry by photo-realist Chuck Close of supermodel Kate Moss.
“Her eyes follow you around,” Himelfarb says — a glamorous, slightly notorious image that fits in perfectly with Sarasota’s most stylish neighborhood.
they have settled comfortably into life in Sarasota’s architectural mecca. All the homes have deeded access to North Lido Beach, and bi-monthly sunset gatherings are held in the neighborhood association beach pavilion, which Siebert and Associates designed. The shops and restaurants of St. Armands Circle are a 10-minute walk, with Shore being their current favorite. After dinner, there’s a stroll back home, past Paul Rudolph’s famous Umbrella House. Their own home looks particularly nice as darkness falls. Light glows from within, and from certain angles, you catch a glimpse of the living room’s focal point — a 10-foot high tapestry by photo-realist Chuck Close of supermodel Kate Moss.
“Her eyes follow you around,” Himelfarb says — a glamorous, slightly notorious image that fits in perfectly with Sarasota’s most stylish neighborhood.
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| 2013 new plantings |
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| 2023 the plants have filled in |
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