Walker Guest House Replica

SAF's Walker Guest House Replica WGHR Docent Volunteers
Click to see SAF's Docent Volunteer Photo Gallery

A ‘Tiny House’ That Predates the Current Craze
Paul Rudolph’s Walker Guest House offers the security of a cave with the joy of a pavilion.
By Terry Teachout, Wall Street Journal

Walker Guest House Replica at The Ringling
By Bill Speers

No. 8 Florida Buildings I Love:
SAF's Walker Guest House Replica
By Harold Bubil, Herald Tribune


Walker Guest House Replica

SAF's volunteer docents have greeted over 58,000 visitors since the Replica opened November 6, 2015. More than 500,000 visitors to The Ringling have seen the building's exterior during the past 18 months.

"It's small on the outside and big on the inside."
— 9 year old visitor

When you enter the Walker Guest House Replica you feel a breeze and have a clear line of sight to the water on the Ringling Grounds. Paul Rudolph designed this modernist beach cottage that captures fresh air and light, bringing the outside in. The white wooden flaps are adjusted with the rope and pulley system like sails. Cleats inside the cottage are used to secure the ropes and round, red counterweights look like buoys.

The galley kitchen is compact like on a boat. The British Officer’s chairs made of white canvas look great against the Battleship Grey walls. You sense the influence of Rudolph’s WWII Naval experience.

Visitors return again and again. “It’s like being on a sailboat.” “It’s calm in here.” “I wish this were mine.” "Seeing this [house], I'm now re-evaluating my life."

"Is this the house of the future?"
— 12 year old visitor


This remarkable exhibit is open daily only until April 30, 2017 - don't miss it!


"[The house] crouches like a spider in the sand."

Paul Rudolph described the Walker Guest House as his own personal Florida favorite. "The Sarasota School of Architecture: 1941-1966" By John Howey, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1997

Thank You Walker Guest House Replica Donors
Over 50 individuals, foundations and companies have contributed to this special project. Please join SAF in this important effort. Your donations will support the ongoing volunteer docent program, house maintenance and educational materials. Call , , for more details. Donate Online


MEDIA SPONSORED IN PART BY

Visit Sarasota County


The Sarasota Architectural Foundation constructed a replica of Paul Rudolph's Walker Guest House (aka Cannonball House). The replica, based on the original house built in 1952 on Sanibel, Florida, officially opened November 6, 2015 during
SarasotaMOD Weekend on the grounds of The John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art and will remain on exhibit until April 30, 2017. Visitors may tour the interior and exterior of the 580-square-foot house, learn about Paul Rudolph and discover the principles of the Sarasota School of Architecture movement. Future plans are to have the house travel as a mobile education studio to another museum in the U.S. and then return to Sarasota as a permanent exhibit.

“This is a very unusual ‘preservation’ project because we are building fresh from scratch, from the original [Rudolph] drawings,” says architect Joe King, co-author of Paul Rudolph: The Florida Houses (Princeton Architectural Press, 2009) and construction manager of the Walker Guest House replica.


McCalls Magazine 1953 article with photos by Ezra Stoller



Press

House of the Future: Paul Rudolph’s tiny house has a big impact at The Ringling
By Marty Fugate, Your Observer
bit.ly/29Hx1Nw‬

Mid-Century Perfection
Visit the Walker Guest House on the grounds of The 
Ringling Museum to see a tiny house with minimalist design.
By Louise Bolger, Anna Maria Sun Newspaper

Remaking Rudolph: Sarasota Architectural Foundation takes its mission to the streets with this replica of the Walker Guest House
By Phil Lederer, photography by Wyatt Kostygan, SRQ Magazine
https://bit.ly/1QXMFDR

Long Regarded as an Architecture Lovers Shrine, Sarasota, Florida Attracts Fresh Fans
By Paul Abercrombie, The Washington Post
https://wapo.st/1Zr62Yn

Shaken and Stirred by Sarasota's Midcentury Homes
By Paul Abercrombie, Washington Post, philly.com
https://bit.ly/1OjZTVI

Midcentury Marvel by Paul Rudolph Recreated Down to the Last Detail
By Patrict Sisson, photography by Christopher Mottalini, Curbed.com
https://bit.ly/1YpMcMB

A Florida Midcentury House Unlocks the Era—and Its Architect
By Timothy Rohan,
Curbed.com
https://bit.ly/1OrDFa1

Watching This Paul Rudolph-Designed Panel Go Up and Down Is Mesmerizing
By Jeremiah Budin, Curbed.com
https://bit.ly/1jgtPK0

The Walker Guest House: Replicating an Icon
By Harold Bubil, Herald-Tribune
https://bit.ly/1Gq96P7

First look Inside the Walker Guest House Replica at The Ringling
Photos By Harold Bubil, Herald-Tribune
https://bit.ly/1O0TaW2

This New House: Joe King Honors Architectural Hero
By Nick
Reichert, Your Observer
https://bit.ly/1IbD8S3

Art You Can Live In:
Iconic Paul Rudolph home on Sanibel replicated for exhibition
By Nancy Stetson, Florida Weekly
https://bit.ly/1imJJlL

Sanibel's Walker Guest House Replica at SarasotaMOD
By Cathy Chestnut, News-Press
https://newspr.es/1GbhpOL

Tiny house on Sanibel Island stands as a simple symbol of a hopeful era

By Alastair Gordon, Miami-Herald
https://hrld.us/1FtSwML

A Spider in the Sand – Paul Rudolph's Antidote to Cold War Paranoia
By Alastair Gordon, Wall to Wall Blog
https://bit.ly/1KTy6Mq

Rigged for Living in Small Spaces
By Darrell Nicholson, Practical Sailor Blog
A sailors appreciation for Rudolph's "open screened pavilion - a gem of simplicity."
https://bit.ly/1GxmJeY

Ca' d'Zan to get Temporary Guest
By Harold Bubil, Herald-Tribune
https://bit.ly/1A1cdU3

Copy of Architect's Creation Under Construction
By Tammy Ayer, News-Press
https://newspr.es/1NLHRw0

The Architect to Whom One Cannot Remain Indifferent
By Alex Beam, The Boston Globe

https://bit.ly/1v1vjI5

Paul Rudolph's Iconic Walker Guest House to be Re-Constructed | ArchDaily
https://bit.ly/1wHutmn

Mid-Century Modern in Southwest Florida Features the Walker Guest House
2011 exhibit curated by Joyce Owens AIA, RIBA
https://bit.ly/1f7bwFz

Paul Rudolph's house on Sanibel was architect's favorite
By Tammy Ayer, News-Press
https://bit.ly/1FPYNOc

On Paul Rudolph and Sarasota's Forgotten Modernist Mecca
By Rachel Doyle, Curbed
https://bit.ly/1NtTy07

Legendary Paul Rudolph Home is Getting a Touring Replica
By Spencer Peterson, Curbed
https://bit.ly/1UcNquu

Podcast
US Modernist George Smart interview with architect Joe King about Paul Rudolph and SAF's Walker Guest House Replica, July 14, 2015. https://www.usmodernist.libsyn.com

HGTV Extreme Homes
Beach-Side Spider House

The original Walker Guest House on Sanibel Island with architect Joyce Owens AIA, RIBA

https://bit.ly/1tQmAvI

Video
A Spider in the Sand - The Walker Guest House, Sanibel, Florida
April 2015, Video by Manuel Perez-Trujillo, Produced by Alastair Gordon and Henry Rueda



Video
Paul Rudolph's Walker Guest House Replica at The Ringling

By Liam Ball,
modernmaui.com

Trip to the original Walker Guest House, Sanibel, FL, August 2014

Animation by David Morrison



WGHR at The Ringling Sign

SAF's Walker Guest House Replica

On the grounds of The Ringling
November 6, 2015 – April 30, 2017


Open daily
Free for all visitors, museum admission not required
Wheelchair accessible

Shown top: Walker Guest House illustration by John Pirman.

Volunteer Docents

SAF's docent team leads daily tours at the Walker Guest House Replica (WGHR) exhibit on the grounds of The Ringling. Contact Anne Marie Bergevin for more information. [email protected]



The WGHR Timeline

July 10, 2015
- The structure is completed at King Ranch, taken apart and packed onto pallets for transportation to The Ringling.


August
10 - Site preparation
17 - Footings and foundations poured (see above)
24 - Components moved from King Ranch
25 - Reassembly begins



September

1 - Tropical storm Erika tarp installed
3 - Water-proof roof membrane attached (see
above)
21- Insulation installed in the ceiling

October

8 - Interior finishes are completed, including flooring and paint
14 - Master cabinetmaker Dale Rieke installs kitchen cabinets and sink
22 - Furniture installed, including the Rudolph-designed pieces that Dale is fabricating — sofa, dining room table, coffee table, bookcase
24 - Volunteer Docent Orientation at The Ringling
26 - Accessories installed, final clean-up
28 - Preview for the Herald-Tribune

November

4 - Preview for The Ringling's Circle Member
SarasotaMOD Weekend 2015s Dinner
6 - Official opening at SarasotaMOD 2015
17 - Over 2,000 visitors have toured the Replica!

December
5 -
Conversation about Paul Rudolph with architect Joe King, including tour of the Walker Guest House Replica at The Ringling
18 -
Walker Guest House Replica Docent Orientation at The Ringling

January 2016
30 - Walker Guest House Replica Docent Orientation at The Ringling


WGHR Fundraising Events


5-31-15 BBQ at King Ranch
Preview of the Walker Guest House Replica

3-22-15 Cooney House Cocktail Party
$13,000.00
(doubled by a $25,000 matching grant)

2-22-15 Lido Key House Tour
$1,930.00
(doubled by a $25,000 matching grant)

5-13-14 Denton - Serrano Party

$17,371.00


5-6-14 2014 Giving Challenge
$8,450.00

The 2014 Giving Challenge was made possible by the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, The Patterson Foundation, Manatee Community Foundation, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, William G. and Marie Selby Foundation, and the Charlotte Community Foundation.

1-13-14 Walker Guest House Launch Party
$75,000.00
donation by Dr. Michael Kalman

Donate Online

Donations to the Sarasota Architectural Foundation are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law. For further information, please contact your tax advisor. You will receive an email confirmation of your donation and a mailed receipt upon completion of the transaction.

If you wish to mail a donation, please send a check, payable to SAF, and mail to:
SAF, PO Box 2911, Sarasota, FL 34230.


The Sarasota Architectural Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that celebrates the Sarasota School of Architecture movement, and advocates to preserve its midcentury modern structures. A copy of our official registration and financial information #SC-1050 may be obtained from the Florida Division of Consumer Services by calling Toll-Free 800-435-7352 within the state. Registration does not imply endorsement, approval or recommendation by the state. FEIN 04-3699738.


Thank You

Dr. Michael Kalman

The Ringling: Steven High, Jennifer Price, Maureen Zaremba, Steve Dunay, Matthew McLendon, Dwight Currie, Chris Jones, Ron McCarty, Hollie Corbitt, Jeff Zuba, Bob Labranche

Elaine Walker and family
Carla Murray

Joyce Owens, AIA, RIBA

Joe King and Old Cypress Construction: Jim Carlton
Greg Maynard, Shane Carr, Justin Rodriguez

ProBuild, Bradenton, FL

Sarasota Architectural Foundation Members
SAF Docent Volunteers

John Pirman, illustration
Jenny Acheson, photography
Dale Rieke, woodworking

Sean Khorsandi, David Morrison, models


Paul Rudolph's Walker Guest House
AIA's Best Residential Building
in the State of Florida


© 2017 Sarasota Architectural Foundation (SAF). All rights reserved.
SAF is a
not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization that celebrates the Sarasota School of Architecture movement
and advocates to preserve the midcentury modern structures that exemplify its forward-looking principles.
SAF, PO Box 2911, Sarasota, FL 34230  
  
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