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 ByBill Speers
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
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
Midcentury Marvel by Paul Rudolph Recreated Down to the Last Detail By Patrict Sisson, photography by Christopher Mottalini, Curbed.com https://bit.ly/1YpMcMB
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
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
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 byJohn 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 Members 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 $75,000.00donation by Dr. Michael Kalman
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
