Sarasota Architectural Foundation to reproduce Walker Guest House

Next year, the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art will be home to a landmark Sarasota School of Architecture design, as the Sarasota Architectural Foundation has announced plans to construct a replica of a Sanibel Island building.

Sarasota architect Paul Rudolph designed the Walker Guest House, built in 1952 and also known as the Cannonball House. Now, the Sarasota Architectural Foundation plans to reproduce the building to display on the grounds of The Ringling.

A Sarasota Architectural Foundation press release calls Rudolph the best-known member of the Sarasota School of Architecture and one of the world’s leading modernist architects. The Walker Guest House was named the top residential building in the state by the Florida Association of the American Institute of Architects in 2012.

“We are thrilled to partner with the Sarasota Architectural Foundation and to share the subtle beauty and elegance of Paul Rudolph’s Walker Guest House with new audiences,” said Stephen High, executive director of The Ringling.

The building is scheduled to open to the public in 2015. After its exhibition at The Ringling concludes, the structure will be transported for display at other museums around the country.

Sarasota Architectural Foundation President Janet Minker said the project was made possible by a $75,000 donation from the Michael A. Kalman Foundation. The architectural foundation is continuing to raise funds to match that donation, and has raised an additional $23,000 toward the project so far.

Contact David Conway at [email protected].