Sarasota architect Frank Folsom Smith dies at age 93

Sarasota architect Frank Folsom Smith, who promoted interaction with nature and neighbors in a career that spanned more than six decades,  died March 25 at age 93.

A member of the Sarasota School of Architecture, Smith was the lead architect for Sarasota’s iconic Plymouth Harbor retirement community and a founding member of the Council of New Urbanism, whose emphasis on walkability laid the foundation for Sarasota’s bustling downtown.

“From his early residential projects to Sandy Cove and the Siesta Key Chapel, Frank’s work embodies the goal of integrating the architecture with the natural environment,” said Architecture Sarasota President Morris (“Marty”) Hylton III. 

“The multifamily developments of Sandy Cove and Plymouth Harbor demonstrate his keen interest in design that supports social interaction among residents and helps create community,” he added. 

Known as a true gentleman of the South, Smith was born June 21, 1931, in Philadelphia but grew up in Virginia Beach, Virginia. A 1959 graduate of the University of Virginia’s School of Architecture, he fell in love with Sarasota during a vacation.

Smith was then hired by Victor Lundy, one of the leading members of what would become known as the Sarasota School of Architecture. The “school” combined modernist architecture with designs that complemented the area’s tropical environment. (Lundy died at age 101 in 2024.)

Working with architect William Zimmerman, Smith designed his first project, the Weaver House on Longboat Key, and opened his own firm in 1960. During the next six decades, Smith designed homes, churches, commercial buildings and communities in Sarasota and throughout the U.S.

His design for Plymouth Harbor, a 25-story tower with interiors that brought residents together in “colonies,” was recognized by the American Institute of Architects with its Test of Time Award in 1991.

“Test of Time” was also the title of a 2022 book Smith wrote chronicling his design work. In a review on Amazon.com, Sarasota author and historian Jeff LaHurd wrote, “A leading member of what has become known as the Sarasota School of Architecture, Smith’s ‘Test of Time’ is a must-read not only for architects and historians, but also laymen interested in how the architectural ‘system’ works.”

From The Terrace on Siesta Key to the renovation of the U.S. Garage and the nearby Burns Court area, Smith left an indelible imprint on the face of Sarasota.

Southern Living Magazine featured Smith’s Sandy Cove development on Siesta Key in a 1971 cover story. Smith also drew acclaim for his residential and mixed-use communities in Charlottesville, Virginia, home of his alma mater UVA, and for private homes in Florida and California that he designed.

In 2001, Coastal Living Magazine cited Smith’s Conrad Beach development, a 27-home neighborhood on Longboat Key, as the Community Development of the Year.

Smith was a leading advocate of New Urbanism, which emphasized walkability, sustainability and human interaction. He took a leadership role in a 1983 design conference that helped shape downtown Sarasota. He also spearheaded the restoration of Sarasota High School’s Paul Rudolph Wing and the overhaul of New College’s Master Plan in 1995.

Despite his genteel manner, Smith didn’t sugarcoat his opinions. Asked in 2006 what he thought of the former Herald-Tribune building now owned by Sarasota Memorial Hospital, he said: “It’s an enigmatic building symbolic of 21st-century chaos. ... Somewhere around 2030, we’ll be able to say whether it’s timeless.”

Smith met his future wife, Anne, in 1981 and married the next year. For 40 years, they lived in a restored 1890s farmhouse decorated by Anne, an interior designer who built a thriving business. They named their Indian Beach home Ventana, after the inn in Big Sur, California.

A celebration of Smith’s life will be held May 23 at 1:30 p.m. at the Church of the Palms on Bee Ridge Road.