On the edge of Laurel Park perches one of Sarasota’s legends--The Woman’s Exchange. It’s really two organizations in one: a charitable organization and a non-profit consignment shop. Based in the old Herald Tribune building at Orange and Oak streets, it simply rules the world of giving and getting.

The ‘Exchange’, created in 1962, supports the local Arts. Over 21 organiza ...

Here in Laurel Park over the last several years, landscapes have become quite diverse. With relatively small lots and a variety of architecture, the urban gardener faces challenges. Our unique downtown location has attracted new property owners from across town and from around the world, all of whom bring their knowledge and experience of plants with them. It is this interesting mix that adds to the richness of our urban lifestyle. It can also lead to confusion and misunderstanding.

As we have many historically significant houses here, we also should appreciate the advantages of old growth trees and the sensitive ecosystems that have developed with them. No matter where in Laure ...

Those of us who like the look of century-old Mediterranean Revival architecture...the earthy colors and breezy archways, the wrought iron details, the casement windows, the tile underfoot and overhead…are never bored driving in Sarasota. The older residential neighborhoods have many of these hidden treasures, representatives of this early 2Oth century style. I’m not talking about the new homes and tract mansions springing up everywhere; those that take the basic details noted above and then layer them, one upon another, in a busy, overdone style totally lacking the charm of the originals. No, I’m drawn to places like Laurel Park’s Columbia and Madison Courts where smart homeowners have acquired these small homes and lovingly prodded them into their present use without mucking up the or ...

I grew up in the country, at least partly. This was due to my mother’s single parent status, at a time when a woman could be paid as little as a dollar an hour. That economic reality led to my living sometimes with my grandparents on rd. 10 Brown Rd. in Knoxville, Tenn.

Their house, until I was in the eighth g ...

During the early 1900s, for as little as $3,500 a family could have an inexpensive, well-designed home offering privacy and independence.  Today, we spend $3,500 rewiring those very bungalows.  While we applaud the creativity and practicality of the people who built our homes, and honor them with Historic Designation plaques, don’t you wonder what they would think of our commitments, financial and emotional, to these simple dwellings?

From before 1990 until the 1930s, bungalows were built everywhere in the

I decided to write this article for a couple of reasons and I will tell you those reasons soon, but first I want to say what is not my reason for writing it. Here it is— the BIG disclaimer — I am not an expert, nor do I ever hope to be.  My knowledge of the subject comes from living in a big old house with drafty, rotting windows and a 90-pound dog who doesn’t like the FPL meter reader (another story for another time). My expertise comes from perhaps having done 10 or so windows in the past two years.

So when you see something here that you disag ...

Children of today’s Laurel Park neighborhood were within walking distance of a number of early Sarasota schools. The first school in the downtown with more than one room was located on Main Street, east of Orange Avenue behind today’s post office. Built in 1904, this two-story wood-frame structure had four classrooms downstairs and two classrooms with an auditorium on the second floor. More than 120 students enrolled there on opening day.

Economics was too boring.

And I couldn’t study English without reading Chaucer and Milton.

So I decided to major in urban studies. Sure, it was useless — what liberal-arts major isn’t? — but urban studies was actually pretty interesting. Mostly, it involved studying cities and analyzing what made them tick, why some succeeded where others failed. It proved to be a perfect springboard to my professional development as a busboy.

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I first came to Laurel Park in 1989 where I rented the little gray cottage at 1901 Hawkins court from George Famiglio. I was a single parent suffering from “empty nest” syndrome. The cottage had a fence so I got a pretty puppy I named Taurus. I spent a lot of time in the yard with my dog.  To fill empty hours I tried to teach myself to paint with acrylics. When I was a small child in Texas I walked to the library every week to check out books. One I loved the most was a book on how to draw horses.

& ...

Though not mentioned in Sarasota’s history books, Col. Edward Webb Morrill was a prominent citizen in the city’s early days.

When Morrill arrived in Sarasota in 1900, he was 61 — an age when many people come here to retire.

Recently, the Sarasota County Commission passed an ordinance allowing some tax relief for improvements to historically designated properties. The new law allows owners of historically designated properties to avoid an increase in property taxes that resulted from renovation or improvement of their properties. The property tax abatement lasts for 10 years and can be a big savings for the owner.

The basic steps in the process are:

Have you noticed the cooler breezes filling the streets and lanes over the past few weeks? Here we go... all together now… let’s give a long sigh of relief… for Summer seems to be almost over and Autumn’s here.

Those breezes have brought with them the opening of windows at night here in Laurel Park. And with that come the sounds of the Blue Jays and the Mockingbirds in the mornings, the calls of the evening screech owls, and the all-too- frequent reminders that it’s really a jungle out there! Now at night we can hear the sounds of marauding raccoons and the occasional possum foraging through our back gardens and compost heaps. In my own yard, I see the evidence in the mornings o ...

Within the borders of Laurel Park reside many talented artists. Numerous sculptors, painters, musicians, architects and textile designers have moved into the area over the last few years, and the neighborhood is becoming more attractive to new artists all the time.

Actually, Laurel Park has always been home to people in the arts. One Laurel Park artist who long-time Sarasota residents will surely remember is Arlie Gray. Arlie, his wife Gladys, and their two children moved to &l ...

Jim and Helen Miller are the proud new owners of the historic landmark Spanish Oaks apartments on Oak Street.  Looking to leave the bustle of Washington. DC and settle into “semi-retirement” in Sarasota, Jim and Helen were struck by the beauty of these charming, two-story townhouses which were used as a resident hotel in the 1920’s, and which today house a variety of working singles and couples, artists, and Ringling students.

My wife, Terry, and I bought our 1948 concrete block home at 1919 Morrill Street in April of last year, and spent the following four months remodeling it and coming to know it intimately. Being in the business of remodeling houses, I often find myself wondering about the people who were responsible for the original project. Naturally, during the remodeling and repair of our own home, my curiosity was piqued.

Just as we were about to move in last July, Vince DeMays, the former occupant of fifteen years, presen ...

If you find it hard to contain your frustration with trying to grow healthy plants in Florida’s sandy soil, try containing your plants instead. In our neighborhood many homes have small patios where container or “potted” gardens can provide a simple and rewarding alternative.

You’ll find that weeds are easier to control, and small plantings are more accessible to tend and enjoy. Here are a few more of the many benefits:

The primary goals of the Laurel Park Neighborhood Association shall be to preserve existing housing, protect the character of the neighborhood, and promote neighborhood revitalization through increased owner occupancy.

Laurel Park News, Volume 7, Summer 1997.

The time has come to speak up for an often unappreciated and maligned minority in our neighborhood: the concrete block structure.

This humble Laurel Park denizen has become a topic of jokes, an object of scorn, often perpetuated by the biased viewpoints of some of this neighborhood’s own residents.

The concrete block home, or Florida Ranch, is represented in small numbers in Laurel Park, where the wood frame bungalow is the predominant style. Mixed in are a few Spanish or Mediterranean Revival homes. ...

With the long, hot days of summer still on our minds, let’s take some time to think about water conservation.

The best place to start is by developing a landscape/irrigation/drainage plan. This will serve as a map or schedule which may be referred to before, during and after construction or planting, and will guide future decisions.

A plan, either professionally done or with simple sketches and notes, should show locations of all permanent structures and utilities above and below ground. Existing pla ...

Now that a rather cold winter has passed, and we’re still seeing its effects on our tropical foliage, it’s a good time to take a second look at the choices we make when selecting and planting our trees, plants and flowers.

We live in an “urban forest,” and with few exceptions, the properties within Laurel Park are abundant with trees. Since it’s generally accepted that trees are the largest and, usually, the longest form of plant life, it makes sense to choose them carefully, and design and build around them. Good choices made now could last for years, if not centuries.

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Imagine an urban neighborhood where cows roam in open field, school children dash barefoot through grass taller than themselves, and the sweet smell of guava jelly floats in the air.  You would be creating a picture of our neighborhood in the early 1920’s, a picture that is vivid in Charles Early’s memory.

Early, now a Sarasota taxation and estate planning attorney, lived first in a house on

Drive through Sarasota and you’re likely to so be struck by the romantic Mediterranean designs of the 1920s or the grandiose mansions of today’s suburban enclaves.  But scattered throughout the city are hundreds of examples of another kind of residence, often underappreciated and even ignored.  And that’s unfortunate, because the humble bungalow, infrequently as we notice it, has a history, and a harmony, all its own.

Ambulance, Emergency and Fire 911

Animals, Stray (Animal Control) 316-1081

Cars, Improperly Parked (Police) 955-7171

Building Permits (Zoning) 954-4156

Cable TV (Comcast) 371-6700

Dogs, Barking (Police) 955-7171

Drainage Problems (Public Works) 365-7651

Electricity (FPL) 379-1424

Fence Permits (Zoning) 954-4156

There are many reasons why we invest time and money in our yards. For some, it may be to increase real estate value or enhance “curb appeal,” for others, changes are needed because of remodeling or building. There are even those who do it for personal satisfaction. In any event, because of the usually hard work or substantial costs involved and because what we do should last years, I feel there are a few key factors to consider.

OBSERVE the area. Your home and nearby properties—everything natural or man-made— can have an effect on or will be affected by the changes we make to this

area. When we build thing ...

Seniors strolled along the winding walkway, young adults and teens played ball, and tots busied themselves on the jungle gym. Who would have thought that a dry, dusty patch of land could become a source of joy for toddlers and nonagenarians alike? The little park on Laurel Street had finally come alive.

Laurel Park, 1725 Laurel Street, was dedicated on < ...