Downtown leaders call for greater historic preservation

Ernie Ritz went before the city’s Historic Preservation Board this May to complain that too many buildings were being altered or demolished in the downtown historic district — a district he helped establish in 2009.

Based on the response he got from the board, Ritz started to fear the problem was bigger than he originally believed. One board member asked him where, exactly, the downtown historic district was. Another one was surprised to learn it existed at all.

"If they don't know, then how would the general public know?" Ritz said. "How would a property owner know?"

As a result, Ritz is searching for a way to increase awareness regarding the downtown historic district. At today’s Downtown Improvement District meeting, Ritz and former Downtown Sarasota Alliance Chairman Tony Souza spoke to the board about the importance of preserving — and playing up — the historic character of some downtown buildings.

The district itself is anchored by six buildings on the national historic registry, but 73% of the properties within the boundaries contributed to the historic distinction, Souza said. Despite the presence of buildings that date back to Sarasota’s 1920s roots, Souza says some properties are being renovated or demolished without any consideration for their historic value.

“Those buildings, indeed, should look like they're still in the ‘20s, ‘30s and ‘40s, but with updated interiors,” Souza said. ‘That's not happening here.”

Souza and Ritz said incentives exist to encourage property owners within the downtown historic district to renovate according to certain historic preservation guidelines, and they hoped to make that information more widely known. They also wanted to take things a step further — perhaps creating a local historic district, a state distinction that requires a more intensive approval process before any construction can take place on applicable properties.

Ritz also advocated for capitalizing on the planned roundabout at Orange Avenue and Main Street. As the city's Public Art Committee works on curating artwork to place in the center of all of the city's planned roundabouts, Ritz suggested a piece harkening back to Sarasota's roots would be a natural fit for that particular intersection.

Although there were some questions about the actual historic value of many of the buildings within the district’s boundaries, Ritz and Souza believe that, in the right environment, the downtown core can grow to place a greater emphasis on its origins.

“Just because a building doesn't look historic anymore doesn't mean it's not historic,” Souza said.

For more information on the push for historic preservation downtown, pick up a copy of Thursday’s Sarasota Observer.