Residents lobby for restoration of historic architecture

As Ringling College of Art and Design works to transform the historic Sarasota High School building into an art museum, some residents see an opportunity to restore a piece of the building’s past that was lost decades ago.

One of those residents, Pam Esthus McLeod, attributes her appreciation for Sarasota history to her parents.

Her father, George “Pete” Esthus, collected Sarasota memorabilia, particularly items related to Sarasota High School. He kept his collection in his Sarasota Lock & Key Shop on State Street.

Most of his collection passed to the county’s historical archives when he died, but his appreciation for Sarasota’s past remained with McLeod. However, the pieces of history she would preserve could not fit in a store. While her father preserved items related to the high school, she would advocate for the building itself — down to the smallest details.

The school closed in 2003. Left with a building with a storied past but no plans for its future, the school district contemplated selling the property.

“Everybody knew that whoever bought that property had the right to do with the building whatever they choose,” McLeod said. “There was enormous uprising among the citizens about that because they did not want that building torn down.”

In response, the district approved a Sarasota Museum of Art plan to repurpose the building as an art museum.

Later, Ringling College absorbed the project.

Its intent was to preserve the building’s history, but McLeod noticed something missing from Ringling’s plans.

The school’s original plans show a set of ornaments called finials — small decorative sculptures at the top or corners of an object — along the center tower of the building. 

Sarasota High School’s finials were removed in the 1970s due to failing structural integrity. 

McLeod and a small committee, which included her mother, Diane Esthus, and former Sarasota mayors Mollie Cardamone and Lou Ann Palmer, lobbied the school district and Ringling College in 2014 regarding the importance of the ornaments.

Although they may seem minute, for them, the building’s preservation would not be complete without the finials.

“They are so pretty,” Esthus said. “It’s like the icing on the cake”

McLeod said the group made headway in its efforts in  2015. 

Sean Colson, an artist who specializes in sculpture restoration, submitted a plan to not only restore the finials, but ensure the  structural integrity.

Using a formula of high-strength concrete, Colson believed he could replicate the fixtures sustainably.

However, he never heard back on his proposal.

After the preliminary phase of construction was completed in 2015, progress on the project stopped. As Ringling has paused in its efforts to renovate the building, the residents waited to revisit the finial issue.

“We keep watching,” Esthus said.

Ringling recently resumed its work, revising plans to incorporate a larger museum campus. As the project advances, McLeod and Esthus will likely resume their efforts.

Ringling will re-evaluate its lease before formalizing interior design plans, but it’s unclear if the finials will be addressed, Larry Thompson, president of Ringling College, said.

Questions still clutter the museum’s future, but McLeod remains focused on the finials. 

She may seem fixated on a small detail, but she believes the cause is bigger than sculptures on an old building.

“There are, believe it or not, people who were born and raised here — I know it doesn’t feel that way anymore, very sadly,” McLeod said. “There hasn’t been, by the masses, a large focus on restoring the history. ... Not only is it one of the remaining historical buildings, so many people have so many deep-rooted memories associated with that building.”