Scene & Heard 04.11.19

Culinary corner

• On March 25, The Starlite Room announced on its Facebook page that after four-and-a-half years, it will be closing for extensive renovations and will reopen with a grand opening celebration from 6-10 p.m. April 19 as a completely new restaurant. The eatery has been chosen to be a part of a new Food Network TV show (still yet to be named publicly) and Tyler Yurckonis will remain the owner. Update: According to the restaurant's PR representatives from The Knight Agency, the new eatery will be a craft Mexican restaurant and tequila bar.
• The Bird opened March 26 at 1534 State St., and its Facebook page describes it as serving “fried chicken in pieces, morsels, salads, burgers and sandwiches … There also are bowls with greens, sprouted grains or broth and grilled poultry for the health-conscious.”
• L’Ôpera Bakery Bistrot, formerly Jim’s Small Batch, opens at 2336 Gulf Gate Drive April 10. The French bakery will offer baguettes, pastries and more.

Making history

Sarasota Architectural Foundation announced in its April 3 newsletter that the Umbrella House, the famed Lido Shores house designed by Paul Rudolph, has officially been added to the National Register of Historic Places. One of Rudolph’s first solo projects as a young architect, the home was commissioned by entrepreneur Philip Hiss in 1952. A release in the newsletter says owners Anne and Bob Essner received notification of the historic designation on Feb. 11.

“We knew this house was special and that people should care about its preservation,” Anne Essner said in the release. “But we also knew how relentless development forces make these mid-century structures vulnerable to destruction. Once we found out Umbrella House was for sale, we decided we wanted to be the ones to safeguard its future. This beautiful building is one of Sarasota’s architectural gems, and we are delighted this has been recognized by the National Register.”

Giving back

The Fine Arts Society of Sarasota announced in a release April 4 that it recently awarded 12 local organizations with $43,550 in grants. The outreach grant program helps the society accomplish its mission of supporting and stimulating the arts in Sarasota County. The society’s grants committee chose each organization based on the possible impact of its goals in its grant submission, such as the number of people who could be affected, the evaluation plan and budget. Recipients are:

• Any Given Child
• Art Center Sarasota student tours
• Asolo Repertory Theatre Kaleidoscope performances
• Education Foundation of Sarasota County spring art shows
• Face Autism ballroom dancing program
• Hermitage Artist Retreat six-week artist residency
• Jazz Club of Sarasota high school jazz band competition
• The Sarasota Ballet’s Dance — The Next Generation
• The Sarasota Film Festival screening of “The Price of Everything”
• Sarasota Museum of Art
• Sarasota Orchestra youth orchestra summer program
• Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall