- December 13, 2025
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In his 2017 book, "Fantasyland," Kurt Andersen explores the American love of simulacra, broadly defined as an imitation of a place that doesn't exist anymore or never did.
Walt Disney was the master of creating places that were better than real life, such as Main Street USA in Disneyland, which was inspired by Knott's Berry Farm, a real California farm that became a theme park.
Las Vegas is a bonanza of simulacra, with resort casinos like New York, New York, the Paris and the Venetian offering visitors a taste of cosmopolitan cities without leaving the environs of The Strip.
Those lucky enough to be in Sarasota Nov. 14-16 will have the chance to visit a mythical theme park we’ve dubbed Modernism USA. As part of its annual MOD Weekend, Architecture Sarasota is hosting parties, tours and lectures dedicated to the buildings, design and lifestyle originated by the Sarasota School of Architecture.
When it comes to losing yourself in a Mid-Century Modern fantasyland, there is no better place than Sarasota, except perhaps Palm Springs, California, which began hosting its Modernism Week in 2006.
With its proximity to Hollywood, Palm Springs has long been the playground of entertainers, many of whom built ostentatious Mid-Century Modern hideaways. Here’s looking at you, Bob Hope!
In Sarasota, the buildings designed by Paul Rudolph, Ralph Twitchell, Carl Abbott, Victor Lundy and others wasn’t as glitzy as their Palm Springs cousins. Sarasota style is simpler, and some might say, more elegant.
In the end, the question of who wins the modernism paradise contest comes down to whether one prefers the desert or the beach. The latter comes with greater vulnerability, as last year’s destructive hurricanes painfully demonstrated.
Living with environmental vulnerability plays to the strengths of Architecture Sarasota’s president, Morris “Marty” Hylton III. In late 2022, he was named to lead the organization formed by a 2021 merger between the Sarasota Architectural Foundation and the Center for Architecture Sarasota.
Since his arrival, Hylton has energized Architecture Sarasota with a slate of well-attended lectures and other events, not just during MOD Weekend. In 2024, the organization compiled a list of 100 Moderns That Matter, a registry of iconic places in Sarasota with input from the public.
That project has given rise to a coffee table book, a website and a map on the walls of Architecture Sarasota’s headquarters in the McCulloch Pavilion (No. 83 on the list) at 265 S. Orange Ave.
Emblazoned with a yellow dot that echoes the Florida sun, Moderns That Matter is a popular gift and is available along with other books as well as merch devoted to Mid-Century Modern design in the Architecture Sarasota shop.
When Hylton got the Architecture Sarasota job, he quipped that he “had been preparing for it for 40 years.” The Kentucky native’s resume includes spearheading a crusade to save the original Riverview High School while he was director of preservation at the University of Florida.
Hylton first saw the Paul Rudolph building while on vacation with his family as a teenager in Sarasota. To hear him tell it, it was love at first sight. The architectural “meet cute” led Hylton to become an architect and preservationist specializing in the Sarasota School of Architecture.
But one of the pitfalls of being a preservationist is that you don’t always win the battle: Hylton’s heart was broken when Riverview High was demolished in 2006 despite all the effort that went into saving it.
During his career, Hylton worked at the World Monuments Fund, which safeguards treasured global sites against threats such as conflict, natural disasters, development and tourism. After Hurricane Katrina hit 2005, Hylton was called to New Orleans to help salvage its unique architecture devastated by flooding.
So when the Sarasota area was hit by back-to-back hurricanes in 2024, Hylton had the experience to spring into action to help restore signature buildings damaged by the storms.
"I don't really believe that everything happens for a reason, but..." Hylton says, not finishing the sentence, but implying perhaps that Providence placed him in a situation where his unique skillset was urgently needed.
In the wake of the hurricanes, Hylton changed tack for last year’s MOD Weekend. After a year of planning, the design nonprofit canceled all of the events that had been planned to show off Moderns That Matter.
Instead, Architecture Sarasota devoted MOD Weekend 2024 to “Restoring a Sense of Place.” Hylton and others rolled up their sleeves to help owners of landmark buildings pick up the pieces after the storms, including lending guidance on how to navigate the labyrinth of laws governing the restoration of historic properties and how to obtain government aid.
“Our symposium had four speakers, two of whom offered practical advice about how to put your house back together after the storm,” Hylton says.
One of the structures destroyed by Hurricane Helene was another favorite of Hylton’s. Swept away was the Sanderling Beach Cabanas, the beach club designed by Rudolph in 1952 that ranked No. 21 on the Moderns That Matter list. Whether it can be rebuilt is a story for another day.
The recovery efforts haven’t stopped at Architecture Sarasota, but it’s back to Moderns That Matter for MOD Weekend 2025.
“This year, we’re going to have homes on our tour that have never been open to the public before,” Hylton says. “The eight houses are just stunning, not only the architecture and the landscaping, but the furniture and the styling.”
For reasons of privacy, all the homes cannot be revealed here. But two show-stoppers are the Carl Abbott-designed Dolphin House on Siesta Key (No. 31 on Moderns that Matter) and the Hilton Leech Art Studio (No. 36), also known as the Round House.
During MOD Weekend, Architecture Sarasota will honor the World Monuments Fund with the Philip Hanson Hiss Award for its Modernism at Risk program. “It’s a full circle moment for me,” Hylton says. “I helped create the program, and I’m now running the organization that got the first grant 20 years ago.”
Another highlight of MOD Weekend will be the publication of what Hylton calls an “impact report.” Officially called “Strategic Framework: 2030,” the document outlines the “values, principles and priorities” that will guide Architecture Sarasota as it protects the legacy of the Sarasota School of Architecture and promotes good design and environmental sustainability.
On a mundane level, that lofty mission means celebrating the opening of the new Design Within Reach store in UTC with an invitation-only party on Nov. 13.
Some conspiracy-theory types might view Architecture Sarasota’s impact report as a blueprint for the domination of Mid-Century Modern design. That’s a dark view that we’ll leave others to debate.
With a public event like MOD Weekend, there’s always the tension between the academic and the popular. A couple of years ago, a visitor told Hylton that Palm Springs’ Modernism Week is 80% entertainment and 20% education. The percentages are reversed in Sarasota, he says.
In the last 20 years, 140,000 people have moved to Sarasota County, Hylton notes. “They don’t know what the Sarasota School of Architecture is,” he says. “We want participants in MOD Weekend to come away with a better understanding of the role of design in transforming communities.” Let’s drink to that!
