Landmark Effort: Work On Nokomis Beach Plaza Could Start By June

CASEY KEY -- Restoration of the Nokomis Beach Plaza, a landmark of Sarasota architecture that has been closed for more than four years, is expected to begin in June.

The pavilion has been fenced off since 2002 when falling plaster injured a woman. Permitting hold-ups and a lack of funding have delayed the rebuilding of the structure, which some say is the oldest public beach pavilion in Sarasota County.

But the county is close to receiving the permits it needs and recently released a timetable for the project. The county could finish the reconstruction project as early as June 2008, said project manager Rob LaDue.

John Ask, president of the Nokomis Area Civic Association, called the rebuilding a triumph for advocates of Nokomis revitalization and fans of the Sarasota School of Architecture. Ask said saving the pavilion is tantamount to saving a small piece of Sarasota County history.

"It's really critical that this happens," Ask said. "This is something we can keep."

And someone intimately familiar with the original project is back to see it made new again.

Jack West, an early member of the Sarasota School, designed the plaza in 1953 and signed on with the county to design the reconstruction.

The new plaza will be very similar to the pavilion that welcomed guests to Casey Key in the 1950s. It will feature some tweaks, such a handicap-accessible dune walkover, a new community room and new landscaping. The plaza's water fountain will also be replaced.

New county estimates put the project's cost at around $1 million, LaDue said. The county plans to pay for it with a mix of state grants and local money.

County officials hope to advertise a bid for the construction work in early March.

The pavilion, located just beyond the Albee Road bridge that separates Casey Key from Nokomis, at present looks like an urban ruin situated curiously close to the Gulf of Mexico. It is surrounded by chain-link fencing and adorned with "No Salvage" and "Keep Out" signs.

The building was scheduled for demolition in the early 1990s, when residents demanded the county save it.

"People went to the county commissioners and said, 'No way, we love this building'," said county parks and recreation general manager John McCarthy. "We saw it as an asset rather than something to be removed."

The county still has a few permitting hurdles it must clear before it can put the rebuilding project out to bid.

Mark Smith, a Sarasota architect who has lobbied the county to save another example of the Sarasota School of Architecture, Riverview High School, said he is glad the plaza project is moving forward.

"I'd like to see us reverse this trend and start restoring our own history," he said.

Last modified: February 03. 2007 5:58AM