Commissioner Ohlrich had requested presentation by past president of Sarasota Alliance for Historic Preservation
Following a March 3 presentation about the pursuit of a process that could see the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall listed in the National Register of Historic Places, Sarasota Mayor Liz Alpert, Vice Mayor Debbie Trice and Commissioner Kyle Battie made clear their feelings that the initiative would be premature.
Trice said she was concerned that the proposal for the Van Wezel “sort of cuts the rug out from under [the] dedicated professionals” on the City Commission-appointed Purple Ribbon Committee, which has been charged with making a recommendation to the board members on the best options for the Van Wezel in the future. Trice cited the expertise of the committee’s membership, especially Marty Hylton, executive director of Architecture Sarasota, who — Trice stressed — is “a known preservationist.”
Commissioner Kathy Kelley Ohlrich noted that the committee’s report is not due until June.
Commissioner Jen Ahearn-Koch told her colleagues she saw no reason why the work to demonstrate the Van Wezel’s eligibility for the National Register listing could not be pursued at the same time that the committee members are trying to wrap up their work. “It’s only help,” Ahearn-Koch pointed out of the information already produced by an architectural historian on behalf of the Sarasota Alliance for Historic Preservation and an ad hoc committee of that organization. “It’s not a commitment,” she added.
With interim City Manager Doug Jeffcoat having alluded to the fact that the commission’s Rules of Procedure do not allow a vote on issues related to presentations, Alpert called for the board members to move on to their next business after Ahearn-Koch made the above remarks.
Jeffcoat had offered to include a discussion item about the historic designation proposal on an upcoming commission agenda, but none of the board members asked him to do so.
The city commissioners seated in the summer of 2023 appointed the members of the Purple Ribbon Committee to delve into whether the Van Wezel should be repurposed for some other use after a new Sarasota performing arts center (SPAC) has been constructed — as proposed — within The Bay Park on the city’s waterfront. (On March 17, as part of their regular session that day, the City Commission is scheduled to address the latest proposed “Implementation Agreement” with the Sarasota Performing Arts Foundation in regard to whether the Foundation can proceed with work on the SPAC; the city would be responsible for covering half of the total cost, plus other related expenses.)
During the March 3 City Commission meeting, Lorrie Muldowney, immediate past president of the Sarasota Alliance for Historic Preservation, talked about the Alliance’s initiative in regard to the historic preservation designation. Commissioner Ohlrich, who was elected to the city board in November 2024, had requested the presentation.
In fact, Ohlrich read a statement at the outset of Muldowney’s report, referencing the March 17 SPAC decision. Later, Mayor Alpert referenced Ohlrich’s remarks as Alpert told her colleagues that she felt any efforts related to the potential historic designation should be put on hold for the time being.
Ohlrich had pointed out in her statement that the decision on whether to allow work to proceed on the new performing arts hall “carries significant financial implications with projected costs substantial and final costs still uncertain. (As The Sarasota News Leader has reported, a Certified Public Accountant in Sarasota who served for years as the independent auditor of the Shubert Organization in New York City has calculated a far higher expense to the city for the SPAC than the Sarasota Performing Arts Foundation indicated during a Feb. 11 workshop with the city commissioners. Factoring in bond interest, among other details, Ron Kashden came up with an overall estimate of $427 million as the city’s share of the cost, compared to the total expense of $407 million that the Foundation put forth last month, with the idea that the Sarasota County Commission would allow county money to be dedicated to the project. The $407-million figure — including an inflation escalation — still is cited in the Foundation materials included in the March 17 commission agenda packet.)
Further, Ohlrich emphasized on March 3 that “the Van Wezel holds an important place in Sarasota’s history, and the city is obligated to keep it operational until a new performing arts center is built.”
The Alliance, she added, working with “a dedicated group of citizens, including members of the Van Wezel family, have been exploring potential solutions.” Among those, Ohlrich said, are “ways to preserve the Van Wezel’s historic significance while also offering fiscally responsible options for the city, whether in the short term or for its continued use in the long term.”
She further noted that Muldowney’s presentation would be “entered into the public record to help inform our decision making and our residents.”
‘Highly tangible’ benefits
During her presentation, Muldowney explained that the National Register of Historic Places was established in 1966. In the United States, she said, 99,000 buildings are on the register; in the state of Florida, the figure is about 1,900. In the city of Sarasota, Muldowney noted, the number of resources on the register is approximately 90.
Muldowney also pointed to what she called the “highly tangible” benefits of historic designation: the ability to apply for state and federal grants in aid — such as a $500,000 grant that the city received to renovate and rehabilitate the Chidsey Library structure on Sarasota Bay, which she called “a building that is near and dear to our community,” as it was the first library in the city.
Many of the buildings in the city listed on the National Register have received multiple grants over time, Muldowney added.
Moreover, she continued, the tax credit for such buildings “is the largest federal program related to the rehabilitation” of the structures. About 1,200 projects annually are approved for the tax credit, she said, which enables them to “leverage about 6 billion dollars’ worth of private investments.”
Even though the city pays no federal taxes, Muldowney added, the city could collaborate with private investors who could “utilize the credit.” She pointed out, “These kinds of deals are written all the time. The developer would work with the city to form an operating agreement with the investor. The 20% tax credit is returned to the investor through elimination of income taxes over five years.”
Further, she told the commissioners, “We are all very keenly aware of the vulnerable locations so many of our historic resources occupy now, particularly the Van Wezel,” in the aftermath of the 2024 hurricane season. Yet, buildings on the National Register, Muldowney emphasized, are exempt from the 50% Rule of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) “in recognition of the importance of their preservation.”
“The FEMA exemption allows reinvestment in the property,” she said, but it “doesn’t preclude bringing the building up to current standards so it can be adequately protected.”
Then Muldowney cited the criteria for inclusion on the National Register: association with historic events, association with a significant individual, or embodiment of “the characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction.”
She added, “I’m happy to report, in my professional opinion, the Van Wezel qualifies under all of these criteria, although only one is required for listing.”
The Alliance and a companion ad hoc working group have hired a “noted architectural historian,” Christine Madrid French, Muldowney noted, who “has extensive expertise on nominating unique public buildings, and she has prepared a report documenting the significance of the [Van Wezel.”
“It’s our intention to present this to the state in the next month or so,” Muldowney added.
Although owner consent for the effort is not required, she told the commissioners, the process does entail inclusion of information about whether the owner supports the undertaking. “And we hope that you will support our efforts and respond in the affirmative,” she concluded her presentation.
When Commissioner Ahearn-Koch asked how long it takes the process to reach its end, Muldowney replied, “It varies.” Nonetheless, Muldowney said, the average timeline is nine months from the filing of the completed National Register nomination. What the Alliance has prepared, she explained, is called a Preliminary Site Information Questionnaire, or PSIQ. The information submitted to the state, Muldowney added, will lead to a determination of whether the Van Wezel is eligible for the National Register listing. If the state concurs that it is, Muldowney said, then the full National Register nomination would be filed.
‘Highly qualified professionals’
At that point, Vice Mayor Trice brought up the Purple Ribbon Committee, pointing out that it has what she called “highly qualified professionals” serving on it, including Hylton of Architecture Sarasota, as well as engineers and climate scientists. Those committee members, Trice stressed, “have been volunteering their time for close to a year.”
She then asked Muldowney, “Are you in effect saying you don’t really respect the opinion of the Purple Ribbon Committee, so you’re going to jump ahead before they have a chance to make a recommendation themselves?”
“Absolutely not,” Muldowney responded. “I have a great deal of respect for the work of the Purple Ribbon Committee.”
Yet, Muldowney continued, for the committee members “to make an informed decision, they need this information, in my opinion.” That was why the Alliance and its ad hoc group sought the research to determine the Van Wezel’s eligibility, she added.
Moreover, Muldowney said, she is scheduled to make a presentation to the committee members on April 15. She had been striving “for a number of months” to get on one of the agendas, she added, but the group has been very busy. The architectural historian, French, will be available via Zoom for the presentation, Muldowney noted.
Trice maintained her preference for the committee members to have the opportunity to ask the appropriate state officials to decide on the Van Wezel’s eligibility for a National Register listing.
Muldowney called that “a reasonable request,” saying that she would convey it to the Alliance and the ad hoc group.
Commissioner Battie also said that the committee members should be able to finish their work first.
When Commissioner Ohlrich asked whether the listing would prevent the city from demolishing the Van Wezel, if that were the committee’s recommendation, Muldowney assured her that it would not. In fact, the historic John Ringling Towers in Sarasota was on the National Register when it was torn down, Muldowney pointed out.
When Commissioner Battie asked whether conveying the information to the Purple Ribbon Committee that the Van Wezel might be eligible for the listing could be considered “some sort of undue influence” on the committee’s final recommendation, Muldowney replied, “Not really.”
She explained that the work already undertaken, which was in the commissioners’ agenda packets, “is more comprehensive, more complete, than anything we have.”
For example, she continued, that research found that, in 1965, when work on the design of the Van Wezel began, consideration was given to the need for access for people with disabilities. That was before the federal Americans with Disabilities Act was implemented around 1968. French, the architectural historian, was “was not aware of any other building in the country that complied voluntarily with those kinds of requirements,” Muldowney said. “So we absolutely have learned some new information.”
Muldowney maintained that she felt that the architectural historian’s report would be “vital information” for the Purple Ribbon Committee to have before it concludes its work. She especially cited the historic designation in the context of the FEMA 50% Rule.
Nonetheless, Mayor Alpert expressed agreement with Trice and Battie. “There’s no rush to do this,” Alpert said. The committee members — “certainly with Marty Hylton’s expertise … understand what designation of historic buildings entails,” including the tax credits. “And I don’t think this adds to their knowledge at all in terms of making their determination.”