PODCASTS > Arcat Detailed Podcast Episode
119: Community Square | Rosemary Square
61m 14s |
In this episode, Cherise is joined by Jonathan Parks, AIA, Founder/Principal at SOLSTICE Planning and Architecture in Sarasota, Florida. They discuss the Rosemary Square project in Sarasota, Florida.
In the heart of Sarasota’s Rosemary District, a transformative project has turned an abandoned community garden and dilapidated boxing club into a thriving nexus of arts, culture, and community. Rosemary Square, a beacon of urban renewal and thoughtful design, now stands as the district’s “living room,” embodying a vision of placemaking that has reenergized the neighborhood and honored its historic roots.
In the heart of Sarasota’s Rosemary District, a transformative project has turned an abandoned community garden and dilapidated boxing club into a thriving nexus of arts, culture, and community. Rosemary Square, a beacon of urban renewal and thoughtful design, now stands as the district’s “living room,” embodying a vision of placemaking that has reenergized the neighborhood and honored its historic roots.
Photo Credit:
Dylan Jon Wade Cox PhotographyRyan Gamma
Andrea Hillebrand
INSTUDIO E Photo
Sorcha Augustine
Trey Jones
Jonathan Parks, AIA – Founder/Principal, SOLSTICE Planning and Architecture
Jonathan Parks’ designs connect people with place.
He champions community identity through urbanism, architecture, and preservation while fostering a more resilient, carbon-free future.
As Principal of SOLSTICE Planning and Architecture, his projects are recognized among the most sustainable nationwide and have received over 125 awards towards the advancement of architecture, including National AIA Honors in 2024.
Beyond new construction, Jonathan specializes in restoring mid-century projects by Paul Rudolph and founding practitioners of the Sarasota School of Architecture.
Awards:
- 2024 Honor Award, Regional & Urban Design Award, AIA National
- 2024 Moderns That Matter, Architecture Sarasota
- 2021 Citation Award, AIA Florida
- 2020 Merit Award for Design, AIA Tampa Bay
- 2020 Platinum Winner, 4Walls
- Visionary Design Competition, SRQ Magazine
Project Name and Location: Rosemary Square, Sarasota, Florida
The award-winning regional and urban design for Rosemary Square transformed an abandoned community garden into the living room for the neighborhood, finally bringing arts to Boulevard of the Arts.
Though the aspirationally named Boulevard of the Arts runs through it, Sarasota’s Rosemary District previously contained no cultural institutions, which stood at odds with the city’s designation as Florida’s “Cultural Capital.”
The site for this project, which sits at the center of the district, included an abandoned community garden and boxing club that depressed surrounding property values and stood out as blemishes in the neighborhood.
This project, however, has created a nexus for the arts that has reenergized the community through a mixed-use development that includes retail, restaurants, performing arts studios, and housing for artists.
Tenants now include the Sarasota Ballet School, The Sarasota Players, and Sarasota Contemporary Dance.
The Sarasota Opera houses their visiting artists within the project’s thirty apartments. There are also murals and a sculpture for the visual arts and restaurants celebrating the culinary arts.
Project Team List:
- Developer / Client: Rosemary Square, LLC
- General Contractor: Gilbane Building Company
- Landscape Architect: Kimely-Horn and Associates, Inc.
- Engineer MEP: Global Sanchez
- Engineer Civil: Kimley Horn and Associates, Inc.
- Engineer Structural: Snell Engineering Consultants, Inc.
