El Vernona Apartments-Broadway Apartments

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name = El Vernona Apartments-Broadway Apartments


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locator_x = 227
locator_y = 162
location = Sarasota, Florida
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added = March 22, 1984
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The El Vernona Apartments-Broadway Apartments (also known as the Belle Haven Apartments) is a historic site in Sarasota, Florida. It is located at 1133 4th Street. On March 22, 1984, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

This three-story, "L" - shaped plan, stucco and cast stone Mediterranean Revival building was designed by Dwight James Baum as the Broadway or El Vernona Apartments. Today it is commonly known as the Belle Haven. The reinforced concrete and hollow-tile construction complex was built by Ricketts and Haworth, owned by the Burns Realty Company and opened for occupancy in March of 1926. The construction permit was issued for the complex by the end of October 1925 and construction materials were received by the contracting firm by December of the same year. By March 1926 the 55room complex of twenty furnished apartments was ready for occupancy and the total cost of the complex was $250,000.

The site of the apartment complex overlooking Sarasota Bay, marked the northern gateway of the Broadway Development, which included the El Vernona Hotel (more commonly known as John Ringling Towers), the Burns Realty complex and the new headquarters of the Sarasota Times newspaper. The Broadway development was spearheaded by Mr. Owen Burns who commissioned the architect Dwight James Baum to design the hotel, offices and apartment for his development. The area was well-planned and unified by the selection of the Mediterranean Revival Style for all new buildings. In addition to the Broadway buildings, the architect Dwight James Baum designed the Ca d'Zan for John Ringling, and the Sarasota County Courthouse. The Broadway or El Vernona Apartments are significant for architectural design and associations with the nationally-renowned architect Dwight James Baum and the locally significant developer, Owen Burns. The Broadway Apartment is the most architecturally intact Baum-designed building in Sarasota . The building will hopefully be saved and incorporated into a very large residential and commercial undertaking on adjacent land.

Dwight James Baum:

The architect of record, Dwight James Baum, a prominent New York architect who graduated from the University of Syracuse in Architecture in 1909, also designed the Ca 'd' Zan for John Ringling, the Sarasota County Courthouse, and various residential buildings for other Owen Burns development sites. Following the collapse of the real estate market in Sarasota , Mr. Baum worked as a consultant for the "Good Housekeeping" magazine.

The El Vernona Apartments (Belle Haven Apartments) were locally designated by the City of Sarasota in 1984.

References and external links

* [http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/FL/Sarasota/state.html Sarasota County listings] at [http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com National Register of Historic Places]
* [http://www.sarasotahistoryalive.com/index.php?src=directory&view=video&refno=465&srctype=video_detail Sarasota History Alive Video]
* [http://www.flheritage.com Florida's Office of Cultural and Historical Programs]
** [http://www.flheritage.com/facts/reports/places/index.cfm?fuseaction=ListAreas&county=sarasota Sarasota County listings]
** [http://www.flheritage.com/services/sites/fht/record_t.cfm?ID=926&type=c&index=58 Belle Haven Executive Suites]