Sarasota's new arts era generates conflict
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Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall in Sarasota. Photo: Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Architects from around the globe are competing to design a world-class performing arts center in Sarasota — but the namesakes of the city's current performing arts center want to stop it.
What's happening: Members of the Van Wezel Foundation have been working with Sarasota city and county officials on plans for a new performance space, arguing that the 54-year-old Van Wezel Hall is outdated and beyond repair.
- But the grandchildren of Lewis Van Wezel, who primarily funded the iconic purple hall, want the building to be saved.
Why it matters: Foundation and city leaders think the new performance space will bring national Broadway tours and internationally renowned artists to Sarasota.
- The Van Wezel grandchildren argue that the move abandons the existing center and will ultimately lead to its demise.
Catch up fast: The city, which owns Van Wezel Hall, approved a partnership agreement in April with the foundation, to lead, design and construct the new Sarasota Performing Arts Center.
- The foundation envisions a 2,200-seat main stage and a 300-seat performance and education space that will turn the mostly asphalt parking surrounding Van Wezel Hall into a publicly accessible green space.
- Half of the project's funding will come from public sources and the other half from private philanthropy.
The latest: The design process is starting to get underway. Sarasota city officials meet with the foundation today to look over applications from dozens of architects interested in designing the estimated $275 million project.
- The group will start to narrow those choices down to begin a request for proposals process, Van Wezel foundation CEO Cheryl Mendelson told Axios.
Yes, but: The Van Wezel grandchildren are still fighting to halt development.
- "There's a bit of irony in an organization originally set up to support the Van Wezel is now theoretically bent on its destruction," Anthony Van Wezel Stone told Axios of the foundation.
- They want the hall to be on the National Register of Historic Buildings, which could qualify it for tax incentives and credits that may cover the cost of the previously rejected options to renovate and protect it from sea-level rise.
The other side: Mendelson told Axios that the foundation is not trying to destroy the original building, and will continue to support the hall and its education programs.
- "What we're doing is extending the legacy of the performing arts for the region so it can remain relevant and competitive for the next 50 years," she said. "It's not one or the other."
What's ahead: The city and the foundation will invite three architects to Sarasota for final interviews and community engagement by March or April, Mendelson said, with construction planned for late 2025 or early 2026 for an opening day in 2028.
- Mendelson told Axios the foundation will announce a "transformational gift" next month to help pay for the project.
- The city will also discuss options for the future of Van Wezel Hall in January.
