When Paul Rudolph was working on the Revere House more than 50 years ago, his instructions were equally precise. Peterson was lucky enough to come across a letter in which the architect even laid out his color scheme.

"The ceiling is painted a strong peacock blue, in contrast to gray concrete walls and the gray wood stain of the striated plywood storage partitions," wrote Rudolph. "A note of warmth is introduced with a copper-hooded fireplace, whose hood penetrates the fireplace wall to become a hood for the stove. Copper color is picked up in cushions and upholstering, and lemon yellow is used on kitchen and bathroom walls, and as the bedspread in the master bedroom. But the overall scheme is subdued and quiet, in cool contrast to the sunny, living warmth of color of the outside garden planting."

The quartet involved in the Revere House project hopes this experiment in preservation can serve as a model for other Sarasota School of Architecture homes in danger of demolition. The Revere House was a prototype for a new way of living in the last century. Perhaps it will be a model for creative living in this century, too.

MAKING IT MODERN

Guy Peterson's advice on restoring a modernist home.

- You will probably spend up to 30 percent more than you think you will. Materials that go into a modern home, such as large quantities of glass, keep rising in price.

- Seek the advice of professionals because it will save making mistakes.

- Check to see if your house is on the local or National Historic Register. If so, you must adhere to certain mandates when restoring.

- If your modern house is on the water, you must meet FEMA codes as well as many local, state and national mandates. (365-4723)

- Join the Sarasota Architectural Foundation. You'll meet like-minded people, some of whom are restoring modernist homes.

- Explore books on the subject. There are many good ones, including John Howey's The Sarasota School of Architecture.