This wonderful old home downtown at 1824 Oak St. is a great example of the way houses were built back in the old days before air-conditioning. Notice all the windows for cross ventilation and, most importantly, the sleeping porch up on the second floor.

Oddly, it doesn’t have a front porch. I bet it did when it was built. All homes did. The porch was an important part of the living area and was used in hot weather as a place for the family to sit and relax in the early evening.

The home dates to 1930. It has two bedrooms and two baths in a spacious 2,454 square feet. You’ll also find a formal dining room, loft and study. The kitchen is nicely updated and the interior has been reconfigured for today’s lifestyle. Some original details remain, though, including the wood floors and built-in bookcases.

A saltwater pool was added in 2017 and turns the back yard into a great outdoor retreat. And the sleeping porch is still there, a reminder of the way Sarasota lived back before World War II. The price, though, is very present day: $1,050,000. 

For more information call Robert Sherman of Premier Sotheby’s at (941) 313-1301.