Tucked beneath live oaks that hug this Oyster Bay home stands proof that, amid the new construction and shiny condo towers dotting Sarasota, the appeal of the Sarasota School of Architecture remains.

Originally built in 2006 by architect Jack Jetton, who worked with Paul Rudolph on projects like Riverview High School and Sarasota High School, the home is one of the few private residences on the market designed by a member of the famed architectural movement. (Rudolph hired Jetton, along with Tim Siebert and Bert Brosmith, in the 1950s.) It's located at 1331 Quail Drive.

Other than its connection to the Sarasota School, the home is also linked to Sarasota's marine biology history. Blair Moritz and Chris Fisher purchased the property in 2022 for $1.6 million from Hera Konstantinou, daughter of Eugenie Clark, the renowned marine biologist known as the "Shark Lady,” who put Sarasota on the map for her breakthrough work in marine science.

Moritz's grandfather started visiting Sarasota in the ‘50s and honeymooned on Lido Key with her grandmother. “He loved the circus and purchased four mid-century villas on Cleveland Drive" that he rented to circus performers, she says, and that are still in the family. Although it was long ago, Moritz vaguely recalls "big personalities, cool hats and cigars."

The Quail Drive home, which reminded Moritz of the midcentury modern look of her grandparents' villas, needed some updates, so she and Fisher hired local architect Daniel Lear of Lear Studio to carry out a renovation that enhanced the home's functionality while maintaining Jetton’s original vision. 

Completed in 2023, the renovation included the addition of a bedroom suite, European brushed stainless steel cabinetry in the kitchen, and natural-look materials in mostly neutral colors—minus the powder-pink door, of course.

Other details abound. Vintage chandeliers and lighting replaced recessed lighting. A mirror above the stove is a simple, crafty way Moritz says she gets to see her daughter, Poppy, and guests while she’s cooking. Poppy, 9, is also “part of the renovation team and goes to all the shops with me,” Moritz adds.

In the kitchen, Moritz says, "with the cool effects of the concrete floors and the steel, I chose to do Italian travertine countertops to warm it up.” Lear says they removed some of the can lights throughout the home and painted the interior white to reflect the ample natural light instead.

Fisher, a director and producer of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, has a background in designing worlds for film and television, and he and Moritz liked the way the house interacted with nature, especially the mature oak trees that surround the property. "Ninety-nine percent of people would have cut down the oak tree over the pool, but we love it," Fisher says. "The landscape is what makes Sarasota special."

The pool, shaded by the oak canopy, remains a favorite. Fisher describes his routine of arriving home from work, diving into the pool, and enjoying a cigar while watching the flocks of birds that frequent the protected preserve nearby.

Jetton’s design is connected to the environment, a key tenet of the Sarasota School of Architecture. The house takes advantage of its nearly half-acre lot, with floor-to-ceiling glass and views of the outdoors and 12-foot ceilings that create an airy, open feel along with indoor-outdoor spaces, natural light and ventilation.

For Lear, the renovation was an opportunity to balance throwback respect with modern design. One update was the use of handmade clay tiles in the bathrooms, which added a tactile quality along with pops of color. “The clients wanted a softer modern feel,” Lear says. “They were looking for something tailored, with a more natural look compared to the monolithic styles often seen in Florida homes.”

“Each handmade Moroccan clay tile in the bathrooms reflects the light differently, and they're not all symmetrical, adding more depth," Moritz says. 

The renovation also included a reconfiguration of the upper level, turning a library space above the garage into a bedroom suite with a private terrace. Perhaps the most striking update was taking a risk on what they might find beneath old floor tiles. They uncovered and polished the concrete flooring beneath to expose shell aggregate, which has a terrazzo-like appearance, a nod to the materials of Sarasota School homes.

In addition to his work as an architect, Jetton was also on the Sarasota County Board of Zoning Appeals and the Sarasota County Building Code Board of Adjustments and seemed to have a pulse on the future effects of climate change. The home’s elevation meets contemporary hurricane codes, giving it an advantage over other architecturally significant homes near the water, which are often not up to current flood standards.

“Jack Jetton overbuilt it,” says Fisher. "The second story supports another level and [Lear] looked into rough plans to create a deck above—all you'd have to do is add flooring. The next owner can do that. There's also room for a guest house or a tiki hut.”

Meanwhile, Moritz hopes that the home isn't snapped up by someone who wants to tear it down for a larger estate—the kind that seem all the rage today.

“It's sad to see a lot of these homes get demolished," she says. "You can give something a little love without knocking it down. I'm hoping with the price point, it'll deter that and the house will be loved.”

Interested? Contact Lisa Rooks Morris of Douglas Elliman Real Estate at (941) 544-3332.