Sneak Peek: The Waldorf Astoria Residences Sarasota
Image: The Boundary
Waldorf Astoria Residences Sarasota is coming into sharper focus. Demolition of downtown Sarasota's former Zenith Building is underway, with construction of the new tower expected to begin in summer 2027.
Now, a collection of new renderings offers the fullest look yet at the 18-story tower planned for the site at Five Points in downtown Sarasota.
Image: The Boundary
The Waldorf Astoria lobby will face Main Street, while residents will enter the porte cochère from Mira Mar Court. Sadek Omar, a partner at Jebcore Companies, which is developing the project with WMG Development, says the placement was shaped partly by conversations with neighbors concerned about traffic on the narrow street. It’s intended to give residents a convenient place to leave a car briefly, retrieve something from home or move quickly in and out without blocking traffic.
Image: The Boundary
Image: The Boundary
Image: The Boundary
The ground floor will contain more than 40,000 square feet of commercial space separate from the residences. “We have a lot of interest from really top-notch restaurateurs and a lot of different retailers, as well,” Omar says (A luxury retail pop-up the team held earlier this year might offer some clues, though.)
Image: The Boundary
For residents, there are spa gardens and—wait for it—an orangerie. The landscape concept by DWY Landscape Architects is intended to be functional as well as decorative, allowing residents to pick fresh citrus for drinks and meals.
In downtown Sarasota’s escalating luxury-condo amenity race, pools, spas and golf simulators have become familiar territory. A private citrus grove, however, is a new twist—because apparently the latest measure of luxury is never having to buy an orange.
“We have so much beauty going on outside, and the temperature can be difficult in summer,” Omar says. “So we created this little sitting area adjacent to the spa where people just can sit, take in the natural beauty and relax.”
Image: The Boundary
Image: The Boundary
Image: The Boundary
Image: The Boundary
Image: The Boundary
Inside, residences are wrapped in floor-to-ceiling glass. Workshop/APD’s interior look leans on pale stone, warm wood, bronze tones and sculptural lighting, with richer color reserved for gathering spaces such as Peacock Alley.
If you don't know what a "Peacock Alley" is, it's a Waldorf Astoria tradition with roots in the original New York hotel. It began in 1897 as a 300-foot marble corridor connecting the Waldorf and Astoria hotels. Fashionable guests used it as a place to stroll, socialize and be seen—hence the “peacock” nickname.
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Inside the condos are open-plan living and dining rooms, primary bedrooms overlooking Sarasota Bay and glass-railed terraces designed to take in views stretching toward the Gulf.
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The 86 residences will range from one to five bedrooms, with 14-foot ceilings planned throughout. Prices range from about $3 million to $20 million.
Image: The Boundary
Image: The Boundary
Image: The Boundary
Outside, plans divide the tower’s three-quarters of an acre of private park space into a series of landscaped areas for swimming, lounging and gathering. There's a resort-style pool surrounded by palms, lawns, a bar, secluded seating around a fire table and a spa garden with a cold plunge and hot tub.
Image: The Boundary
Image: The Boundary
Image: The Boundary
Altogether, the project calls for 60,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor amenities, including a fitness center, Pilates and yoga studio, spa, movie-theater lounge, golf simulator and guest suites.