Long before luxury condos began competing for the skyline, a group of inventive architects known turned this little Gulf Coast city into an internationally recognized laboratory for modern design.

They experimented with glass, concrete, open spaces and clever ways to live with Florida's relentless sunshine. Their buildings weren't just beautiful. They were practical, provocative and ahead of their time, anticipating today's conversations about sustainability and climate-responsive design.

Now, Sarasota is throwing them a three-day birthday party.

Architecture Sarasota's 13th annual MOD Weekend, Nov. 13–15, kicks off 100 Years of the Sarasota School of Architecture, a year-long celebration of the architects, buildings and ideas that helped put the city on the international design map. And with so many new residents calling Sarasota home, the celebration offers a chance to discover a history that even some locals might not know.

“Newcomers may not know about the Sarasota School of Architecture, and don’t understand architecture and design’s role in our community and that Sarasota is [a] global epicenter for design innovation,” Architecture Sarasota president Morris “Marty” Hylton says.

The weekend offers a chance to discover that legacy firsthand, with tours of modernist homes and civic buildings, a cruise along Sarasota Bay, new exhibitions and a design conference featuring architect Leo Marmol, co-founder of Marmol Radziner, a firm known for contemporary architecture and the restoration of significant modernist buildings.

Also attending is Pasquale Junior “PJ” Natuzzi, the 36-year-old second-generation executive of the internationally known Italian furniture company Natuzzi, which is collaborating with Architecture Sarasota on the centennial celebration. Despite his family's company having a Sarasota presence for nearly a decade, it'll be Natuzzi's first visit to the city.

“I want to meet with my team there, visit as many places as possible, and be open for new connections,” he says.

Founded by his father, Pasquale Natuzzi, in southern Italy in 1959, the company grew into an international name in contemporary furniture design. Today, PJ is helping guide its evolution, placing greater emphasis on collaboration among architects, designers and furniture makers.

“We as a company have shifted from a manufacturer to a lifestyle, and then ultimately into a product co-creation platform,” he says. He sees the Sarasota partnership as an opportunity to exchange ideas with emerging talent and established architects, something he calls a “positive contamination of ideas.”

That spirit of experimentation is familiar territory for the Sarasota School, whose architects helped redefine modern living in Florida.

A Century of Thinking Differently

The Sarasota School of Architecture movement's roots reach back to the 1920s and 1930s, when architects including Ralph Twitchell, Ralph and William Zimmerman and Clarence Martin introduced modernist ideas to Sarasota. Paul Rudolph, Victor Lundy and other architects expanded those experiments in the postwar decades, creating buildings that emphasized natural ventilation, deep overhangs, open floor plans and connections between indoor and outdoor spaces.

Their work responded to Florida's subtropical climate long before energy efficiency and environmental responsiveness became everyday design priorities.

“The Sarasota School is often associated with an extraordinary period of postwar architecture, but its story is much larger,” Hylton says. “Its foundations began taking shape a century ago, and its greatest strength has been its ability to evolve.”

That evolution is especially relevant as Sarasota confronts rapid redevelopment and questions about preserving its architectural identity.

“We’re in this remarkable period of growth, and we’re asking people to pause and look around, because the region is going to be very different in 10 years,” Hylton says.

For Natuzzi, whose company's design identity is deeply connected to the Mediterranean landscape of southern Italy, the relationship between architecture and nature is equally important.

“We are all storytellers,” he says. “We all take inspiration from the surroundings. Because of the weather and beautiful landscape in Sarasota, you have even a stronger connection with the environment.”

The People and Places Behind the Legacy

At the heart of the celebration is 100 Years of Sarasota School, a major exhibition opening at Architecture Sarasota's McCulloch Pavilion, 265 S. Orange Ave.

Rather than focusing exclusively on famous architects, it recognizes the builders, engineers, artists, patrons and civic leaders who helped bring their designs to life.

Architecture Sarasota's research has identified more than 200 contributors since the 1920s. The exhibition highlights 100 of them, along with 100 properties representing different periods in Sarasota's architectural history.

A companion exhibition, Sarasota School: Living Legacy, spotlights contemporary architects carrying those ideas forward.

“The Sarasota School is a living legacy,” Hylton says. “Stewardship means more than preserving important buildings. It also means understanding the ideas behind them and putting those ideas to work.”

Three Days to Explore Sarasota's Architectural Treasures

MOD Weekend offers something a leisurely drive past Sarasota's modernist landmarks can't: a chance to step inside select buildings, meet the people preserving them and discover the ingenuity behind their designs.

Friday, Nov. 13: Party at the Pavilion 

The celebration opens at 5:30 p.m. with cocktails, live music and the debut of both exhibitions at the McCulloch Pavilion. Guests can browse the MOD Shop for commemorative books and memorabilia.

Tickets are $100 for members, $150 for nonmembers and $50 for Young Modern attendees. Get tickets here. (Note: some events may be sold out.)

Saturday, Nov. 14: Design Conference and the Eras Tour

The Sarasota Design Conference begins at 9 a.m., with check-in beforehand, at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 2256 Bahia Vista St., itself a modernist landmark designed by Victor Lundy. The conference is headlined by Marmol.

That afternoon brings "100 Years of Sarasota School: The Eras Tour," exploring residential, commercial and educational buildings from different periods.

Among the highlights are behind-the-scenes looks at restoration work at Bay Haven School for Basics Plus and the Golden Host Resort and Bahi Hut, with architects on-site to discuss the projects. Visitors can even conclude their afternoon with one of the Bahi Hut's famous mai tais. Get guided tour tickets here and self-guided tour tickets here.

Sunday, Nov. 15: Sarasota Bay and Greenbriar Homes

At 10 a.m., an architecture boat tour aboard Le Barge, departing from 2 Marina Plaza, offers a different perspective on Sarasota's waterfront buildings and the ways architects responded to the bay's natural setting. Tickets are $130 for members and $160 for nonmembers.

At 1 p.m., the celebration concludes with a homes and walking tour through the Greenbriar neighborhood, a pocket of postwar modernism where innovative design wasn't reserved for the wealthy.

Developed with middle-income buyers in mind, the homes incorporated dramatic beamed ceilings, terrazzo floors, wide roof overhangs and windows designed to catch Florida's breezes. Visitors can step inside select houses, offering a rare glimpse of how Sarasota's modernist ideals translated into everyday family life.

Presented in partnership with the Sarasota Alliance for Historic Preservation, the tour costs $25 for members and $35 for nonmembers. Get Greenbriar tour tickets here.

Looking Toward the Next Century

The celebration continues throughout Architecture Sarasota's 2026–2027 season, with lectures, exhibitions and conversations exploring contemporary architecture, preservation and the city's future.

For Sarasota, the anniversary offers more than a chance to admire beautiful buildings. It's an opportunity to appreciate an extraordinary architectural inheritance and consider whether the city is still building with the imagination that made it famous.

“The Sarasota School endures because it evolves,” Hylton says. “As we enter its second century, the opportunity is not to replicate the past.” After all, Sarasota's architectural story isn't finished. The next chapter is being written all around us.

For the complete schedule, additional ticket options and registration, visit Architecture Sarasota's MOD Weekend 2026.