If you’re a fan of mid-century modern architecture, you might be familiar with the Sarasota School of Architecture, which was founded in Sarasota, Florida. This design movement is also known as the Sarasota Modern style of the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. William J. Rupp was one of the few architects who played a key role in the Sarasota School of Architecture.
How his career began in Sarasota
Ralph Twichell, born on July 27, 1890, first came to Sarasota in 1925 after serving as a pilot in the U.S. Army during WW1 and receiving his Masters of Architecture at Colombia University. He moved to Sarasota to work with architect Dwight Baum; he was hired to oversee the construction of the John Ringing mansion, known as the Ca’d’zan. After years of designing Mediterranean Revival homes, he shifted his design style and “took up the flame of modernism”, says Christopher Wilson, architecture and design historian at the Ringling College of Art and Design. Twitchell’s design style shifted into a regional version of modern architecture that adapted to the Florida climate.
A shift to modern architecture
After opening his practice in Sarasota in 1936, Twitchell started to shift his architectural style towards modern. He enlisted in the US Air Force when WWII began; after the war, he returned to Sarasota; Twitchell built his office near his home and employed a student named Paul Rudolph for a few years. Twitchell and Rudolph formed an association in 1948. This collaboration quickly gained international recognition with projects like the Miller House and Guest House, the Revere Quality House, and the Cocoon House. While they worked together, they would also form what is known today as the Sarasota School of Architecture – a modern architectural movement.
