Art Ovation Hotel
The Art Ovation Hotel in downtown Sarasota serves as a connector between cultural institutions, galleries, restaurants, and shops by recognizing Sarasota’s cultural identify and designing the public spaces to accommodate the arts. Conceived as a companion to the Palm Avenue Garage, the goal was to embrace a complementary modern aesthetic and connect the pedestrian-flow of Palm Avenue with Cocoanut Avenue. The design of the building at the corner gives way to the pedestrian walking experience. As the façade connects Palm Avenue and Cocoanut, the street and sidewalk share in making this gesture successful.
The streets align with the updated wide sidewalks complemented by expansive curving canopies and landscaping for additional shade. The open areas created by these elements serve as ideal outdoor gathering spaces for daily pedestrians and large community events. Surrounding traffic flow was also considered and improved.
The curving lobby follows the façade’s lines and lifts the building on a “ribbon of light”. This all-day space is designed so guests can comfortably mingle, enjoy refreshments, entertainment, and the original art collection and exhibitions. There’s a restaurant, bar, and ballroom. Guest rooms include original curated artwork through a partnership with Ringling College.
Keeping both local residents and visiting travelers in mind, Art Ovation aims to make transportation as easy as possible with a range of options upon arrival including walking, cycling, and public transit. The number of on-site code-required parking spaces were minimized and moved to the backside. Natural daylighting, energy-efficient windows, low-flow plumbing, and Florida-friendly landscaping was used. Rooftop rainwater is collected into a 100,000-gallon subterranean cistern.
Instead of designing to maximize buildable square footage, the architect reduced density and height to respect the hotel’s position within the neighborhood’s scale. The result is a hotel that sparks spontaneous human interaction while capturing the vibrancy of the Sarasota area.
