Clarence Scott commissioned the Scott Commercial Building in 1959 as a showroom at 261 South Orange Avenue. Clarence Scott commissioned William Rupp and Joseph Farrell in 1959 to create a commercial building that would serve as a showroom for the Barkus Furniture Company, and Rupp and Farrell designed the building the following year. As you listen, imagine the care of architects working in the language of the Sarasota School of Architecture: this is a building that speaks in planning and design rather than ornament.
Notice the stucco exterior that gives the facade its smooth, sun-ready surface, and the large picture windows that once put showrooms on display to the street. Your eye is drawn to the large extending concrete rafter beams, bold structural elements that give the roofline a dramatic, deliberate rhythm. In 2016 the building was thoughtfully restored by architect Guy Peterson and builder Michael Walker, then rededicated as McCulloch Pavilion and repurposed as the Center for Architecture Sarasota, a community-based architecture and cultural organization.
On June 7, 2016, this place earned listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Notice the stucco, the picture windows, and those extending concrete rafter beams overhead.