BOTA Center

The BOTA Center, formerly the Baker’s Badcock Furniture Store, is a significant example of Sarasota’s mid-century commercial architecture and one of the region’s remaining examples of roadside architecture. Completed in 1957 at the western edge of the Rosemary District, the building embodied the progressive commercial architecture of its time. An expansive band of storefront glazing wraps the single-story showroom, dissolving the boundary between interior and exterior and making both merchandise and everyday activity part of the streetscape.

After the Badcock business relocated in 2005, the building remained vacant until Latitude 27 Properties acquired it in 2015. Rather than demolishing the aging structure, the owners saw an opportunity to give it a new purpose while preserving the qualities that made it architecturally significant. Hive Architects worked with the owner to transform the former furniture store into a multi-tenant commercial center while retaining its defining mid-century character.

The renovation focused on preserving the building’s essential architectural elements. Original storefront glazing was restored, the exposed steel post-and-beam structure was retained, and terrazzo flooring was preserved. New building systems and contemporary requirements were carefully integrated into the existing shell, enabling the building to function as a modern workplace without compromising its historic character.

Hive Architects also led the effort to secure historic designation for the property, resulting in its inclusion on the City of Sarasota Local Register of Historic Places. The project received recognition from the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation and the AIA Florida Gulf Coast for its approach to adaptive reuse, preservation, and restoration.

Today, the BOTA Center gives the building new life as a home for creative and professional enterprises. Its transformation shows that historic commercial architecture can remain relevant by adapting to contemporary use rather than being displaced by it. The project preserves not only a building but also a piece of Sarasota’s architectural and commercial history, allowing it to continue contributing to the evolving Rosemary District.

Location:
Rosemary District | Sarasota, Florida

Type:
Commercial Architecture | Adaptive Reuse & Historic Preservation

Status:
Completed, 2017

Awards:
2020 | AIA Florida Gulf Coast Honor Award for Historic Preservation & Restoration
2019 | AIA Florida/Caribbean Honor Award of Excellence for Historic Preservation & Restoration
2018 | Florida Trust for Historic Preservation's Outstanding Achievement Award for Adaptive Use

Photography:
© 2018 | Ryan Gamma