The Sarasota Alliance for Historic Preservation is accepting nominations for its seventh annual“Six to Save” list until Sept. 15.
The public can nominate historic buildings and assets, archaeological sites or cultural resources in the community that are at risk.
“With every historic resource demolished, Sarasota County loses a bit of its legacy, its charm, its sense of place,” Jan Vertefeuille, co-president of SAHP, said in a prepared statement. “The Six to Save list is an opportunity to try to change the trajectory for some of these historic buildings and assets.”
What is the status of the current Six to Save list?
The 2025-26 Six to Save list includes the century-oldBlackburn Point Road Swing Bridge, a home of one of Sarasota’s first alderman, a fountain dating back to Mable Ringling and a garage
built in 1924.
Sarasota County is currently hosting public meetings and studying options on how to replace the Blackburn Point Road Bridge, which is the last of three swing bridges that once connected Sarasota County’s mainland to barrier islands.
While the bridge has been the most high-profile member of the current Six to Save list, the U.S. Garage building at 330 S. Pineapple Avenue is the one in most immediate peril, since it currently occupies one of four parcels that make up the 2.2-acre site for the proposed Adagio mixed-use development.
Built in 1924 as the first garage built for automobiles in Sarasota during the height of the Florida land boom, the building was a showcase of modern commercial architecture.
Local architect J. Herbert Johnson designed an automobile showroom and service facility for the owners of the U.S. Garage Company. A wooden-floored elevator permitted automobiles to be stored on the second floor.
In 1984, architect Frank Folsom Smith converted the building for office and retail use, retaining original materials and features such as the exposed concrete-and-steel frame, brick infill, skylights, and elevator. It served for a time as an art gallery and now houses multiple small businesses.
What is the Six to Save list?
The Six to Save program was launched in 2020 by Harry Klinkhamer, who was then chair of the History & Preservation Coalition of Sarasota County.
Founded in 1985, the Sarasota Alliance for Historic Preservation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation of Sarasota County’s historic and cultural treasures.
The list allows the alliance to shine a spotlight on historical resources that are either neglected or in danger of being lost to development or demolition.
Similar to the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s “11 Most Endangered Historic Places” and the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation’s “Florida’s 11 to Save,” the preservation community in Sarasota County uses the list to bring awareness to historical resources at risk and work with owners to try to save them when possible.
A preservationist win in North Port
A commitment to save three historic structures at Warm Mineral Springs in North Port serves as a recent win for the Sarasota Alliance for Historic Preservation.
On July 7, the North Port City Commission added more than $4 million to the Warm Mineral Springs Park Building Rehabilitation Project, which fully funded the $16.7 million project that includes renovation of the Admission Building, a hybrid renovation of the Spa Building, stabilization and mothballing of the Cyclorama.
The three historical buildings believed to be designed by Jack West of the Sarasota School of Architecture were used for theFlorida Quadricentennial Celebration.
The first phase of the 16-month project began July 27.
Here’s how to submit a nomination
Nominations may be submitted online at preservesrq.org/six-to-save through Sept. 15.
The list will be announced in November.
To learn more about how SAHP works with property owners and the community to help historical resources, visit preservesrq.org.
Earle Kimel primarily covers local governments in Sarasota County as well as land development and environmental issues for the Herald-Tribune. Follow him on Facebook, and X. He can be reached by email at earle.kimel@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota seeks endangered historic places for 2026 Six to Save
