The McAlpin House

The McAlpin House, located at 1530 Cross Street in the City of Sarasota was built in 1912 by George McAlpin. Constructed from McAlpin’s own unique hollow, rusticated, pre-cast block, the building served as his own residence while he helped to construct the City of Sarasota. George McAlpin ran a concrete and construction business with his partner Owen Burns, and is responsible for much of the City’s sidewalks and curbs. One of the last remaining examples of this type of rusticated block construction and recognizing the important role McAlpin himself played in the original development of the city, the home was added to the City of Sarasota’s Local Register of Historic Places in 1984.

In early 2023, the parcel was part of a group purchased by developer Orange Pineapple LLC for the purpose of demolition. The demolition application was unanimously denied by the City’s Historic Preservation Board. The City Commission heard the developer’s appeal and requested a continuance for 6 months to allow the developer to determine whether the building could be moved off site or incorporated into the larger project. The Commission will hear the case again in March of 2024.