Walter Farley House

2020 Six to Save

Demolished October 2022

The house was designed by architect Ralph Twitchell in the Sarasota School of Architecture style for Walter Farley, famed author of the Black Stallion books. Walter and his wife Rosemary were instrumental in establishing the original Venice Public Library, now part of the Sarasota County Libraries. A commemoration of the author, the Walter Farley Literary Landmark, is exhibited in the lobby of the William H. Jervey, Jr. Venice Public Library.

Ralph Twitchell was founder of the architectural style known as the Sarasota School (1941 - 1966), a regional modern American architectural style. The house is currently for sale and at risk of being demolished, as it is listed as both a house for sale and empty lot for sale. Concerned groups held an initial meeting to discuss possible ways to save this

home, but there has been no follow up since.

The successful advocacy campaign celebration was short lived.

Update:

October 2022

Another devastating blow to the community came when the Walter Farley home and studio in Venice survived Hurricane Ian only to be reduced to rubble weeks later by its owners. Walter Farley, world renown author of the Black Stallion book series, and his wife were also instrumental in establishing the original venice public library. The Sarasota School of Architecture building, designed by Founder Ralph Twitchell, almost had a second lease on life when the community rallied to support the Venice City Council’s granting of a variance that would allow a restoration and stunning addition to the property. In the end, the owners cited permit delays as their reason for bringing in the bulldozers. From this experience we learned that when we work together, we can move mountains–the coastal zone setback variance was no small feat. But we also learned that sometimes, it is still not enough.