The unfinished John Ringling’s Ritz Carlton Hotel on Longboat Key is widely regarded as the most famous and longest running unfinished resort building in the Florida Keys. Construction was halted in the 1920’s.

Historical Background

In the 1920’s, Sarasota was a booming resort destination, boosted by new railroads, paved roads, and autombiles.

John Ringling, a wealthy circus magnate and developer Owen Burns, purchased land at the southern tip of Longboat Key. They planned to build a luxury Ritz Carlton Hotel at this site. Construction began in 1926, drawing local and national attention. However, the project faced immediate challenges.

Economic downturn

The Florida land boom began to cool. The Great Depression hit the Florida area hard.

Financial and partnership disputes.

Ringling and Burns had a fall out. Ringling later bought the Burns El Verona Hotel instead

Scale and feasibility

The planned hotel was considered too ambitious for this time period. Funding dried up

By the early 1930’s worked stopped permanently. Ringling never completed the Ritz Carleton. The skeletal structure deteriorated over the years. Ultimately its was demolished in 1962. At the same site Inn on the Beach opened in 1982 later evolving into the resort at Longboat Key

Why is this partially built structure notable?. The length of incompletion is interesting. It was partially built in 1926. It has been unfinished for almost 100 years. This makes it one of the longest running unfinished resorts in the United States

Cultural legacy

It remains a symbol of the Florida Land Boom’s excess and the fragility of large scale resort development.

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The First Bank and Trust Building was Sarasota’s early 1920’s skyscraper at Five Points ,later home to Palmer Bank, and ultimately demolished in the 1990’s,with the Plaza at Five Points now occupying the site

First Bank and Trust.

As the Florida Land Boon generated energy in 1924, real estate developer and entrepreneur Joseph Lord demolished a hotel boarding house formerly on the NE corner of Main and Central in Sarasota. He announced the construction of Sarasota’s Skyscraper, the First National Bank and Trust on this site. The architect was M.Leo Elliot from Tampa. Builder is unknown. The building was completed in 1924

The project was to be a seven-story steel frame office building with Corinthian columns decorating

ground floor exterior. There were retail spaces along both Main Street and Central Avenues, steam heat in every office, drinking fountains on each floor, and the first passenger electric hydraulic elevator in Sarasota.

Additional architectural features

Corinthian Columns: The ground floor was decorated with Corinthian Order columns, a classical architectural style known for its ornate capitals and grand monumental appearance

Decorative elements

The design incorporated terra cotta detailing and other ornamental features typical of early 1920’s commercial businesses, reflecting the ‘beaux-arts” influence common in Florida’s boom.

Role in the community

The First Bank and Trust was one of four Sarasota Banks that closed in 1929, the second to fall in the year. It was part of a wave of bank failures triggered by the collapse of the Florida Land Boom and the 1929 stock market crash According to contemporary reports, the bank was closed on July 17,1929, amid ‘unwise gossip” and panic over the appearance of the Mediterranean fruit fly, which the state banking department as a cause. A.O. Skaggs was appointed liquidator.

Later uses

After the Bank’s closure, the building was taken over by Palmer National Bank in July, 1929, led by prominent Sarasota business families. Palmer Bank occupied site until the 1940’s, when an annex was added by GA Miller Construction Company. In 1964, the building was modernized with marble, steel, aluminum and glass facade

Demolition

The First Bank and Trust Building was demolished in the 1990’s, and the site is now occupied by the Plaza at Five Points.

Legacy

The building’s history reflects Sarasota’s rapid growth in the 1920’s, the volatility of Florida’s real estate market, and the resilience of local institutions that survived the Depression. While the structure is gone, its role in Sarasota’s financial and architectural history remains significance

The Lord’s Arcade was built in the early 1920’s by developer Joseoh H. Lord. It became one of Sarasota’s earliest major commercial complexes, evolving from a boom-era landmark into a mid-century retail hub before being renamed the Palmer Bank Arcade in 1972.

Origins and Joseph H. Lord’s Role

Joseph H. Lord arrived in Florida in the late 1880’s to invest in phosphate lands and first visited Sarasota in 1890. With the arrival of the railroad in 1903, he began buying downtown property, eventually owning four of the five corners at Five Points, more than 200 town lots, and 7,000 acres along the coast and inland. His most ambitious project was the redevelopment of the Sarasota House Hotel Site. It was at this site that he built both First Bank and Trust Company and the Lord’s Arcade at Main Street and Central Avenue.

463 Sapphire Sarasota, Fl

The Hover Arcade Building was built in 1913. It served as Sarasota’s early commercial hub, later became City Hall and the county’s first courthouse. It was ultimately demolished in 1967 after Bayroad Roadway changes.

The Crisp Building is a 1926 Mediterranean Revival commercial structure built during the Sarasota’s land boom. It was developed by Thomas Crisp and later recognized for its long-standing commercial role and architectural significance.

Origins and construction

The Crisp Building is located at 1970 Main Street in Sarasota, Florida. Construction was completed in late 1926’s. This was at the height of The Florida real estate boom. It was developed by T. H. Crisp Company which was led by Thomas Crisp. He arrived in Sarasota around 1924. He quickly became a major builder in the region. The building site was purchased on August 29, 2025 from the Charles Ringling Company. A building permit was issued on November 1, 2025

The architectural firm for the project was Clas, Shepard, and Clas. The building contractor was Adair and Senter

Architectural Significance

The Crisp Building is a 5-story Mediterranean Revival Commercial Structure

Key Features:

Stucco-clad reinforced with hollow clay infill.

Curvilinear Parapet with decorative tiles.

Grouped awning windows (original wood windows replaced in 1990)

Bracketed cornice with symmetrical facade

3 bay storefront with a central entrance and upper floor office layout

Early use and community role

From its opening housed a mix of commercial and civic groups.

Demarcay cafe on ground floor 1926

Loyal Order of Moose Sarasota Lodge (1926-1938)

Meeting spaces for Rotary Club. Eastern Star and other organizations

Sunshine Buick Company, Sarasota’s first Buick dealership (1944)

The building served as a hub for both business and social activities, supporting Sarasota’s transition from a frontier town to a modern commercial center.

Mid-century Continuity

Building remained a stable commercial center through the Depression and post-war years.

Later modifications

The building underwent 1970’s interior updates for the mechanical systems

1990’s Window replacement preserving original openings

National Register of Historic Places

The Crisp Building was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on April 21, 2000, under reference 0000388. It qualifies under Criterion A for its significance in Sarasota’s commercial development during the land boom era.

Why it matters today

The building remains in continuous commercial use, preserving its historic fabric while contributing to Sarasota’s vibrant downtown. It stands as a physical reminder of the city’s transformation during the 1920’s and the developers like Thomas H. Crisp-who shaped its growth.