In 1929, Dr. Waters Field Burrows and his wife Elsa Scherer Burrows purchased property on the Little Sarasota Bay in Osprey.  Their plan was to use this area for their new home in Florida.  This area that they purchased was later known as Bay Preserve at Osprey

Burrows was a retired New York Surgeon. His plan was to retire to Florida.  Ther new house was a 2 story brick and steel building in the neo classical style. It was built in 1931.  This was later repurposed into a environmental education center and Foundation Offices.

Other buildings on the estate included: A carriage house (later converted to the Floyd C. and Florence Singer Johnson Center for the Arts); a dock and boat house, Presentation Pavilion.   Dr Burrows and his wife also purchased the land that later become Oscar Scherer Park

In 1985, Richard and Cornelia Matson purchased the property.  The property was later sold to Conservation Foundation of of the Gulf Coast