11/26/2025
We celebrate receiving the Honor Award in the New Work Restoration & Addition category at the AIA Florida Southwest Design Awards, a recognition that affirms our work as cultural stewardship—preserving history, elevating craft, and creating new stages for community life.
The 54,400 sq. ft. renovation of Booker High School’s Visual and Performing Arts Center honors Emma E. Booker, whose vision established Sarasota’s first Black school and set a legacy of resilience and opportunity. Inspired by the performative qualities of a gemstone, the reimagined design reveals the original auditorium through a two-story faceted curtainwall, honoring its history while opening views to its future.
The expansion introduces a studio theater, green room, costume shop, adaptable lobby spaces, and a black box theater equipped with color-changing LEDs, advanced acoustics, and precision projection to support evolving creativity. Purpose-built and adaptable, the renewed center now hosts more than 30 performances annually, strengthening Sarasota’s arts ecosystem and empowering students to carry forward Booker’s legacy with artistry, courage, and lasting impact.
This achievement reflects the extraordinary talent and dedication of our project partners. Our sincere thanks to:
General Contractor: Core Construction
Structural Engineer: Bennett & Pless, Inc.
MEP Engineer: Engineering Matrix, Inc.
Civil Engineer: Infrastructure Solution Services
Landscape Architect: David W. Johnston Associates, Inc.
Theatre Consultant: Martin Vinik Planning for the Arts, LLC
Acoustical Consultant: Siebein Associates, Inc.
Photography: Andres Marin Photography
Specifications: Specs Plus Inc.
Reprographics: Benchmark Blueprinting, Inc.
Together, we transformed this cultural jewel into a space that inspires performance, strengthens community, and supports the creative journeys ahead.
