Welcome to the Archives of The Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture. The purpose of this online collection is to function as a tool for scholars, students, architects, preservationists, journalists and other interested parties. The archive consists of photographs, slides, articles and publications from Rudolph’s lifetime; physical drawings and models; personal photos and memorabilia; and contemporary photographs and articles.

Some of the materials are in the public domain, some are offered under Creative Commons, and some are owned by others, including the Paul Rudolph Estate. Please speak with a representative of The Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture before using any drawings or photos in the Archives. In all cases, the researcher shall determine how to appropriately publish or otherwise distribute the materials found in this collection, while maintaining appropriate protection of the applicable intellectual property rights.

In his will, Paul Rudolph gave his Architectural Archives (including drawings, plans, renderings, blueprints, models and other materials prepared in connection with his professional practice of architecture) to the Library of Congress Trust Fund following his death in 1997. A Stipulation of Settlement, signed on June 6, 2001 between the Paul Rudolph Estate and the Library of Congress Trust Fund, resulted in the transfer of those items to the Library of Congress among the Architectural Archives, that the Library of Congress determined suitable for its collections. The intellectual property rights of items transferred to the Library of Congress are in the public domain. The usage of the Paul M. Rudolph Archive at the Library of Congress and any intellectual property rights are governed by the Library of Congress Rights and Permissions.

However, the Library of Congress has not received the entirety of the Paul Rudolph architectural works, and therefore ownership and intellectual property rights of any materials that were not selected by the Library of Congress may not be in the public domain and may belong to the Paul Rudolph Estate.

LOCATION
Address: 7400 Sanderling Road
City: Sarasota
State: Florida
Zip Code: 34242
Nation: United States

STATUS
Type: Leisure and Sport
Status: Built

TECHNICAL DATA
Date(s): 1952-1953
Site Area: 52,270 s.f.
Floor Area:
Height:
Floors (Above Ground):
Building Cost:

PROFESSIONAL TEAM
Client:
Architect: Paul M. Rudolph
Associate Architect:
Landscape: Edward Shields
Structural:
MEP:
QS/PM:

SUPPLIERS
Contractor: James Stroud
Subcontractor(s):

Sanderling Beach Club

In the initial project site plan, the beach club includes a concrete patio, an observatory and five single-story structures, each composed of five cabanas, facing the gulf.
The roof of each structure consists of a series of low vaulted ceilings, constructed of two thin layers of plywood sheathing.
The general contractor for the residence is James Stroud, who runs a construction firm in Sarasota. He builds several other Rudolph projects such as the 1957 Harkavy Residence and the 1953 Davis Residence. Prior to opening his own firm, James Stroud worked for Jack Twitchell’s firm Associated Builders.
In 1958, the beach club is expanded by three more structures with 5 cabanas each.
A clubhouse is not built until 1960, despite being included in Rudolph’s original design for the project site.
Rudolph is awarded an international architecture prize from the Museum of Modern Art of Sao Paulo, Brazil for the project.
In 2018, Harold Bubil, Real Estate Editor Emeritus for the Herald-Tribune, lists Sanderling Beach Club as one of his favorite buildings in Florida.

“Standard 2X4 studs 16 ft. on center with columns of “sticks” and bent plywood vaults consisting of two ¾ in. thick sheets glued together form the structure.”

— Paul Rudolph in Moholy-Nagy, Sibyl, and Gerhard Schwab. The Architecture of Paul Rudolph. New York: Praeger, 1970. P. 38