The non-profit that runs the cultural center in the building is throwing a party this weekend.
By Ed James III
Original Air Date: February 18, 2026
JW: Now, we’re taking a journey back through a century of our city’s history. The Leonard Reid House is marking its 100th anniversary this Saturday—a milestone that celebrates not just a building, but the very heartbeat of a community. Here with the story is Ed James III.
EJ: In 1926, the Leonard Reid house was built in Overtown—the area we now call the Rosemary District. While Leonard Reid was a pioneer in the city’s early development, the home became a cradle for Black education in Sarasota. It was a place where excellence was expected and modeled daily.
The Leonard Reid House, located in the heart of Newtown at Orange and MLK Way since 2022, is now home to the Sarasota African American Cultural Coalition. Photo courtesy SAACC
Vickie Oldham, president of the Sarasota African American Cultural Coalition, says Leonard Reid’s personal journey of education set a standard for the entire community.
Vickie Oldham: We certainly want students and young adults and anyone who comes to the house to understand the importance of education as Leonard Reed did.
EJ: That commitment to excellence was carried forward by his daughters, Ethel Reid Hayes and Viola Reid. Both were prominent educators who touched the lives of generations. One of those children was Sarasota native Melinda Wideman.
For Melinda, the Reid house isn’t just a historic site; it was a second home. The Reid daughters were her teachers at the Helen R. Payne Day Nursery, but their care went far beyond the classroom.
Melinda Wideman: I attended Helen Payne Day Nursery in the ‘80s and vividly remember Mrs. Hayes and Mrs. Reid being sticklers of repetition, especially when given new material. As a preschooler, I could tell that education and learning was very important to them based on the way they pushed us toward greatness. I grew up on Cocoanut Avenue, less than 100 feet, give or take, from where the Reid House originally stood, which is now the Sarasota Modern Hotel. I had the privilege of visiting their family home from time to time and was babysat by them as well outside of them being my teachers at Helen Payne Day Nursery.
EJ: By the late 20th century, Overtown had been renamed and transformed. Most of the original Black residents were pushed out, and the physical markers of their history were demolished to make way for luxury developments. The Leonard Reid House stood as one of the very last original structures remaining in the Rosemary District—a lonely sentinel of a displaced community.
But the community refused to let this piece of history be erased. In May 2022, after years of advocacy, the city witnessed a modern-day miracle. The 1,400-square-foot house was lifted from its original soil in Overtown and physically moved through the streets of Sarasota. It traveled north to Newtown—the neighborhood where many displaced Overtown families had relocated decades prior.
Now, settled at its new location on North Orange Avenue, the house is turning 100. The theme of the centennial celebration is “Faith, Hope, and Love.” Vickie Oldham explains how hope is one of the foundations of this event.
Leonard Reid, taking the reins.
VO: Reid was only 19 when he came to Sarasota on a boat with some men in 1900, and he was hoping to get involved in an entrepreneurial endeavor. The boat stopped by here. He had a lapse in judgment—stayed too long in the community of Overtown. When he went back, the boat had already left him. The community of Overtown was where the early African-American community settled, and the story has it that there was a party going on. I didn’t make it up. Mr. Reid’s daughter recounts this story in a recorded interview at the Sarasota History Center. What is a man to do? He was hoping to get into business. He made a mistake and had to stay in Sarasota and figure it out.
Well, that’s the beauty of his story. He was a man with grit. So bold. He persisted and he pivoted. I wanted to include that word, “hope,” when I mentioned Reid.
EJ: This Saturday, the community will gather at 2529 North Orange Avenue to honor that legacy. It is a full-circle moment—where the childhood memories of people like Melinda Wideman meet a new era of cultural preservation. Vickie Oldham says this is an invitation to every Sarasotan to witness history.
VO: I hope people will come and celebrate that man, Leonard Reid, who did so much in leading the African-American community in Sarasota. He was loved by the entire Sarasota community.
EJ: The celebration kicks off this Saturday, February 21 at 2:00 p.m. Whether you’re there for the history, the music, or the community, you’re witnessing a century of resilience. For WSLR, I’m Ed James III.
Host: Thank you, Ed. Again, that celebration is this Saturday at 2:00 p.m. at the Leonard Reid House, corner of Orange and Martin Luther King, Jr. Way. More details here.
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