US Garage teardown opponents have their day in court

The city authorized the historic building’s teardown in a process it later admitted was unclear.

By Noah Bookstein

Original Air Date: October 27, 2026

Host: The historic US Garage, a downtown building tied to Sarasota School architect Frank Folsom Smith, may be replaced by a luxury apartment tower. The City of Sarasota authorized the building’s demolition in a process they later admitted was unclear. Noah Bookstein reports. 

Noah Bookstein: The US Garage building may be replaced by a luxury tower project formerly known as the Adagio, now called Lumora. That project is no longer subject to Live Local, a state law that would have allowed the developer extra density if they included so-called affordable housing. 

Front entrance of U.S. Garage | Photos: J. Werner

The new plan is to build a single, 10-story tower of 178 units that would house seniors in what the developer is calling an independent living facility.

At the October 13 Historic Preservation Board meeting, city historic preservation planner Susan Dodd took questions about the review that determined the US Garage building was not eligible as historic, which allowed for US Garage’s demolition to be determined administratively. The planning department’s Dr. Clifford Smith did that review. He has since died.

Susan Dodd

Susan Dodd: With Dr. Cliff no longer with us, it’s, of course, an unfortunate situation for many reasons, one of which is that he can’t elaborate on his review.

NB: A Historic Preservation Board member asked Dodd what Dr. Smith left behind from his review of US Garage.

Board member 1: Are there no notes from Dr. Smith about why he confirmed it was ineligible?

NB: Dodd said Smith took a packet of forms into the field, and if he decided a building was not historically eligible, he would fill out a page to confirm it. A board member who had a page of the form pushed back.

Board member 2:  I do have the form—really, the only piece of paper that exists related to Dr. Smith’s review of this project—and it is not signed. In fact, it’s unclear who did this form. 

NB: The page has the South Pineapple address of US Garage, the words “demolition of building,” and the unclear date of the review. It does not name Dr. Smith, and there is no place for staff signature on it.

Board member 2: And this procedure that you’ve described is not documented anywhere?

SD: No. Never.

NB: In an email, Dodd acknowledged that the form may appear incomplete but said Dr. Smith filled out everything that was required for a building that is determined to be not eligible for historic preservation. She has since changed the form to make it more clear, adding a notes section. 

City communications declined to answer questions from WSLR News about the review, citing ongoing legal proceedings. 

The city maintains Dr. Smith did the work. Dodd told the board he spent more than an hour walking through the building and wrote last year that planning director Steve Cover went with him and agreed with his conclusion.

SD: It was very challenging for anyone to refute why he made that decision or to speak on behalf of it. That decision is made, and we hold to that decision going forward. Dr. Cliff isn’t here to speak about to what degree he analyzed or considered Frank Folsom Smith’s history.

NB: With Dr. Smith’s form dated July 2023, the developer did not file to tear down the building until November 2025, and there was no public notice of its demolition. 

SD: If somebody’s private residence or commercial structure is going to be demoed, that’s not something that people would get notice of.

NB: The Sarasota Alliance for Historic Preservation challenges the city’s finding that the building is not eligible to be designated as historic. That finding is what let staff approve the demolition administratively without a public hearing before the Historic Preservation Board. 

Deputy City Attorney John Shamsey said the window to appeal had closed two years before the developer applied because of Dr. Smith’s form. He added that, even counting from the later date in November, the Alliance missed the ten-day deadline. He said the Alliance could go to the city’s Board of Adjustment after the demolition permit was issued. 

In April, the Board of Adjustment voted 5-0 to throw the Alliance’s appeal out. It never considered whether the building is historic. It decided the Alliance did not have the legal right to bring the appeal at all.

That question of standing is now in circuit court, with Judge Andrea Johnson hearing oral arguments earlier today. She expects to rule within 60 days. If the Alliance wins, it hopes to return to the Board of Adjustment and argue the building is historically eligible. If the board agrees, staff cannot approve the demolition of US Garage on their own and it has to go through additional historic review processes. 

Reporting for WSLR News, Noah Bookstein.

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