Sarasota Woman's Club (Florida Studio Theatre)

Now one of five theaters of the Florida Studio Theatre, this building was the headquarters of the Sarasota Woman's Club from 1915 to the 1970s. The club has contributed significantly to the city's civic, cultural, and social life since its founding in 1913. Local architect H.N. Hall designed the theater in the Jacobethan Style, which is uncommon in Sarasota. The building has been altered but still features elements of the style including a shingle roof, half-timbered gable ends, and screened porches with windows separated by horizontal and vertical wood slats. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. The Florida Theater has owned the building since 1976.

Sarasota Woman's Club

The Sarasota Woman's Club was established in 1913 with 60 members. Its stated goal was to "to promote such civic work as it can for the improvement of the city and the intellectual, moral and social improvements of the community." It met in the Board of Trade building until the clubhouse was completed in 1915 (the grand opening was held on April 14th). In the coming decades, club members initiated and participated in a variety of community projects. In 1915, it offered health lectures and a lyceum course, beautified two small parks, supported a movement to built sidewalks and hard-surface streets, and secured free medical and dental treatment to poor children. In 1915 the club also allowed the library to move into the building where it remained until 1932. During World War I and II, club members aided the war effort by collecting donated food and making bandages. Over the years, members donated funds to numerous causes and groups such as the Sarasota County Tuberculosis and Health Association and the Red Cross. In addition to this community activities, the clubhouse became the most popular meeting place in the city. The club exists today and belongs to the General Federation of Women's Clubs and the Florida Federation of Women's Clubs.

Florida Studio Theatre

John Spelman established the Florida Studio Theatre (FST) in 1973 as an alternative touring group. It performed in migrant camps and prisons. The FST became a residential theatre in 1980 and named Richard Hopkins as artistic director. Three years later, the FST bought the clubhouse and converted it into a performance venue and named it the Keating Theatre. The FST has grown gradually over the years and now operates five performance spaces including the Keating Theatre. It completed renovations of the Gompertz Theater in 2012. The FST presents Broadway musicals, musical revues, plays, improv comedy, and children's theater programming.

Djinis, Elizabeth. "How the Sarasota Woman’s Club Transformed Our City." Sarasota Magazine. August 2, 2023. https://www.sarasotamagazine.com/news-and-profiles/2023/08/sarasota-womans-club.

"History of FST." Florida Studio Theatre. Accessed December 12, 2023. https://www.floridastudiotheatre.org/about-fst/our-history.

"Florida Studio Theatre, Established 1973." Sarasota Magazine. March 5, 2019. https://www.sarasotamagazine.com/sponsored/2019/03/florida-studio-theatre.

Handelman, Jay. "Florida Studio Theatre leaders rediscovering their love of theater in new season." Herald-Tribune. September 5, 2021. https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/entertainment/2021/09/05/florida-studio-theatre-sarasota-florida-entertainment-new-season-attract-audiences/5649026001.

Kearns, Sarah Latham. "Sarasota Woman's Club." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. January 18, 1985. https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/85000087.