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 Venezia Park Posted by:  rogueblack
N 27° 05.507 W 082° 26.864
17R E 356470 N 2997427
In the heart of John Nolen's vision stands a marker telling visitors about his plan for the City of Venice.
Waymark Code: WM5220
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 10/28/2008
Views: 23
Just breaths from the bustle of busy Venice, especially during the months when vacationers migrate to the Florida paradise for the Winter months, there is a refreshing and surprising calm to this carefully planned area. Innovative street planning to enhance beauty created room for parks that have continue benefit the community in the modern age. It is one of the few areas where parking is not a problem.
This marker is immediately across the street from the playground area. The double-sided marker reads:
John Nolen, world-renowned city planner from Philadelphia, created the overall design for the City of Venice. Venezia Park Subdivision helped illustrate Nolen's concept for a model city.
Dr. Fred Albee, early developer, commissioned Nolen's original plan for the area, which included a gold course. When the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, a Cleveland based union, bought Albee's undeveloped property in 1925 as part of a $4 million real estate investment, the golf course was moved to the east and the land replatted as a residential area.
Nolen's concept was implemented in the new use for the area and typifies his idea that physical, social, economic, and political facets should come together in a harmonious comprehensive plan to allow optimum opportunities for working, playing and living. He believed that ample open green space promoted community activity and aesthetic beauty.
The union builders retained as common areas the present day pentagonal park, also called Venesia Park, and a large section to its north. A proposed school, playground and tennis courts were built elsewhere. (over)
John Nolen designed Venezia Park Subdivision for higher priced homes and to reflect the Mediterranean theme of the city. Noted landscape architect Prentiss French created the park-like atmosphere along public streets.
Young professionals associated with the Venice project occupied some of the homes in the Venezia Park Subdivision. The project collapsed in the late 1920s, along with the rest of the Florida real estate boom. A few families continued to reside in the homes during the economic hard times that lasted until the mid-1930s. Civic and business leaders, as well as retirees, later bought houses in Venezia Park.
After World War II, significant construction resumed in the Venezia Park Subdivision. A section of Venezia Park was put on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. The northern portion is a hub of community activities. It contains an expansive park area, which includes a library, community center, and art center. The city archives are housed in the rehabilitated Triangle Inn.
Sarasota County Historical Commission 1996
Marker Number: 1996
Date: 1996
County: Sarasota
Marker Type: Plaque
Sponsored or placed by: Sarasota County Historical Commission
Website: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
In your log, please say if you learned something new, and if you took any extra time to explore the area once you stopped at the historic marker waymark.
Please post a photo at the marker location.
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