Gene Leedy's recent restoration of two important buildings has sparked renewed interest in the architect's influence on Florida modernism. The house Leedy built for himself in 1957, shortly after he left the office of Ralph Twitchell and Paul Rudolph, brought the tropical cosmopolitanism of the Sarasota School to the central Florida town of Winter Haven, while his nearby office project marked the transition to a formal vocabulary marked precast concrete elements that he used in urban, commercial and residential projects throughout his 60-year career.
Max Strang, architect and founder of STRANG, grew up in a mid-century Leedy home. Strang eventually worked in Leedy's office and attended his alma mater, the University of Florida. At STRANG, Max has spent decades engaging with Leedy's legacy, which emphasized the specificity of place, structural expression and concern for sustainability. When Leedy died in 2018, Strang purchased the two properties that had served as his mentor's home and office for 58 and 62 years, respectively. He promised to faithfully restore them.
Read more about the restorations at aninteriormag.com.