Sarasota County officials, commissioners, well-wishers, and a mascot that looked like a tree gathered at the Edson Keith Farmhouse on Wednesday to celebrate its reopening to the public after a years-long restoration of the historic landmark.
Nicole Rissler, Sarasota County director of Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources, took the occasion to thank county staff, as well has her three predecessors.
“This is a passion project for a lot of our team, and I appreciate everything you all have done,” Rissler said.
Guests gather outside the historic Edson Keith Farmhouse at Phillippi Estates Park Wednesday afternoon, Apr. 2, 2025, for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the completion of the restoration of the 1916 structure.
The white, two-story farmhouse is located at Phillippi Estate Park, adjacent to Phillippi Creek. It is one of the few wood-frame structures from the era still intact in Sarasota County.
The house was built in 1916 by Edson Keith, a Chicago transplant to Sarasota, for his servants and staff. The entire property went through several owners after Keith’s death in 1939. A married couple – Mac Hansen, a doll designer from New York, and Charles Prodie, another Chicago businessman – built the property into a restaurant and hotel called Phillippi Creek Plantation in 1941. More than a decade later, after her husband’s death, Hansen converted the farmhouse into apartments.
The county purchased the estate in 1986, and it was eventually converted into Phillippi Estate Park.
Sarasota County held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday, Apr. 2, 2025, to mark the completion of the restoration of the historic Edson Keith Farmhouse at Phillippi Estates Park. The first floor of the 1916 structure will become an interpretive center highlighting the history, archaeology and native habitats found at the property.
Repairs and improvements to the site include the installation of heating, ventilation and air conditioning; enhanced accessibility for disabled persons; and upgrades to the electricity and plumbing.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony was a star-studded event, relative to Sarasota County government. County Commissioners Joe Neunder, Mark Smith, and Teresa Mast were in attendance, as well as County Administrator Jonathan Lewis.
Neunder, the commission chair, was ultimately the one who cut the ribbon to reopen the century-old historical landmark.
“This whole park has been just a wonderful memory throughout my childhood here (in Sarasota),” he said. “I hope that it provides those similar opportunities for our youngsters and for people to walk area for a little exercise, beauty and wellness.”
Wood doors and hardware have been stripped of paint and brought back to a more natural finish. Sarasota County held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday, Apr. 2, 2025, to mark the completion of the restoration of the historic Edson Keith Farmhouse at Phillippi Estates Park.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota County finishes Edson Keith Farmhouse restoration
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