| The Tom Dignam Beach Cottage | ||
With Gratitude The restoration of the five buildings on the 8.5 acres beachfront campus only happened because a community of people came forward with support in many different forms. As we complete the last of the buildings, we want to thank the community-minded professionals and contractors who have contributed either their materials and/or their labor to this project in spite of lean economic times in the construction and real estate industries. If you need any services these contractors provide, please contact them, thank them, and reward their generosity with your business.
In addition, Siebert Architects, PA have contributed many pro bono hours to see this project through to its completion. |
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After saving original wood for the new building, we're ready to begin.
We drill new pilings with an archeologist standing nearby.
The stringers for the decking.
As of 2/24/08
Tom Dignam in front of the cottage named for him.
As of 3/28/08 |
Beach Cottage Before |
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The beach cottage was built in the 1930s as a guest house for the Hermitage. This is its original position (and the Hermitage House was originally to its immediate right in this first picture). In has been used as a "motel" and briefly (and notoriously) as a nudist colony (what better pedigree for an artist community!). At this point, the building was too far gone, and too close to the beach to be saved in place. So it was dismantled and any wood and fixtures that could be used in its re-creation was saved and fumigated. Beach Cottage After Nature had done such a fine job preparing the Beach Cottage to come down, that it happened in only a few days. Before we knew it, it was as it it were never there. The new beach cottage is being constructed 37 feet east of the original (as dictated by the Florida Dept. of Environmental Protection) and 39 inches north. The area between the cottage and the beach will be planted with appropriate native dune vegetation. More Gratitude Like our generous sub-contractors, we owe a huge debt of gratitude to the following foundations and individuals who have contributed generously to this project.
Our County Partner The entire Hermitage campus is owned by the people of Sarasota County. The Hermitage Artist Retreat, Inc. leases the property from the County in a long-term agreement. The first dollars collected for the Tom Dignam Beach Cottage came from the sale of three pre-fab, free-standing condos to the County. These buildings are currently being used at Englewood's Buchan Field and for the Englewood Environmental Learning Center. This County money was then re-invested by the Hermitage into this County facility This transaction is emblamatic of the close, positive partnership we have with Sarasota County in creating the Hermitage and making it one of America's premiere artist communities. Tom Dignam Who is this man and why is the cottage named after him? Tom is a second generation Englewood resident under whose leadership the Key Agency blossomed into a multi-service corporation based right in Englewood. Now that he has passed the Key Agency baton to his children, Tom has turned his attention to giving back to the community that has supported him so well. The Hermitage has been a recipient of Dignam generosity from 1999. And when Tom gets involved, it's an involvement far beyond the stroking of a big check. Working closely with Hermitage founder Syd Adler, Tom threw himself into every aspect of the restoration of the Hermitage campus. Tom makes things happen, and no one has done more to make the Hermitage happen than he has. Frankly, there would be no Hermitage without him, a fact that has not escaped our Board of Trustees, and the reason why in October, 2007 they voted unanimously to name the restored beach cottage after him. Why is it Green? Because after research, it was determined that the original siding was approximately this color green, with red windows. To be historically accurate when possible, it was determined to paint the building in its original colors. |
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As of 3/23/08 