Warm Mineral Springs Inn
12597 S. Tamiami Trail, North Port, Florida
27-02-51 N, 82-15-43 W
Structural Engineer: Donald A. Sawyer
Architect: Victor A. Lundy
Builder: Spear, Inc.
Configuration: Hyperbolic paraboloid inverted umbrellas
Measurements: Umbrellas measure 14 feet 5 inches square and are 2 inches thick
Purpose: Lodging
Year: 1958
This lovely motel exists among 80 hyperbolic paraboloid inverted umbrella shells. The motel rooms are 14 feet by 28 feet in size; each room has one-half of two and one-quarter of four separate umbrellas overhead (this layout keeps the columns tucked into the walls and allows for both front and back entrances to be covered). A height difference between the shells adds vertical spaces that originally held windows but have been infilled with opaque material. Although the facility could stand a thorough rehabilitation, the fundamental characteristics of the thin-shell concrete structure are unchanged.
The author visited in January 2019, enjoying the view of the shells in different lighting conditions and sleeping soundly under hyperbolic paraboloids.
References
Abercrombie, Stanley. Ferrocement: Building with Cement, Sand, and Wire Mesh. New York: Schocken Books, 1977: 155.
Anonymous. 1960 National Gold Medal Exhibition of the Building Arts. New York: The Architectural League of New York, 1960.
Anonymous. "Buildings in the News: Five Honor Awards and Four Merit Awards in Florida." Architectural Record (March 1959): 14.
Anonymous. "Buildings in the News: Fourteen Buildings Cited in A.I.A.'s Tenth Honor Awards Program." Architectural Record (June 1958): 13.
Anonymous. "Concrete Roof Shells." Concrete Construction (April 1958).
Anonymous. "Florida motel makes unique use of… Concrete Roof Shells." Concrete Construction (April 1958).
Fisher, Thomas. "Past Progressives, 1958: P/A Award Citation." Architect: The Journal of the American Institute of Architects (1958). Accessed February 18, 2019. https://www.architectmagazine.com/design/buildings/past-progressives-1958-p-a-award-citation_o.
Lundy, Victor Alfred, Architect. "Addition to Warm Mineral Springs Inn for Mr. and Mrs. George H. Wheeler Jr., Venice, Florida," drawing no. A15, June 1, 1958, photograph held in the Library of Congress. Accessed February 15, 2019. https://www.loc/gov/item/2017658769/.
"'Mushroom' Motel Draws Big Crowd." Fort Myers News-Press, March 20, 1958.
"The Motel That Was Designed To Stop The Traffic." Tampa Tribune, January 12, 1958.
"Warm Mineral Springs Inn Opens: Unusual Design is Hailed." Tampa Bay Times, March 16, 1958.
Updated March 2, 2024