Schoolhouse Modern

SCHOOLHOUSE MODERN

Spring 2023 | Longboat Key, FL

DURATION: Ryan Gamma
SIZE: 2,040 sq ft
ARCHITECT: Sweet Sparkman Architecture and Interiors
RECOGNITION: AIA Florida Design Awards, 2025
SCOPE: Historic Restoration and Addition
STYLE: primary

Schoolhouse Modern by day, the white cantilevered addition joined to the original schoolhouse beside a large shade tree

Schoolhouse Modern is a Sweet Sparkman–designed addition and remodel on Longboat Key, completed by Ross Built in 2023. A crisp white cantilevered volume wrapped in warm horizontal wood siding and floor-to-ceiling glass rises beside the original low-slung cottage, giving the home a striking modern face without erasing what was there.

Inside, whitewashed walls, wood floors, and a wall of built-in bookshelves keep the 2,040 square feet light and easy to live in, and a cable-railed balcony off the upper level opens out under the oaks. It is a small project with big presence, and proof that a modern remodel can carry the same level of detail as a ground-up custom build.

Recognition: AIA Florida Design Awards 2025, Citation Award of Excellence, Renovations and Additions (Sweet Sparkman Architecture and Interiors).

Schoolhouse Modern beside the original 1926 schoolhouse under a live oak

Schoolhouse Modern addition, a white cantilevered box over wood siding

Cantilevered white box of the addition with wood siding at dusk

Front of the addition with floor-to-ceiling glass at dusk

Living and dining room in the original schoolhouse with wood floors and built-in shelves

Glass hallway with wood floors connecting old and new

Bedroom with sliding glass doors to the balcony and trees

Corner bedroom with glass walls opening to the balcony

Hallway with wood floors and a tall window at the end

The modern addition and the original schoolhouse at dusk under oak limbs

Adding on to a home you love?

Additions and remodels get the same team and the same attention to detail as our new homes. Tell us what you have and what you want it to become.

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