HAROLD BUBIL: Can ‘neo-traditional’ stand the test of time? - Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Editor’s note: While Harold Bubil takes some time off, we’ll reprise some of his popular columns. This column originally ran on March 22, 1997.

In the home-building business, one of the buzzwords of the day is "neo-traditional." New housing communities, such as Rivendell in Sarasota, Celebration at Disney World and, to some extent, Summerfield Village at Lakewood Ranch, are appealing to buyers by making their developments seem a lot like old-fashioned neighborhoods.

I applaud the effort, but wonder just how possible it is to create tradition overnight. Like fine wines, neighborhoods need to age before their quality comes forth. Only then can we tell if they are timeless.

One neighborhood that has passed the time test is the Hyde Park area just southwest of downtown Tampa. "Traditional" with a capital T, Hyde Park (see related story on page 3) is the very embodiment of what modern developers seek to imitate. In fact, the planners of Celebration spent a lot of time roaming the streets of Hyde Park to try to put its magic in a bottle so they could take it back to their Magic Kingdom community.

Platted in the 1880s, Hyde Park has gridded, tree-lined streets, sidewalks, streetlamps, uniform 15-foot setbacks and a mix of charming homes, both grand (see cover) and not-so-grand, with architectural styles from bungalow to Prairie to Craftsman to Art Deco.

Most of the homes, which date from the 1910s and '20s, have been lovingly restored. The yards are manicured, the trees mature and inviting. It's a place that implores you to get out of the car and stroll.

The grid streets, the setbacks — all of that can be duplicated by modern developers, as is the case in Rivendell's Country Cottage section. But other factors are difficult to match, says Jerry Messman, a Tampa architect who has worked on the Celebration project.

"The land plan is nothing exceptional — gridded streets," said Messman when asked what makes Hyde Park so appealing. "Some of it is the mature landscaping that you don't have in a new community. The big oak trees have a continuity as you look down the street. They tie the neighborhood together."

Duplicating the architecture, though, is a bigger challenge. Hyde Park houses tend to be either quite large or quite detailed, or both, and size and detailing is expensive. So are the detached garages and the oversized porches. The porches invite residents to "hang around" outside and talk with each other, says Messman, but on a modern home they would add cost to a house that the buyer probably would be struggling to afford even without them.

Also, a hodgepodge of architectural styles is something developers have avoided for decades. "But the old neighborhoods I grew up in have any kind of architecture right next to each other," says Messman. "Desirable neighborhoods have that mix, but builders shy away from variety, even though people like it."

If we look at Hyde Park with such fondness now, how will our grandchildren view the houses of the 1980s and 1990s — those with the overdone front entrances — in 50 or 100 years?

"I think it will be like what looking back at the ranch houses of the 1950s is for us," said Messman. "It's a very period-oriented architecture that doesn't have a lot to do with anything. I'm not sure that in 50 years people will be clamoring after that type of architecture."

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HAROLD BUBIL: Can ‘neo-traditional’ stand the test of time? - Sarasota Herald-Tribune
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