Keeping historic buildings up is, well, a challenge. Join us to help preserve Sarasota’s past.
The Bidwell-Wood House and Crocker Memorial Church are two of Sarasota’s most successful examples of preserving historic buildings through adaptive reuse. These historically designated buildings need constant maintenance, sensitive repairs and renovations to continue to serve the community and preserve historic status.
Where we are as of December 2025:
During the past few years
we’ve concentrated our efforts on the Crocker Memorial Church. With the help of fundraising and grants we’ve totally updated the east and west walls, including new windows and repainted the front of the church. We recently received a generous grant to renovate the south wall and repair/expand our wood decks. That work will commence in the spring of 2026.
We now need to give some much needed attention to the Bidwell-Wood house. We recently had a full inspection and found several areas that need repair. Fortunately, no safety issues were discovered but there is much attention needed, including the replacement of our 18 year old air conditioning system. A preliminary estimate for all the necessary work is well over $75,000.
If you’re considering making a donation to support our historic preservation work, you can do so as a one-time gift or a small monthly amount, either by credit card or Paypal. Click here to help using your credit card or Paypal. Thank you.
The Historical Society of Sarasota County 