The Snapshot
A complex, two-story historic building conversion that transformed a 1924 historic office building into a Neapolitan pizzeria and bar. Located in Downtown Sarasota, this restoration balanced multiple elements. It preserved the architectural history of the Ringling era while creating a clean, modern, restaurant space.The project required meticulous restoration, resulting in a seamless blend of Sarasota historic charm and modern restaurant utility. Bavaro’s stands as a testament to Holliday Group’s ability to uncover and resolve deep structural deficiencies in historic structures while meeting commercial brand standards.
The Challenge: Modernizing a 100-Year-Old Structure:
Converting a century-old office into a high-volume restaurant required a complete technical overhaul. Once the interior was cleared, our team identified opportunities to reinforce the original floor joists to support the increased weight of a modern commercial kitchen. We also had to navigate the building’s narrow, historic footprint to integrate a specialized grease trap and exhaust system—a common hurdle in Downtown SRQ historic properties. Additionally, we managed discrepancies between the 1920s blueprints and current field measurements to ensure the custom-fabricated bar and “Old World” industrial finishes aligned perfectly within the space.
The Strategy: Expert Historic Preservation & Technical Upgrades
To ensure the building was fully optimized for its new use, Holliday Group used precision engineering to strengthen the 1920s masonry and flooring without disturbing the original exterior or the 100-year-old storefront windows. We worked within the City of Sarasota’s Historic Preservation guidelines to facilitate the necessary permitting for this iconic site.Our team specialized in MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing) retrofitting, carefully mapping the structure to install modern fire suppression and ventilation. By meticulously sequencing the work, we successfully blended original 1920s brick with modern industrial elements like new fans and custom ironwork, ensuring the project met the high standards expected in the Downtown Sarasota market.Learn about our full range of restaurant services on our Commercial Construction services page.
