THE BYRD AND KATHERINE KICKLITER HOUSE

            The Byrd and Katherine Kickliter House is a 1925 Craftsman Style bungalow located 1205 Cocoanut Avenue in Sarasota, Florida.  It is located approximately 1 mile north of the historic downtown core of the city.  The property is located within the Cocoanut Avenue National Register Historic District to which it is a contributing structure.This is the largest historic district to date in Sarasota county.

            The house is architecturally significant as it displays  characteristics of a distinctive subtype of the Craftsman Style Bungalow,  an Airplane Bungalow.  A c.1947 one-story Masonry Vernacular garage is also located on the site.

The common dining area with the kitchen through the French doors to the left and full garden views out the double french doors forward.  

Physical Description

            This stucco over frame Craftsman Style Bungalow is a subtype of the front-gabled roof bungalow.  It could also be referred to as an “airplane bungalow” because of the shape and plane of its partial second story.  Airplane Bungalows also  displayed porch areas that were extensively developed and included multiple interior and exterior accesses to porch areas.  In general, the house displays a somewhat unique bungalow form compared to other more simple modest period Craftsman style houses that are usually found in Florida based upon its multiple gable over gable roof planes and its aforementioned “airplane” like second floor.

Airplane Bungalows

            The Airplane Bungalow dates from the early 1900s and became very popular in California in the mid-teens.  It is a residential style that grew out of the Craftsman movement.  The Airplane Bungalow has characteristics of and is similar to the Craftsman Bungalow but a “pop up” second floor, usually of one or two rooms, characterizes the Airplane Bungalow.  Both have a low-pitched gabled roof, over sized with exposed rafters and bands or windows.

Historic Context

            During the 1920s, residential subdivisions were platted throughout an expanded Sarasota city limits. Cheap land prices and the promise of quick profits swept the city into a spiral of unparalleled growth.  Sarasota downtown development was coupled with expanding suburban residential areas. Sarasota was fast replacing the fishing village image that it had with that of a developing resort community.  Construction following World War I, produced what would become a modern city.

            One of the subdivisions platted in Sarasota during the land Boom of the 1920s was Valencia Terrace. 

            On November 7, 1925, Byrd Kickliter and his wife, Katherine Alderman Kickliter, purchased the subject property .

Byrd and Katherine Kickliter

            A Floridian by birth, B.C. “Byrd” Kickli(gh)ter came to Sarasota in 1922. Previously, he operated a farm in Okeechobee.  His wife Katherine Alderman Kickliter was born in DesSoto Florida and arrived in Sarasota in 1924 from Tampa.  Her family became well know in Sarasota and a street bears the family name to this day.

            In 1926, Byrd Kicklighter built the subject residential structure and established the Kickliter Hardware Store in Sarasota in a building he had constructed on Main Street.Shortly thereafter, his brother, J.F. Kicklighter joined him as a partner in the ownership and operation of the store.    Byrd Kicklighter later altered the spelling of his last name, as did Dowling Kicklighter.  Upon the death of J.F. Kicklighter in 1934, Byrd Kickliter purchased J.F.’s half interest in the business from J.F.’s widow Mathilda. 

Another family member, Materia Kickliter, organized a new store with Gordon Adams, the Sarasota Hardware and Paint Co.  By 1936, son John D. Kickliter, became involved in that business.  Local resident Dr. Jack Halton became a business partner in 1945.  The Sarasota Hardware Store remains in business today on Main Street in the same block as the original hardware store, but in a building west of the original store on Main Street.  It is one of the oldest businesses in continuous operation in Sarasota County.

            In 1934, when the Sarasota concern, United First Federal Savings and Loan was first organized and chartered, Byrd Kickliter served as an original director and 1^st Vice President.  Kickliter also formed his own development company, the Kickliter Development Company owning extensive land parcels in north Sarasota.

Byrd and his wife, Katherine, had two children, a son, James, (b.1924) who became a urologist and a daughter (Katherine) Maxine (b. 1926), who married David B. Roberts.  They were both raised in the subject house.  James drowned while scuba diving in the 1970s.  (Maxine) Katherine passed away in the 1980s.

Subsequent owners included the Charles M. and Mable F. Beachler family from the mid 1950s until 1963.  Mr. Beachler was a former bank employee of Sarasota Bank, first Executive Vice President of Gulf Gate Bank and subsequently the President of Trail National Bank.

The George A. and Julia T. Cladin family owned the house form 1963 until 1999. Mr. Cladin owned and operated Cladin’s Electronics Service and Mrs. Cladin was a nurse for Dr. John Butcher.  About 1965, shortly after purchasing the property, the Cladins purchased Lot 14 to the north, which expanded the site.  In 2006, Katherine Kelly, the current owner, moved a historic residential structure to that lot.  In 1999, the Cladin’s son, John sold the property to the current owner, Katherine Kelly, although George and Julika Cladin ceased residing the house upon their deaths in the 1980s. Their son maintained the house as a rental property for a number of years afterward until it was sold to Ms. Katherine Kelly.  In 1999, the property was locally designated under local ordinance by the City of Sarasota as a Historic structure by Ms. Kelly.  The house located in the Central Cocoanut National Historic District, is two blocks from the intercoastal waterway and a short stroll to the fabulous and vibrant  Historically designated Downtown Sarasota.