Seaside & Gordon Burns
Gordon Burns, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP, on his first visit to Seaside in 1990, grasped the significance of Seaside as a unique visionary community and wanted to be part of it. He purchased his lot at 12 Odessa Street that first week, started the design of his home and began an active role in implementing the Seaside plan. Small lots and a simple building code offered rising-star architects the opportunity to exercise their design skills. Small custom home builders caught the wave and developed the craftsmanship style of the new spirit. Magazine publishers loved to feature these new designs which furthered credibility of this new, unique community by the sea. This fueled Seaside lot sales, attracting even more visionary owners and talented architects.
Burns recognized and applied Seaside’s design axioms of authenticity of vernacular architecture, honesty of natural materials, and the great diversity and creative expression offered by the Seaside Code. Over the next nine years (1990-1999), Burns maintained a central role in implementing the vision of Seaside, from a plan to a town.
In 1992, after completing his home, Seastar, Burns was elected by the Seaside Homeowners to serve on the Seaside Town Council as the Rental Homeowner’s Representative, to represent more than three hundred homeowners (about 75% at the time) with homes in the various Seaside Cottage Rental programs. Burns served as their Rental Homeowner’s Representative for seven years. Also, in 1992, Burns was elected to serve as President of the Odessa Street Homeowner’s Association and served to 1999.
In 1996-1999, Burns moved to Seaside to serve as Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer, Real Estate for Seaside, managing commercial and residential real estate development, design, planning, construction, commercial leasing, and real estate sales. Burns administered the construction and signed off upon completion of the buildings. During this period, Burns, an AIA member and a licensed Florida architect, and on behalf of Seaside Community Development Corporation, reviewed and approved the design, financing and construction administration of the commercial buildings and real estate development in Seaside.
Noteworthy buildings, during this time, include construction of the four-story, mixed-use Machado-Silvetti building (Machado-Silvetti Architects), the Honeymoon Cottages (Scott Merrill Architect), Seaside Pavilion (Eric Watson Architect), Seaside Neighborhood School (Richard Gibbs Architect), Sundog Books, Fusion and Heavenly’s (both buildings uniquely designed to be movable to the Lyceum), expansion of Café Spiazzia, the Seaside Clinic, the West Pool Snack Bar and Pavilion, the rooftop and apartment repairs to the Holl Building (Steven Holl Architect), the six Town Center Commercial Kiosks, the Park at the West Pool and 12 Odessa Street, Seastar, Banana Cabana and Palm Cottage (Gordon Burns Architect). Also, major renovations to Bud & Alley’s and Shades (both landmark restaurants), plus expansion to Bouzouki’s and Fancy Tomato, and repairs to Krier House all took place under Burns’ direction.
Overall, Burns created and began the implementation of a long term, comprehensive, $100+M capital development plan to complete Seaside, consisting of more than sixty projects. More than half of the projects were either completed, under construction or in the architectural design phase under Burns.
During this period, Burns also served as Seaside’s Town Architect (1996-1999) and as a member of the Seaside Architectural Review Board, reviewing architectural design drawings for Seaside’s homes, providing interpretations of the Seaside Code, and advising homeowners with remodeling or updates to their homes.
Burns, in his role of Chief Operating Officer, also served as landlord to Seaside’s commercial businesses. He was elected to the Downtown Seaside Merchants Association Board of Directors and served three years, a period when commercial activity in Seaside greatly expanded. Burns also initiated www.seasidefl.com, Seaside’s website.
