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Long-awaited Edson Keith Farmhouse restoration project complete

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Published  April 6, 2025 4:59pm EDT
Sarasota County
FOX 13 News

Renovation complete at historic Sarasota farmhouse

FOX 13's Lloyd Sowers shares the history of the Edson Keith Farmhouse and the work done to renovate it.

The Brief

    • The Edson Keith Farmhouse restoration project is complete.
    • The project was supported by grants from Florida's Division of Historical Resources and the funds raised by the Phillippi Farmhouse Market which has contributed $428 thousand dollars toward the restoration of the Keith Farmhouse.
    • It's part of Phillipi Estate Park, a 60-acre park along Phillippi Creek in Sarasota.

SARASOTA, Fla. - Sarasota County held a ribbon cutting for a relic from 1916, a farmhouse built by an industrialist from Chicago who found paradise on the shores of Phillipi Creek. 

Edson Keith Farmhouse ribbon cutting

The two-story clapboard farmhouse was built by Edson Keith, a prominent Chicago businessman, but the farmhouse was just part of his estate. 

Edson Keith

"They actually lived in it while they were building the mansion," says Nicole Rissler, Director of Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources at Sarasota County Government. 

The backstory:

The Italian Renaissance Keith Mansion was previously remodeled. It's open for tours seasonally. However, the farmhouse was a project for the future.

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"This has been 20 years in the making," says Rissler. "We've restored and done all kinds of things to the mansion over the years, but the farmhouse has been a long-awaited project."

Edson Keith Farmhouse

The project was supported by grants from Florida's Division of Historical Resources and the funds raised by the Phillippi Farmhouse Market which has contributed $428 thousand dollars toward the restoration of the Keith Farmhouse.

It's part of Phillipi Estate Park, a 60-acre park along Phillippi Creek. The park hosts community events, historical preservation, and environmental conservation.

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The Source: Information for this story was gathered by FOX 13's Lloyd Sowers.

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