Gene Leedy

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Gene Leedy (February 6, 1928 – November 24, 2018) was an architect based in Winter Haven, Florida. He was a pioneer of the modern movement in Florida and later a founder of the Sarasota School of Architecture, whose members included Paul Rudolph, Victor Lundy, and others. After beginning his career in Sarasota, Leedy moved his practice to Winter Haven in 1954.^[1] He is best known for his bold use of precast concrete, especially in long-span, "double-tee" structural elements.^[2]

Personal life[]

Gene Leedy was born to Cecil Hudgins Leedy and Ethyl Ferguson Leedy on February 6, 1928 in Isaban, West Virginia. Cecil was a supervisor for a coal mining company, and Ethyl taught in a one-room schoolhouse. The family eventually moved to Gainesville, Florida, where Cecil opened a small restaurant. At the University of Florida in Gainesville, Gene later studied architecture. On July 20, 1950, in Arlington, Virginia, he married Kathryn "Bebe" Hoge, of Tampa, Florida. The couple settled in Florida, first in Sarasota and then, in 1954, in Winter Haven, where Gene opened his own architectural office. Their son, Robert Hoge Leedy, was born in Winter Haven on October 17, 1956, but they divorced in 1958. Gene then married Marjorie Frances Ingram on March 6, 1960, residing in Winter Haven along with Marjorie's daughter from her previous marriage, Helen Isabel King (born August 27, 1954). The family grew with the birth of their daughter, Marjorie "Saffie" Ingram Leedy, on October 25, 1962, and their son, Ingram Leedy, on November 1, 1969. Leedy's wife, Marjorie, died on Christmas Day 2010 in Winter Haven.

Notable career achievements[]

Leedy was selected as one of Architectural Record's successful young architects in 1965 with a published portfolio of his work. In 1988, he was awarded the lifetime design achievement award from the . He was inducted into the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects in 1992,^[3] and received the outstanding alumni award from the College of Architecture of the University of Florida in 1993. His work has been extensively published in the U.S. and Europe and has received more than 50 architectural awards both nationally and statewide.

In addition to projects throughout the U.S., including Hawaii, he designed a large housing complex for the government of Malaysia. He was also a design consultant for Alfred A. Yee and Associates, Architects and Engineers, Honolulu, Hawaii for more than 25 years. Among Leedy's notable former employees are architects Lawrence Scarpa and , whose firm Strang Design, collaborated with Alive Coverage on The Gene Leedy Influence. This short film is about a house designed by Gene Leedy in 1956 in Winter Haven, Florida,^[4][5] which was his own family residence, as well as the original prototype for the Craney Spec Homes development.

Honors and awards[]

Lifetime Design Achievement Award - Florida Chapter of the American Institute of Architects - 1988 Outstanding Alumni Award - University of Florida College of Architecture - 1993 Fellows of the AIA - 1992

Significant works[]

Commercial projects[]

• Cypress Gardens Bank, Winter Haven, Florida, 1965
• City Hall, Winter Haven, Florida, 1960
• Gene Leedy Architectural Office, Winter Haven, Florida, 1961
• Keiltronix Office Building, Charlotte, North Carolina, 1987
• Taxdal Medical Center, Winter Haven, Florida, 1986
• Flagship Bank, Orlando, Florida, 1975
• Chamber of Commerce, Winter Haven, Florida, 1990
• Walden Lake Country Club, Plant City, Florida 1985
• Commerce Bank of Central Florida, Winter Haven, Florida 1990
• American National Bank, Winter Haven, Florida, 1962
• Brentwood Elementary School, Sarasota, Florida, 1958
• First National Bank of Cape Canaveral, Cape Canaveral, FL 1963

Residential projects[]

• House for Contemporary Builders, Sarasota, Florida, 1950
• Craney Homes, Inc, Winter Haven, Florida, 1956
• Weaving/Thomasson house, Winter Haven, Florida, 1956
• Navickas Residence, Winter Haven, Florida, 1957
• Dormon Residence, Winter Haven, Florida, 1963
• Builder's House for Levitt & Sons Inc, Rockledge, Florida, 1964
• Libby Residence, Winter Park, Florida, 1957
• Sands Residence, Winter Haven, Florida, 1965
• S.A.E. Fraternity House, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, 1963
• Sparrow Residence, Winter Haven, Florida, 1954
• Azalea Place Townhouses, Winter Park, Florida, 1982
• Brogden Residence, Winter Haven, Florida, 1979
• Miller Residence, Plant City, Florida, 1985
• Carlton Beach House, Boca Grande, Florida, 1985
• Dean Residence, Winter Haven, Florida 1983
• De Pree Residence, Marco Island, Florida 1979
• Garcia Residence, Anna Maria Island, Florida, 1995
• Keilhack Residence, Charlotte, North Carolina, 1979
• Leedy Residence, Winter Haven, Florida, 1956 (Addition in 1998)
• Leedy Beach House, Casey Key, Florida, 1985 (Renovation)
• Lifsey President's House, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida 1994
• Smith Beach House, Boca Grande, Florida, 1985
• Solomon Residence & Studio, Siesta Key, Florida, 1970
• Strang Residence, Winter Haven, Florida, 1970
• Strasberg Residence, Longwood, Florida, 1982

References[]

• Hochstim, Jan. "Florida Modern." Rizzoli International Publications, 2005.
• Howey, John. "The Sarasota School of Architecture." The MIT Press, 1995.
• Weaving, Andrew. Sarasota Modern. Rizzoli, 2006.

External links[]

• The Leedy Lifetime Works Tour
• Sarasota Historical Resources
• Lakeland Ledger Profile