The Sarasota County History Center is a branch of the county’s public library system focusing on local history, genealogy and historic preservation. The History Center is temporarily located in the Osprey Library at 337 N Tamiami Trail in Osprey. A new 30,000-square-foot History Center is under construction adjacent to the existing Fruitville Library at 100 Apex Road in Sarasota. The new History Center is expected to open in early 2027, but in the meantime most collections and services are already available at the Osprey location.
The History Center provides public access to an extensive collection of published and unpublished resources documenting our fascinating local past, including:
- Books on local history, archaeology and architecture.
- School yearbooks.
- Historical newspapers.
- Photographs.
- Maps and aerial photographs.
- Oral histories.
- More than 590 collections of archival records from local individuals, families, businesses, organizations and institutions.
In addition to providing access to these materials for research, the History Center promotes the collection through exhibits and public programs. Many of our exhibits and public programs are hosted at the History Center itself, but they can also be found at other branches of the library system.
The History Center also serves as Sarasota County’s historic preservation agency. Our historic preservation programs include:
- The Sarasota County Historical Marker Program, which has erected more than 80 historical markers since 1977.
- The Sarasota County Register of Historic Places, which identifies and helps protect historic properties around the county.
- An ad valorem tax exemption program for qualifying improvements to historic properties.
- Monitoring of building and development permits to determine impacts to historical and archaeological resources and require mitigation when necessary.
The History Center team carries out these functions with the help of two advisory boards, the Sarasota County Historical Commission and the Sarasota County Historic Preservation Board. The Historical Commission reviews proposals for establishing new historical markers or amending the language on existing markers. The Historic Preservation Board reviews proposals for new additions to the Sarasota County Register of Historic Places, as well as proposals for altering, relocating or demolishing designated historic buildings.
