The Story of Bay Preserve at Osprey
The Story of Bay Preserve at Osprey
The original property was purchased in 1929 by Dr. Waters Field Burrows, a retired surgeon from New York City and his wife Elsa Scherer Burrows. The Burrow’s were responsible for the neo-classical design of the main house, the first floor of the carriage house, the boathouse and grounds. A main house and carriage house were constructed from brick and steel to withstand weather and fire.
Among their extensive land holdings was South Creek Ranch, south of Bay Preserve, which contained 4,000 grapefruit trees, vegetable gardens, a sawmill and chicken farm. In 1955, Mrs. Burrows willed South Creek Ranch, then 462 acres, to the State of Florida to become a park and to preserve wildlife habitat. She named the park in memory of her father, Oscar Scherer.
Dr. Burrows was held in high regard for his business acumen by the people of the region. He owned Gulf State Motors, several apartment buildings in Manatee County and was publisher of “The Commonwealth”, a newspaper in which he wrote about liberty, freedom, and independence. He believed in public lands and also contributed to the Lido Beach and Casino.
The Burrows house was sold to Glen and Betty Valentine in 1953 and to Stewart Seaman in 1957. The second floor of the carriage house was added in the 1950’s. Richard and Cornelia Matson purchased the property in 1985 from Seaman’s heirs. Recognizing that selling the property would certainly threaten the historical integrity of the six structures and surrounding grounds, the Matson’s explored other options. Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast, formerly Sarasota Conservation Foundation, undertook an ambitious capital campaign to purchase, restore, conserve and endow this breathtaking slice of “Old Florida”. In May of 2006 the Foundation purchased the property with the help of a $6.6 million Florida Forever grant from Florida Communities Trust.
Bay Preserve at Osprey is a testament to the power of partnership between a private nonprofit organization, a generous landowner and public entities. The Burrows-Matson House was designated a historic landmark with Sarasota County in 2008 and opened to the public in November of 2009.
A generous grant from the Floyd C. and Flo Singer Johnson Foundation was used to renovate and repurpose the carriage house to create an Artist in Residence program. Flo Singer-Johnson was an accomplished visual artist. The need for creative people to have both the time and place to be inspired by the environment is what attracted her to Bay Preserve at Osprey. Her hope was that artists will be moved to create by the extraordinary natural surroundings. And their work will in turn kindle a desire among those who experience that art to help protect our fragile coast.
Bay Preserve is a place for reflection but it is also a public park bustling with youth rowers, educational programming and outdoor activities. Visitors can hike a nature trail, climb up to a wildlife viewing platform on Little Sarasota Bay and see performances at the outdoor pavilion. The museum for the environment produces frequent art and educational exhibits.