is and what clarity and use of materials means. The
public needs someone who is centered on the
truth and on the values he holds dear. The public
needs someone like that to educate them.”
Historical Preservation Consultant Lorrie
Muldowney said, “Some of the buildings he’s done
are grand, some quite modest. It was wonderful
that he could build smaller homes that would appeal
to people of more modest means and that
they were able to experience great architecture on
that scale.”
“He worked with the public, he worked with
corporations, he worked with politicians to build
things meaningful,” said Joe King, a member of the
Sarasota School. “That’s when architecture gets
interesting, when it interacts with social and
economic forces.”
Seibert excelled in his role as interlocutor, his
capacity to bring various forces in the community
together to produce projects that enhanced the
community’s self regard.
A list of Seibert's honors, accolades, awards and
publications runs several pages. He was elected
Fellow of the American Institute of Architects in
1998, which cited him as a leader of the Sarasota
School of Architecture and for “his commitment to
architecture as an art” and “the consistently elegant
and provocative design solutions” which distinguish
his work. He founded the firm Seibert Architects
in 1955. The firm grew to a collection of talented
and sometimes eccentric architects and technicians
who learned to work together productively.
Over the years the scale and scope of the firm’s
projects has grown to include luxury condominiums,
resorts, marinas, and shopping centers. Although he
has since sold the firm to his former employees,
Seibert continues to be closely involved.
Asked whether he was a purist about modern
architecture, he responded, “I was a different kind
of architect, I think. I liked my clients and I could
produce good architecture, which was different
from what they thought it would be. The John D.
MacDonald house is an example. John knew nothing
about architecture when we started, but he was
a brilliant guy. Although he wrote mysteries, he was
a Harvard Business School graduate. The book
‘Florida Cracker’ says it’s cracker architecture. A
Japanese magazine says it’s cutting-edge modern,
so there’s a broad range of opinion about architecture.
It’s John MacDonald’s house. What he
originally thought he wanted was really pretty
terrible, so I made a model of it and we agreed. It
was horrible. His property was located on a big
pass so I designed a pole house to protect against