De Sota Park / Logan and Currin, Inc.

De Sota Park, also, Logan and Currin, Inc.. . , De Sota Park , During the Florida Land Boom of the 1920's, many new subdivision were platted, both within the City of Sarasota and within expanded city limits. On September 10, 1924, Lewis Combs (1892-1943), a native of Illinois who came to Sarasota in 1911, filed the "De Sota Park Subdivision" plat in Sarasota Heights, an area just outside the city limits. The subdivision name is thought to be a slight alteration in the spelling of Hernando de Soto, an early Spanish explorer of Florida., Although initial sales were slow, lot sales in the subdivision began to escalate with sales of multiple lots, causing Sarasota Heights to be incorporated into the city limits in 1925. For the next two years, many of the period's most prominent Sarasota architects designed homes and several area builders constructed homes in the subdivision., Logan and Currin, Inc. was DeSota Park's most active builder in the early years of development (see side two)., As a result, Frank Logan constructed his family home on 1937 Datura Street. In addition to the Logan's home, the subdivision became home to some of Sarasota's more prominent citizens., Although lot sales virtually stopped in 1926 until after world war two, by the 1960's, the subdivision was fully developed and had become and remains one of Sarasota's most attractive premier neighborhoods. The real estate boom of the early 2000's and subsequent recovery ushered in an era of original homes being replaced with homes that were larger and more modern. (Side one), Logan and Currin, Inc. , During the Florida Land Boom of the 1920's and into the 1940's, Sarasota benefitted from a number of distinguished builders; among the more prominent and respected was Logan and Currin, Inc. Logan and Currin was formed in 1924 by Frank A. Logan (1895-1938) and Russell A. Currin (1894-1967). Both were natives of Ohio, fraternity brothers at Dennison University in Granville, Ohio, and served together in the Army during world war one at the Edgewood Arsenal in Maryland. Shortly thereafter, Logan worked as a civilian in the gas defense section of the U.S. Chemical Warfare Division, where he invented a new gas mask canister, later named the Logan Canister in his honor. The canister was still in use early in world war two, although Logan succumbed earlier as a result of self-testing canister prototypes., Currin came to Sarasota in 1923. Frank Logan arrived a year later to partner with Currin in the building business., For the next ten years, the company was responsible for the construction of numerous beautiful homes and buildings throughout Sarasota, including the main building of Sarasota Hospital, the Presbyterian Church, Christian Church and Thacker Funeral Home. Many of the residences they built in the 1920's were located in De Sota Park Subdivision including the Logan Family home. , By the mid-1930's, Logan essentially withdrew from the firm to work in the bond business. However, at Currin's request the Company retained its original name. Logan and Currin, Inc. experienced a resurgence with the construction of several buildings at the Sarasota Air Base during world war two and continued to construct buildings in Sarasota into the early 1960's. By the mid-1960's, Currin sold the firm to Jack Bryant. The Logan and Currin name continued to be used for many years due to the respect in which the name was held. (Side two)