Murray Homes nabs three awards; Ross Built of Bradenton also wins multiple Aurora awards.
| Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Murray Homes of Sarasota led the way among a number of residential and commercial properties in Southwest Florida that were honored at the recent 41st annual Aurora Awards.
The 2020 Southeast Building Conference competition drew nearly 200 entries in 54 categories for attached and detached housing designs, including interior design, detailing, custom and re-use and renovation work. It also honored diverse commercial, recreational and specialty buildings.
Murray Homes nabbed three awards, including the best-in-show “Golden Aurora” for its 4,233-square-foot Sarasota Modern Retreat designed by the Guy Peterson Office for Architecture.
Ross Built Construction of Bradenton also won multiple awards.
The Murray home also received a grand award for best custom house in the 4,000- to 6,000-square-foot category, and a silver award in the competition.
Murray said the modern home centerpieces an old oak tree and a banyan tree, providing both the backdrop and the inspiration. The client ordered a four-bed, four-bath main house and a guest house positioned on two connected lots.
“This is a well deserved accolade for an exceptional home, and we are honored that our industry peers recognized its design, aesthetic and build,” company president Steve Murray stated in a news release.
The home, at 1775 Cherokee Drive in the Cherokee Park neighborhood, sold last month for $4.2 million, a price the agent said is the highest for a non-waterfront property in the county this year.
The grand award for best renovated or restored single house went to Sarasota Bay house by Ross Built and designed by Riveting Designs.
Ross Built also received a grand award in the best on the boards custom home category for Modern River House in Bradenton. It was designed by MKC Architects.
Ross also earned a silver award in the best website group.
The CAN Community Health national headquarters on Fruitville Road in Sarasota received a silver award in the best rehabilitation category. Entered by Inbar Architecture, Vera Contractors was the builder, and designed by SereneDesign.
Two local properties won silvers for best custom home under 4,000 square feet: Kingfisher on Longboat Key, by Ross Built and designed by Beacon Design; and the O’Daly residence in Bradenton, also by Ross Built and designed by Sweet Sparkman.
Villa Azure on Longboat Key by Perrone Construction took a silver award in the best custom home 4,000 to 6,000 square feet category.
In the best on the boards group, a silver award went to Blue Heron on Holmes Beach, by Ross Built and designed Cooper Johnson Smith Peterson Architects & Town Planners.
The Avalon at Twin Rivers in Parrish won a silver award for J. Michael Fine Homes LLC in the category for best interior design of a custom/spec home priced under $1 million.
That home also took silver awards in the best kitchen design custom/spec/one of a kind category, and for best interior detailing of a home under $1 million.
Winning a silver award in the best interior design of a custom/spec home
priced at $1 million to $2 million was the Mokara model in Lakewood Ranch, entered by AR Homes, with builder/developer Nelson Home Inc.
Ross Built also won a silver for 116 79th St., Holmes Beach, for best interior detailing for a home priced $1 million to $2 million.
The four judges said they were impressed by all of the submissions.
“Creative ideas in design do not know boundaries,” judge Donald Ruthroff said. “We found the variety and level of excellence to be particularly heartening this year.”
Established in 1979, Aurora Awards are presented annually to outstanding builders, planners, architects, developers, designers, interior merchandisers and other housing-related professionals. Residential and Commercial construction professionals actively involved in projects located in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and the Eastern Caribbean are eligible to participate.