The J.J. and Maude Murphy House

The Bird House Bungalow

The J.J. and Maude Murphy House, located at 1263 12th Street, was originally located at 1522 North Tamiami Trail, in the Valencia Terrace Subdivision. Both the Craftsman Style Bungalow and the one-story wood frame garage were originally constructed for single family domestic use, but in 1953, they were converted into office and storage space. In 2006, the new owner had the structures moved and were refurbished into residential use as her home.
The house originally stood on two lots along the east side of U.S. 41. Although a number of WWII residential structures were located this stretch of the Tamiami Trail at one time, virtually all have been demolished and replaced with commercial or condominium buildings over the years.  Many of the homes in the 15th Street area continue to retain its residential state with numerous residences constructed over several decades, from the 1920s into the 1950s, ranging from Frame Vernacular structures to Spanish Eclectic bungalows to simple Craftsman style homes.

One of the subdivisions platted in Sarasota during the Land Boom of the 1920s was Valencia Terrace. Dr. Sherman Taylor of Chicago and Sarasota, purchased and undertook the initial development of the subdivision, although the plat was executed by First National Trust Co. as Trustee in March of 1924. An April 9, 1925 article in This Week in Sarasota projected $75,000 in house construction for the new development. Lots were marketed in the $3,000 to $5,000 range during the early years, although some corner lots were advertised by real estate companies such as the Sarasota Development Co. for as much as $6,000.
Construction in Valencia Terrace and other Boom Time subdivisions continued at a rapid pace until 1926 when real estate prices collapsed. The final blow to the Boom was the stock market crash in 1929.

“J.J: John J. Murphy was an electrician who moved to Sarasota in 1923. Born in 1882, it appears he was a native of Worcester, Massachusetts where his three sisters resided. He and his wife resided on Arlington Street in Sarasota prior to the construction and their occupancy of their new home. Mr. Murphy was active in civic and community organizations including the Sarasota Masonic Lodge, the Shriners and was an Exalted Member of the Sarasota Elks Lodge. He owned and operated J.J. Murphy Electric on Lemon Avenue for 29 years before retiring. He was married to Maude Murphy, the former Maude Archer who also came to Sarasota from Worcester. According to Sylvia Groom, who was acquainted with Mrs. Murphy, Mr. Murphy was the electrical contractor for the construction of the 1926 El Vernona Hotel (later the John Ringling Hotel, now demolished, and also the electrical contractor for a number of projects for John Ringling). Mr. Murphy died in 1963 and shortly thereafter his widow sold the property to Sylvia Groom, a well-known local real estate broker. Mrs. Murphy moved to North Lime Avenue and later was a resident of a local nursing home until her death in 1985.
In 1963, Sylvia Groom converted the residence into her real estate office. She continued to operate her real estate firm from the former house until 1981.
In 1981, Sylvia Groom sold the property to William and Phyllis Ring. The Rings used the former residence as the office for their advertising agency, Ring Advertising.
In 1995, the Rings transferred ownership of the property to Richard and Caren Lobo. Mr. Lobo used it as his business office until the property was sold to RIDAWN, LLC with Heather Chappel as Trustee, in 2005. Ms. Chappel purchased the property as an investment for new development and construction and a decision was made that the structure was not suitable for her future use.
In October, 2005, Katherine Kelly entered into discussions with Ms. Chappel about the potential for obtaining ownership of the structure which would allow Ms. Kelly to relocate the structure in order to save it from demolition. An agreement was reached in November, 2005 for transfer of the ownership of the structures that would allow Ms. Kelly to move them from the site to a vacant lot owned by Ms. Kelly which was adjacent to Ms. Kelly's other historically designated home, the Kickliter House, which she purchased and fully rehabilitated in 2001.

The house located in the Central Cocoanut National Historic District, is two blocks from the Intracoastal Waterway and a short stroll to the fabulous and vibrant Historically designated Downtown Sarasota.