Public Open House Returns To Powel Crosley Estate In Sarasota On March 8-9

SARASOTA, FL — The annual open house at the historic Powel Crosley Estate in Sarasota is back.

Working with the Bradenton Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Powel Crosley Estate Foundation is reviving the annual event March 8-9. On these days, the public is welcome to tour the estate, located at 8374 N. Tamiami Trail.

Every half hour from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., docents will tour visitors around the mansion, which was built in 1929, according to a Manatee County news release.

The mansion served as the winter home of Powel Crosley, the American inventor who is known for bringing radio to the masses by manufacturing inexpensive radios during the medium’s first defining decade. A variety of Crosley radios and memorabilia will be on display throughout the estate, the county said.

Built in 1929 for Crosley's wife, Gwendolyn, the Mediterranean Revival-style mansion, named "Seagate," is situated directly on the water. It features a circular tower and a carriage house, in addition to the main building, and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

In recent years, the Crosley estate has become a popular wedding and event venue, hosting 103 events last year.

“But there have been few opportunities for public visitors to tour this great asset,” said Elliott Falcione, BACVB director. “We are excited to open the estate doors once again to the public and celebrate the rich history found within the Bradenton area and the contributions Powel Crosley made to the radio industry while living here. They’ll walk away with a new appreciation for the area and one of Florida’s most beautiful wedding venues.”

No reservations are needed and there is no admission cost to tour the estate, though donations are accepted.

Inducted in 2013, Crosley is one of 183 members in the National Radio Hall of Fame. By the time of his death in 1961, he had played a pivotal role in inventing, introducing and manufacturing myriad items, the county said, including:

• WLW Radio/Cincinnati — “The Nation’s Station” — which fed network programming to NBC and Mutual in the 1930s, and used an unprecedented experimental 750,000-watt transmitter
• the first compact economy car
• the first auto radio
• the facsimile machine
• the 35mm camera
• four airplanes