Have you ever driven through Sarasota’s Cherokee Park and thought, “Wow, this place looks like class  met charm and they decided to settle down.”

 

 

Cherokee Park began with James C. Brown—a Scottish silk manufacturer who, during the Florida land boom of 1924-1926 came to Sarasota.

 It was a wild time in Florida, marked by speculation, excitement, and a general belief that real estate prices would rise forever.

 

Brown purchased land at the southern edge of Sarasota with a simple goal: create the most desirable community the city had ever seen

 

In 1925, he officially recorded Cherokee Park as a subdivision. By 1926, Brown had installed the impressive wall along Osprey Avenue, plus the gate posts and streets we still admire today. He wasn’t cutting corners—this was a man with a vision and a nice budget.

 

Then he built his own home, Cherokee Lodge between 1925 and 1926. A second home on South Drive followed soon after. It looked like Cherokee Park was off to the races

 

Unfortunately, timing is everything, and Brown’s timing was almost perfect

 

Just a year after Cherokee Park was platted, Sarasota’s real estate fever broke.   Banks failed, boom-built fortunes evaporated, and the golden age of speculative buying ended

 

As a result, construction in Cherokee Park hit a pause for ten years before the next homes were built, and most of the community didn’t fill in until after World War II. Good things take time, of course; great neighborhoods, apparently, take even longer.

 

The Name Game: Not the Tribe, Not the Place, But… the Flower?

 

Here’s the twist that surprises nearly everyone, including longtime residents: Cherokee Park is not named after the Cherokee Indian Nation.

 

Mr Brown named his dream subdivision after the Cherokee Rose, a white flower native to China, which is said to have been spread throughout the American South by the Cherokee people. The blossom appears in charming mosaic tile on the neighborhood’s gate posts. It’s lovely and symbolic

Before you feel bad, you should know that practically everyone—including you, me, and your most knowledgeable neighbor—assumed it referred to the tribe.

 

Cherokee Park Today: Beauty, Trees, and a Whole Lot of Gratitude

Today, Cherokee Park is home to roughly 90 residences, each tucked into a setting that looks like it was designed by someone who really loved trees

The streets feature lush center medians, towering canopies, and the sort of landscaping that makes visitors decide, within three minutes, that they would also like to live here

 

Several original homes still stand, adding depth and character to a community that feels both classic and alive. It’s the kind of neighborhood where history whispers from the architecture while residents wave from their driveways.

 

A Thank-You Note, Nearly 100 Years Late

 

So here’s to the man with the dream, the roses, and the impeccable masonry: James C. Brown. His grand vision—interrupted though it was—left Sarasota with one of its most charming neighborhoods.