Campus & Facilties
New College is situated on a beautiful 110-acre campus in northern Sarasota County, just two miles from the heart of one of America’s most admired small cities. The campus is divided into three distinct areas, two of which are located along Sarasota Bay west of U.S. 41 (Tamiami Trail), while the third is located to the east and linked by a pedestrian bridge. We are situated in the emerging University district, an area of higher education, culture and arts that includes New College of Florida, University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee, the Florida State University Ringling Center for the Cultural Arts and the Ringling School of Art and Design, along with area businesses and property owners.
The historic Bayfront (Palmer) Campus sits on the former estate of circus magnate Charles Ringling. Built in 1926, College Hall now houses classrooms and faculty offices and is an elegant setting for public events. Through a connecting outdoor colonnade is Cook Hall, built by Ringling for his daughter and currently used for administrative and faculty offices. The Office of Admissions and Financial Aid is located on the Bayfront Campus, in Robertson Hall. This part of campus also houses the Four Winds Café, the Wellness Center, the Heiser Natural Sciences Complex, the Pritzker Marine Biology Research Center, the Palmer Buildings, Hal C. Ball Anthropology Laboratory and Bon Seigneur House, as well as the New College Foundation.
The Jane Bancroft Cook Library sits on the eastern edge of the Bayfront Campus, just across Bay Shore Road. Behind it is an overhead pedestrian bridge to the East Campus, hub of residential life. Here you will find our recreational facilities, including fitness center, pool, tennis courts, basketball courts, softball diamond and multi-purpose fields. The East Campus is home to boldly modern buildings designed by noted architect I.M. Pei. These include a complex of student residences, a cafeteria and student center, and classrooms/offices. Five new "green" dormitories opened in the fall of 2007. East Campus is also the site of the Harry Sudakoff Lecture and Conference Center, whose 600-seat auditorium can be subdivided into meeting rooms for groups of 50 to 400. The Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport is just minutes away.
Located on Bay Shore Road just south of the John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art, the Caples Campus occupies land once owned by railroad pioneer Ralph Caples. Bequeathed to the college in 1962, it is now home to the modern Caples Fine Arts Complex, a quadrangle of five buildings arranged around a picturesque courtyard. Here, you can find the 260-seat Mildred F. Sainer Art & Music Pavilion, the Lota Mundy Music Building, Christiane Felsmann Fine Arts Building, the Betty Isermann Gallery, the Sculpture Building and the PepsiCo Arcade and Forum. Further down Caples Drive and overlooking Sarasota Bay, the Ralph Caples Mansion is home to a number of faculty offices and seminar rooms. The Environmental Studies Program is located in the nearby Caples Carriage House. A student run community garden and the New College Sailing Program can also be found on the Caples campus.
New College and the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee share police, bookstore and library facilities and services. Only New College students, however, reside on campus.
