This week we have two Sarasota School of Architecture homes, and both are outstanding examples of the style. One is for sale (at a bargain price) and the other is for rent – an unusual opportunity to live in a unique home without making a big financial commitment.

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604 42 St.

I attended an open house at the “For Sale” house on Sunday, and it was fascinating to watch the people come in and look around. They came from as far away as Tampa just to see the house, and they reminded me of art lovers looking at the Mona Lisa. They wandered around in awe, literally gasping at the perfection of some of the architectural details. OK, maybe it was me doing most of the gasping but believe me – this place is heaven.

It was built in 1960 by William Rupp, who worked with the great Paul Rudolph in his Sarasota heyday, and it’s about as close as you can get to a Rudolph house without actually being one. It’s full of surprises: hidden patios, a loft/bedroom overlooking the living room, clerestory windows, screened porches, corners that you turn and discover something new. There’s also a heated pool and an outbuilding to use as a studio. And the location is wonderful. It’s tucked away in the Indian Beach neighborhood, west of the trail and a block or two from those 10 million dollar homes on the bay.

The house was completely updated several years ago and has new top-of-the-line everything. Wait ‘til you see the bathrooms – timeless modern style yet brand new, with glass walls looking out onto little atriums. At over 2,600 square feet, the place is bigger than it looks. Five bedrooms, three and a half baths, a den, a dinning room, and a beautiful large lot, tropically landscaped. The price has been reduced from $1.2 million to $849,000. Call Martie Lieberman at 941-724-1118.

And the Cooney House, one of the all-time great Sarasota School homes designed by Tim Siebert in 1967, is now for rent. This house is located at 44 S. Washington on St. Armands and was chosen just last year as one of Sarasota Magazine’s 10 Prettiest Houses. The exterior, with its red door and well-proportioned but basically blank façade, opens into a well-laid-out interior of four bedrooms, three baths, and a big gorgeous living room that opens onto little gardens on both the north and south sides. In fact, the parameter of the house is like a succession of small gardens – and the landlord pays for their maintenance.