Marco Island Marriott, Enjoying the View daily painting by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Enjoying the View

5x7, Acrylic on Canvas

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Perhaps you've noticed that the Marco Island Marriott Beach Resort and Spa is getting a face lift and the brown and cream tiles decorative tiles that made the Marriott a landmark on Marco Island have been removed. The Marriott was designed by Island architech Herb Savage over 40 years ago and the tiles have been there ever since.

Since no one seemed to know the future of the facade, members of the Marco Island Arts Advisory Committee visited the Marriott and met with General Manager Rick Medwedeff to ask him about future plans for the very visible landmark.

Mr. Medwedeff graciously explained that due to corrosion of the bonding materials, the tiles had begun to fall off. Since some of the tiles weighted as much as 150 lbs, this constituted a safety emergency for the Marriott Resort, and the decision was made to remove the rest before someone was injured, and to patch and paint the facade as a temporary fix.

Since it will be impossible to restore the historic tiles, a new design is being considered. Construction for a new facade will begin in 2010. Since the new design is still under consideration, it's not yet being made public, but the committee has been assured that Marriott takes the condition of it's Marco Island facility very seriously and that the new facade will be both appropriate and beautiful.