Schroeder-Manatee Ranch updates Lakewood Ranch visitor center with new look, new technology
LAKEWOOD RANCH -- Schroeder-Manatee Ranch reopened its updated and redesigned visitor sales information center Friday morning to a packed house.
Friday was also the first morning of the annual Lakewood Ranch Tour of Homes, said Jimmy Stewart, vice president of sales for LWR Communities Inc.
Gone are the old green building displays, showing the interiors of walls, and samples of roofing, replaced by ultra modern lighted displays, oversized electronic screens, and lots of light and bright surfaces.
It's been a decade since the visitor center at 6220 University Parkway was updated, and technology changes a lot in 10 years, Stewart said.
Although work had been underway for several months, the 2,800-square-foot center was only closed for a few days. The closure was timed to coincide with the lull between early October, and the busier time toward the end of the month.
The center offers a nod to the past with vintage enlargements of members of the Uihlein family, the founders of Schlitz Brewing, who purchased Schroeder-Manatee Ranch in 1922. The photos are displayed against weathered barn wood.
"The center offers the opportunity for a person to enjoy a self-guided tour," Stewart said.
Sheri Douglas, a community specialist -- sometimes called an ambassador -- who works at the cen
ter, demonstrated an interactive giant screen that showcases facets of Lakewood Ranch.
"It really is the best way to get an overview of what we have here," Douglas said.
To date, 388 new homes have been sold at Lakewood Ranch this year, and the ambassadors have been involved in half of those sales, Stewart said.
SMR, the developer of Lakewood Ranch, has recorded 20,000 visits to the visitor center and model homes through the end of September, Stewart said.
Leisa Weintraub, vice president of marketing and creative director for Neal Communities, was one of those checking out the visitor center Friday.
"I think it is a fantastic change. It gives a clear picture of the entire Lakewood Ranch story, and represents all those aspects," Weintraub said.
Among the aspects touted in the center are A-rated schools, trails and parks, Sarasota Polo Club, Premier Sports Campus, the Ancient Oak Gun Club, and the flora and fauna native to the area.
SMR is working on a second visitor sales information center serving Lakewood Centre, the 697-acre community north of State Road 70 that will bring the area thousands more residential units, as well as millions of square feet of commercial and office space.
James A. Jones Jr., East Manatee reporter, can be contacted at 941-745-7053 or on Twitter @jajones1.
This story was originally published October 17, 2015 at 12:12 AM with the headline "Schroeder-Manatee Ranch updates Lakewood Ranch visitor center with new look, new technology ."