The bright yellow building at the corner of Ringling Boulevard and U.S. 301 is getting a new life as the sales gallery for a downtown Sarasota luxury condo project with units starting at $2.2 million.

Crews from Sarasota-based Wolff Construction are renovating the 9,700-square-foot building at 100 S. Washington Blvd., converting it into a showroom for the Waldorf Astoria Residences Sarasota, an 18-story, 86-unit tower planned for the Five Points intersection at Main Street and Pineapple Avenue.

"We've leased the property for the Waldorf Astoria Residences Sarasota Sales Gallery," Jennifer Vigne, president and CEO of the Education Foundation of Sarasota County, told the Business Observer in an email published Monday. "Renovations are currently underway."

The Education Foundation purchased the 0.74-acre property for $6 million in December 2023. Michael Saunders & Co., the project's exclusive broker, had offices in the same building from 1996 to 2023, when the property changed hands.

Michelle Esposito Young, director of sales and marketing for Michael Saunders Developer Services, confirmed the gallery's address but declined to provide an opening date.

The gallery site sits about 0.7 mile from where the tower will rise. At the construction site, crews are stripping the Zenith office building at 1390 Main St. ahead of demolition. WMG Development posted a video during the week of July 14 showing workers removing furniture, built-ins and non-load-bearing elements. The developer said crews were pulling out 9 tons of material daily. The building will eventually be demolished to make way for the tower.

Sarasota-headquartered Ore Development is building the project in partnership with Winter Garden-based WMG Development. The tower will also include more than 40,000 square feet of commercial space. Sadek Omar, a partner with Ore Development, told the Business Observer in late May that more than $40 million in contracts had been signed in the prior month.

The luxury condo market in Sarasota County has been active. The Realtor Association of Sarasota and Manatee reported 38 condo and townhome sales of $1 million or more in May, a 40.7% increase over the same month in 2025. Sales in the $1.25 million to $1.49 million range tripled year-over-year.

Ore Development has targeted 2029 for the tower's completion.