The Ringling cut the ribbon Oct. 22 on a $2.5 million restoration of the Rupp Pavilion, a 900-square-foot Mid-Century Modern landmark on its Sarasota campus.

The circular building, once known as the Banyan Café, was built in 1961 for $15,000. Executive Director Steven High drew nods and chuckles from the crowd of donors gathered under the banyan trees when he noted the gap between the original price tag and the renovation cost, according to Your Observer.

High, Ringling Museum of Art Foundation Chair Michael Bush and his wife, Kathy Becker Bush, wielded oversized scissors for the ceremony. Susan Rupp, daughter of the building's architect, William Rupp, attended.

Over the decades, the pavilion had expanded into four or five connected structures that served as a concession stand. The building was eventually condemned for food-services use.

"It was sort of an awful-looking building, but after I ate a number of hot dogs in here, we came across Bill Rupp's version," High said. "It was such a spectacular building, so simple and so beautiful, that I wanted to bring it back."

The renovation returns the pavilion to William Rupp's original design. Its concrete-and-glass frame features geometric accents. Tent-like drapings will soon hang from the ceiling to evoke the circus heritage of the Ringling campus.

William Rupp was born in Philadelphia in 1927. He earned his architecture degree at the University of Florida in 1953 and worked for Paul Rudolph's Sarasota office before opening his own practice in 1955.

Architectural Forum published the pavilion's design in 1961 and named Rupp one of the decade's top talents. He died in 2022.

Morris "Marty" Hylton, president of Architecture Sarasota, called the pavilion "a remarkable example of the creativity and experimentation that defined the Sarasota School of Architecture," according to Your Observer.

Michael Bush and Kathy Becker Bush were the lead donors for the restoration, alongside other Ringling Circle members, the FSU Foundation and the Community Foundation of Sarasota, according to the updated Your Observer report.