The Court is a renovation of the Seaside Motor Court, designed by Scott Merrill and built in 1989. The project reintroduces a native coastal scrub forest into two interior courtyards and creates a new café and streetscape along Scenic Highway 30-A. 

The design of the Court's landscape emerged from a desire to create privacy between a shared central lawn and the hotel's private cabin units. Instead of a fence, subtle sand dunes with planting create natural screening and lush views for guests. The planting palette showcases North Florida’s unique coastal scrub landscape: sand live oaks, sabal palms, palmettos, and a mix of scrub flowers and mints create a variegated landscape. The curb stones are made of custom tabby concrete block that draws on a traditional, regional method of forming concrete with dense shell aggregate.

The smaller northern courtyard functions both as a stormwater catchment area for the entire site and a tupelo grove. Finally, along the scenic highway, new decking, planters, and a seating area engage the sidewalk to create a more urban and dynamic streetscape setting.

Client: Seaside Community Development Corporation
Collaborators: Florida Haus, Artisan of Seagrove Beach, Thos. Stein Inc., Potter Landscaping
Size: 30,000 SF

Seaside, FL

The Court

Dept. is a landscape architecture and urban design studio that provides creative, useful, and adaptive design responses for the public and the environment.