He is considered the father of the group of modernist architecture practitioners, including Paul Rudolph, Jack West, and other modernist architects active in the Sarasota area in the 1950s and 1960s like Ralph and William Zimmerman, Gene Leedy, Mark Hampton, Edward “Tim” Seibert, Victor Lundy, William Rupp, Bert Brosmith, Frank Folsom Smith, James Holiday, Joseph Farrell, and Carl Abbott.

Lauded in the press, the promise of the project evaporated when the Florida real estate bubble collapsed in 1926 (some surviving homes have been included on the National Register of Historic Places).

In the following years, Twitchell (influenced by the innovative architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright and LeCorbusier) began experimenting with reinforced concrete and glass structures, facilitating a more modernist approach.

Twitchell believed, however, that the Florida landscape required a unique understanding of building site planning that could be only be accomplished by merging design and construction.

In 1976, two years before his death, the AIA reversed its decision and recognized Twitchell for his career achievements by naming him "Architect Emeritus.

Such open design was reflective of the Sarasota School of Architecture philosophy: clarity of construction, maximum economy of means, clear geometry, and honesty in details.