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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem #42 - Discussion Item4j!�O 40 r f t I � i L r DAY [ON: i i i ii F —...•,.. -_ � ebb � � s {�s- � .I•�,_ � A ' moi. - • __ r A E Endangered Sites: 2002 The Fight to Save Miami's History , Every 75 years or so a remarkable thing happens... A future landmark is born. All 4&w Xad 1200 Anastasia Avenue - Coral Gables, Florida 33134 305.445.1926 * 1.800.727.1926 - www.biltmorehotel.com i W LL" M. ' ed Into the p nnection i+cm Oe��•7 nn %5 horr 'Pity ,�. , , � � O vt s Is he crazy? Hardly. After years of working around the rules of consolidated institutions, he wanted the responsiveness of a private banker. Northern Trust has won the hearts of generations of successful Americans by offering legendary service and performance. And because we've been nurturing relationships for more than 100 years, we can understand why it isn't always easy to change banks. But at a certain point in your life you've got to re-evaluate your needs and invest in yourself. Northern Trust offers truly personalized financial services including exceptional asset management, estate planning, commercial services, mortgages - even loans for a new yacht. For a rewarding personalized relationship, call Bill Murphy at 305-529-7700. DARE BR()WARD PALM BEACH MARTIN INDIAN RIVER COLLIER LEE SARASOTA MANATEE :'� PINELLAS HILLSBOROUCH Arizona Califomia, Colorado Rorida Illinois Michigan Mi,ssom i Nevada Ohio Texas Washington, Wisconsin Subsidiary of Nort:hem Trust of Florida Corporation and Northern Trust Corporation, Chicago, Member FDIC. Messau r m the President 0 A Guardian of Miami's Heritage Dade Heritage Trust is celebrating its 30th anniversary as a non-profit membership organi- zation working to preserve Miami's architectur- al, environmental and cultural heritage. We are tremendously excited with recent achievements and some of the many preservation opportunities ahead of us. Our membership continues to grow and is now represented by a more involved and diverse Board of Trustees. This past year, the Miami -Dade County Commission approved a $700,000 allocation to establish a Dade Heritage Trust Preservation Revolving Fund. We are in the final steps of structuring this fund, which will have the finan- cial resources to help save endangered historic prop- erties in Miami -Dade County and promote the revitalization of historic neighborhoods. We feel this is just the beginning for this Fund and it will allow us to give additional tangible examples of the economic and social bene- fits of historic preservation. The theme for this issue of Preservation Today is "Endangered Sites." Dade Heritage Trust's annual listing of the "Ten Most Endangered Historic Sites in Miami -Dade County" generates excellent interest from the media and the general public. shared history needs to be saved for ourselves and for those who will follow. To generate an awareness of the value of saving our historic resources, Dade Heritage Trust works on many fronts. We spearhead cam- paigns to preserve historic sites, like the Cape Florida Lighthouse, the Miami Circle and the Old Miami High Bungalow. We present annual Preservation Awards for outstanding restora- tion projects and leaders. We give speeches and presentations to civic groups, schools and gov- ernmental meetings. We host events and work- shops at historic sites. We produce Dade Heritage Days every March and April, a cele- bration of Miami's historic places and neighborhoods. We produce a newsletter and magazine. And recent- ly we published the beauti- ful book, Miami's Historic Neighborhoods, edited by Becky Roper Matkov, with chapters featuring Miami's leading historians. We appreciate your interest in Dade Heritage Trust. If you are not a member, please join today. Your sup- port is vitally important to everything we do. If you are a member, but not actively involved, please call our office (305- 358-9572) and offer to help in some way. We can use assistance in fund raising, membership services, and advocacy. It is always encouraging to observe when some- thing is "saved" from a previous list, and dis- On behalf of the Board and Staff of Dade heartening when we permanently lose one of our Heritage Trust, we are honored to represent your links to the past, like the Dr. Jackson House. Yet interests in historic preservation in our commu- we know that nothing is permanently saved, with nity, to be a guardian oMia is heri e South Florida's constant development pressures Submitted (into'e putDIie and our moisture and hurricane -prone climate. record in Connection with We all need to be diligent and involve a wider item ?o,4�k_o1Wl licim P. Mu phy part of our community in these efforts. Our Priscilla A. Thompson City Clerk This publication has been financed in part with historic preservation grantassistanceprovided by the Bureau of Historic Preservation, Division of Historical Resources,. Florida Department of State, assisted by the Historic Preservation Advisory Council. However; the con- tents and opinions do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the Florida Department of State, nor does the mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation by the Florida Deparmmet of State. (COVER PHOTO: The 102 -year-old home of Miami's beloved pioneer doctor and civic leader, Dr. James Jackson, is destroyed on June 5, 2041, damaging the National Register -listed 1905 headquarters of Dade Heritage Trust, located next door. Dade Heritage Trust had fought to save Dr. Jackson's house from demolition. Photo by Richard J. Heisenbo"D I S/"'►' r S S E D 03- 48.1 3 Pick up your limited edition today at our office Delivered to your doorstep or as a gift Now Ad&ws : My, Stade, 4 Code: Dade Heritage Trust's beautiful book, Mr -'s Historic Neaghborhoo& is available for $49.95 + tax The book is a 9" x 12" hardcover, "coffee table" style book showcasing the past and p resent of communities throughout N i and -Dade County. It is a beautiful publication with over 250 photos, many from private collections. Edited by Becky Roper Matkov, with chapters written by 31 outstanding writers and historians, this book is a wonderful addition for every South Florida home and bushms For delivery orders please complete the ,form below and mail with your payment information to DHT at 190 SE 12* Terrace, Miami, FL 33131. $49.95 + $3.25 tax = $53.20 $49.95 + $3.25 tax + $5.00 A = $58.20 Psyrim d: 13 Ihetk C red t Card: 0 AMEX O MSA OMC Cud mnaber: .Ira Aft please ineWe address_tbr Ail wnt bekm: No": Address: Csty, Stade, Nip Code: Exp. Dde: ** A Dade Heritage Trust Membership makes the perfect gift! Receive a FREE copy ofMiami's Historic Neighborhoods book when you joky attic Renaissance level of $250 or higher whale 1. supplies last! Call Dade Heritage Trust for more information, 305-358-9572. Submitted Into the public r1 record in connection with From the Executive Director item on Priscilla A. Thompson • Clerk Sgthening Ourtren When the bulldozer ripped apart the 102 - year -old home of pioneer leader Dr. James Jackson, much more was destroyed than Dade County pine beams, original fire- places and the dreams of preservationists. A unique historic resource—which could have been restored and re -used for years to come—was deliberately obliterated. The owner was within his legal rights in tearing down what he considered a derelict, a nuisance. Dade Heritage Trust worked hard to persuade him of the worth of the gem he held in his hand, of its excit- ing potential if restored. The owner chose not to see our vision of what could be. Just as an owner of an original Van Gogh can choose to burn his canvas to cinders, so can the owner of an historic undesignated property destroy his treasure. The senseless destruction of so old a house was a heartbreaking loss in a community that is fast destroying its past. It was wors- ened by the fact that the bulldozer demol- ishing Dr. Jackson's House, which was next door to Dade Heritage Trust, then started to plow into our own 1905 head- quarters. Staff and news reporters were inside our office when windows were shat- tered, the back porch was smashed and debris was pushed onto the roof and air conditioner compressor. DHT's National Register -listed building was damaged for over a year awaiting an insurance settle- ment. But from this trauma has come a new resolve, a steelier determination for DHT to be pro -active in shaping the growth and future of this city we call home. The mas- sive amounts of news coverage—from the front page of the Miami Herald to national television—increased the awareness of politicians and the public of the value of saving the few remaining sites left from Miami's early days. DHT met with sud- denly receptive elected officials and gov- ernment staff to push for changes. DHT's "Endangered Sites List" became a sought- after reference and media topic. After years of delay, the City of Miami Commission passed a greatly strengthened Preservation Ordinance with the power to forbid, not just delay, demolition of his- toric properties. The City electorate passed a bond referendum that included DHT Receives $700,000 for Preservation Revolving Fund: On August 16, 2002, Miami -Dade County Commissioner Katy Sorenson, center, presented a $700,000 check from Miami -Dade County to DHT Executive Director Becky Roper Matkov and DHT President Bill Murphy to establish a Preservation Revolving Fund. The Revolving Fund will make acquisitions, accept donations of property and conservation easements and offer low-interest, small loans to assist buyers, owners and developers of historic significant properties. On the rainy morning of June 5, 2001, the 1899 house of pioneer Dr. James Jackson was demolished despite DHT's efforts and extensive media coverage. $5 million for historic preservation fund- ing. With DHT's encouragement, the City is now preparing numerous new historic designations. DHT is also advocating for a National Register district in Downtown Miami and historic districts in several neighborhoods. The demolition of Dr. Jackson's House underscored the great need for DHT to have financial clout. Thanks to a motion made by Miami -Dade County Com- missioner Katy Sorenson, the County Commission passed a budget allocation of $700,000 to establish a DHT Preservation Revolving Fund for Endangered Historic Properties. DHT hopes to work with banks and foundations to leverage this funding. The mission of the Revolving Fund will be 1) To save endangered historic properties in Miami -Dade County; 2) To promote the revitalization of historic neighborhoods and districts, with special consideration given to those with greatest economic needs, and 3) To demonstrate to the com- munity the economic and social benefits of historic preservation. From a loss has come a victory, a chance to save historic properties for years to come. Onward! Becky Roper Matkov DISCUS a3 - 481 5 DHT Lists "Tepmost Endan ered Site g ' for 2002-2003 By Debbie Tackett Dade Heritage Trust recently announced its annual "Ten Most Endangered Historic Sites" List. These sites are highly significant symbols of the heritage of Miami -Dade County that are threatened by neglect, demolition, lack of main- tenance, insufficient funds, inappropriate development, or insensitive public policy. By focusing the attention of the community and of the media on these sites, and by working in coalition with individual property owners, other organiza- tions and government officials, Dade Heritage Trust seeks to preserve these imperiled places. The Hampton House, located at 4240 NW 27th Avenue in Brownsville, plays a significant role in the archives of Black History. Although now crumbling, this motel and lounge, built in 1953, was once a shining star — bringing together black and white residents, and celebrities, to see legendary jazz performers and renowned comedians. Many meetings and events leading to the end of segregation took place at the Hampton House — including Dr. Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech _given at the Hotel in 1960. A coalition organized by the African-American Committee of Dade Heritage Trust, led by Enid Pinkney, managed to save the building from demolition, secure historic designation status for the site and incorporate as the Historic Hampton House Community Trust. The group is working with support from Commissioner Barbara Carey-Schuler's office to finance the purchase of the building through a public-private partnership that will result in adaptive re- use of the building to benefit the Brownsville community. Board members include Dr. Larry Capp, Chair; Minister Donald Irving, Vice Chair; Kathy Hersh, Secretary; Ruby Rayford, Treasurer; Martha Anderson; Robert Beatty; Dottie Johnson; Luis Penelas; Enid Pinkney and Allan Shulman. Although recently designated by Miami -Dade County as a his- toric site, a large amount of funding is still needed to successful- ly preserve this landmark. Dade Heritage Trust is supporting the efforts of the Historic Hampton Home Community Trust to make this happen. 6 Black Beauty Contestants arrive at the Hampton House in the 1960s. (Photo courtesy of the Collection of'Arva Moore Parks) DHT Trustees Kathy Hersh, Enid Pinkney and Luis Penelas, along with the DHT African American Committee, organized a press conference and rally on December 17, 2001 to fore- stall demolition of the Hampton House by Miami -Dade County. (Photos by Becky Roper Matkov) DHT Trustee Don MacCullough, DHT Advisor Arva Moore Parks, and DHT Trustees Penny Lambeth, Jeanette Poole and Dolly Mac1myre at the rally. Community leaders and the media turned out en masse for the event. This frame bungalow -style structure was originally built in 1904-05 at 301 N. Miami Avenue. It housed Miami High until 1911, when it was moved by barge and served as Southside Grammar School until 1914. Now located near Brickell Avenue and Coral Way, at 79 SW 12th Street, the building has been a home and boarding house for decades. A high-rise development is planned for the site, and this 97 -year-old structure will be demolished if is not moved it in the next few months. Dade Heritage Trust is working on this million dollar project with the City of Miami, the Miami High Alumni Association, and KV Brickell Partners, Ltd. to relocate and restore the bungalow as a community center in Southside Park. After the negotiations have been completed to transfer title, the logistical challenge of coordinating and expediting the actual move through city streets and under Metromover in an expeditious manner will begin. This 1905 bungalow was the frost Miami High school building. To prevent its demolition for a highrise developmetit, Dade Heritage Trust has been working with the City and developer Kevin Reilly to relocate and restore it. Submitted Into the public record irl connection with In this rendering by Thomas Spain, ALA, the bungalow is shown as it will look once relocated and restored. item ? _ /e on D1S0U SSE® Priscilla A. Thompson 43— 4 84 City Clerk 7 WA Poor urban planning and lax zoning enforcement have allowed a traditional neighborhood of once -charming architecture to erode. Historic Coconut Grove was divided into two sections—one black and one white. Once a Bahamian village of character, lore and wood frame architecture, the black Grove has witnessed sad and needless losses to its historic fabric. From the 1880s, Bahamian pioneers of African descent built durable, vernacular structures capable of withstanding hurricanes. One of these influential early residents was Ebeneezer Woodberry Frank Stirrup, who purchased land on Charles Avenue and built over 100 dwellings. In its early years, the black Grove—then called "Colored Town"—had many family owned stores. Grand Avenue, its main thoroughfare, boasted black -owned barbershops, beauty salons, grocery stores, hardware stores and restaurants. Everyone knew each other, and there was a strong community spirit and pride. However, in the last fifty years, many changes occurred. Numerous black families moved to the suburbs. Many single-family homes were torn down, replaced by large concrete apartment buildings. Absentee landlords, drugs and crime became major problems. Countless government programs were initiated with few results. For the last three years, the University of Miami has been working to improve the quality of life in the West Grove. UM students, majoring in a variety of academic disciplines, including architec- ture, history and communications, have sought to capture the histo- ry and the spirit of the community by creating oral histories, cul- tural maps, photographs and architectural drawings of the West Grove. One of the goals of the project is to assist in increasing the supply of affordable houses compatible with the history of the neighborhood. A grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of University Partnerships, is enabling the University of Miami Center for Urban and Community Design to expand its work in home ownership, commercial revitalization and community building. Dade Heritage Trust plans to work cooperatively with the University of Miami and local residents of the area to strive to make a difference. With the help of its newly established Preservation Revolving Fund, Dade Heritage Trust will offer low interest loans to qualified historic property owners. These loans will aid in the restoration and preservation of remaining historic houses, which, it is hoped, will reinforce the historic sense of community. 10 1 f+ -ai ry Long neglected and transitional home to newly arrived immigrants, Riverside or East Little Havana still has a wealth of historic architecture. In the last few years the area—generally bounded by the Miami River, SW 7th Street and SW 12th Avenue - has seen an exponential rise in real estate speculation and prices. Correspondingly, there has been an unfortunate rise in demolition of historic structures from the teens and twenties, particularly along arterial roads. The potential and rehabilitative pos- sibilities that this area has maintained as traditional neighborhood are quickly being eroded away. Today, rental towers of characterless design are mushrooming as peri- od bungalows and frame and masonry structures are being lost. With the help of a newly formed Revolving Fund, Dade Heritage Trust plans to offer low interest loans to qualified historic homeowners. These loans will aid in the restoration and preservation of remaining bungalows and cottages. In addition Dade Heritage Trust plans to lobby for the formation of a City of Miami Historic District within the Riverside neighborhood. As a historic district, the historic build- ings of Riverside would have greater protection against insensitive development and/or demolition. Charles Street in the West Grove was traditionally a thriving Bahamian community. Prominent early resident E.W.F. Stirrup built this house in 1897 of pine cut from the site and milled at the Munroe sawmill. The Calusa Playhouse, a tough -hearted tum -of -the -century frame build- ing, is the second oldest structure on Key Biscayne. Built circa 1917 ini- tially as a barracks for workers on the Matheson coconut plantation, the "Little Island Theater" has also been a hurricane shelter, a private resi- dence, a church... and almost a memory before it was rescued by the Key Biscayne Music & Drama Club (KBMDC). The club's home was found in this building of Dade County pine in 1966 when it was still located on the ITT -Sheraton Royal Biscayne Hotel property. The building was moved to Calusa Park in 1969 with funds raised by club members. In 1990 Calusa Playhouse attained the honor of being designated a Dade County Historic Site. After moving to Calusa Park, increasing age, new building codes and Hurricane Andrew took their toll; the playhouse closed in January 1995. Six weeks after the building was closed, a fire totally consumed the dress- ing room/trailer adjacent to the playhouse and seriously damaged parts of the theater. The County then "detoxified" the structure of its lead paint and asbestos. The structure is now sitting behind a chain link fence beside a parking lot, its future in limbo. Dade Heritage Trust is working to interest the County and civic leaders in restoring this last structural link to the Matheson family era of Key Biscayne. As a visitor's information center with historic photo exhibits, this little building could create a great awareness of the island's past. Edgewater, generally bounded by NE 15th Street, NE 36th Street, NE 2nd Avenue and Biscayne Bay, was once a very fashionable Miami residential neighborhood. It has been bought up by developers and investors hoping one day to cash in on the city's extraordinary zoning overlay over the neighborhood. There is a new-found interest in development which some attribute to the Performing Arts Center rising just to the south of the failed Omni Mall. City maps and bureaucrats have even attempted to obliterate the original and appropriate neighborhood names of "Edgewater" and "Miramar" with more innocuous names such as "Omni District" or "Omni North." J Lasa used as a little theater, this structure was built in 1917 by WJ. Matheson to house workers on his 1700 -acre coconut plantation on Key Biscayne. Submitted Into the public record in connection with item %o_on Priscilla A. Thompson City Clerk With the help of a newly formed Revolving Fund, Dade Heritage Trust plans to offer low interest loans to qualified historic homeowners. These loans will aid in the restoration and preservation of remaining bungalows and cottages. In addition Dade Heritage Trust plans to lobby for the formation of a City of Miami Historic District within the Edgewater neighborhood. As a historic district, the historic buildings of Edgewater would have greater protection against insensitive develop- ment and demolition. Historic district designation also often leads to more com- munity spirit and political clout, along with greater police protection and better Gone are the many villas, castle -like homes and quaint cottages and bungalows that services. once carpeted Edgewater. Even still, some historic buildings and residences survive, including significant concentrations between NE 22nd through NE 28th Streets. Their continued existence is in doubt since many properties in the area are now for sale. Many of the older homes just off Biscayne Boulevard are being sold and torn down. In contrast to those who have neglected or destroyed older buildings in the neighborhood, Betty Rosado of b2studios has restored nu:q Jes in Edgewater for use in photographic and film shootstf e * 4AQ J ilst Preservation Award for her work. 03- 48,i1 11 DHT's ACTION PLAN40 SAVE ENDANGER4HISTORIC SITES By Becky Roper Matkov 1. EDUCATE. Tell the world about the historic places that make a community spe- cial. Give lectures, tours and slide presen- tations to school and civic groups. Produce video documentaries. Appear on radio and TV shows. Give background information and photos to reporters. Distribute press releases, alerts and bulletins. Publish newsletters and magazines. Use the web to get your message out. 2. COOPERATE. Work with governmen- tal leaders and property owners to find a common ground, a win-win solution that encourages preservation of historic sites. Promote tax deductible preservation ease- ments, tax incentives and special exemp- tions for owners and developers who restore, rather than raze. 3. FACILITATE. Convene meetings to bring together opposing factions. Strive for a consensus. Develop a plan of action. Make repeated calls to move an issue through bureaucratic swamps. Help expe- dite official paperwork. 4. DESIGNATE. Push for the historic des- ignation of buildings and sites important to a community's heritage. Prepare and sub- mit specific nominations to the local Historic Preservation Board and urge their approval to protect properties from demo- lition. Monitor governmental authorities to make sure the law is being enforced. 5. ADVOCATE. Tell your Commission- ers, Legislators, Congressmen, Senators Governor, and President why a preserva- tion issue is important to the community or what should be changed to improve. Write letters, send faxes and e-mails, make phone calls. Get meeting agendas in advance; get on the agenda yourself. Round up support- ers to attend governmental meetings. Make presentations, short in length, long in con- viction. 6. LITIGATE. Research carefully the issues for legitimate legal grounds, then, be ready and willing to file a lawsuit. 7. COMPENSATE. Secure funding from governmental sources, foundations, and individuals to purchase an important endangered historic property. Establish a Preservation Revolving Fund that can act quickly to protect endangered properties by acquisition, options, leases, and restora- tion loans to property owners. Historic Restoration Commercial Construction MCCARTN EY Construction Company CGC 010364 1509 Southeast 4th Avenue Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316 Sheldon McCartney (954) 463-4446 Fax (954) 463-5065 12, r ,. 8. RENOVATE. Restore historic proper- ties yourself, as DHT did with Dr. Jackson's Office and the Wagner Homestead. Or raise funds to help others restore projects, as DHT did with the Cape Florida Lighthouse. 9. STIMULATE. Use a threat to an his- toric property as a stimulus to direct a community's attention on not just one building or site, but on the entire neighbor- hood. Are building codes what they should be? Is crime ignored? Is the trash picked up regularly? Would an historic district strengthen a neighborhood's political clout—raise property values—and improve the quality of people's lives? Brainstorm with other involved individuals and groups on ways to improve the entire situation and let your diverse points of view create synergy and momentum. 10. CELEBRATE. When a building is in ruins, or about to be demolished, and then the funds are secured and the restoration is completed, rejoice! What once was lost, is now found. Have a press conference, have a ribbon cutting, have a ball! Tell the world how it was done—and inspire others with your success story. MARINE :F.Dickson Prew AVIATION BUSINESS HOME -AUTO SOUTHEAST INSURANCE CENTER INC. Hangar 102, Suite 240 Opa Locka Airport, FL 33054 (305) 685-0000 Campaign KicOeo Off to Raise Funds to "Save�dld Miami High" A "Splashtacular" fundraiser and pep -rally to "Save Old Miami High" was held on May 20, 2002 at the Miami Seaquarium. Miami High grad Arthur Hertz, Class of 1951, generously offered his facility for the event. Senator Bob Graham, Class of 1955, was guest of honor. Miss Lamar Louise Curry, Class of 1923 and teacher of history and government at the school for 32 years, was honorary chair- man. Ann Marie Clyatt, Class of 1951, is serving as Alumni Coordinator for the campaign. Linda Hertz with Art Hertz, who donated use of the Seaquarium for the fundraiser to "Save Old Miami High' Honorary Chairman Miss Lamar Louise Curry, seated, and "Save Old Miami High' Alumni Coordinator Ann Marie Clyatt Bob Gallagher, Jeanette Slesnick and John and Sarah Anderson Coral Gables Mayor Don Slesnick and U.S. Senator Bob Graham, both Miami High Alums, with DHT Trustee Neil Robertson Howard Kleinberg, DHT Executive Director Becky Roper Matkov, Michael Marsengill and Danny Ponce i Submitted Into the publi record in connection wit item Pouf - on Priscilla A. Thompsc City Cle Dedicated City of Miami staff members working to "Save Old Miami High' are Pat Quintana, Kelli da Silva and Thomas Vokaty Miami High Cheerleaders add the support of a new generation to "Save Old Miami High" Dlscussm 13 03- 48.1 14 Graduates from long ago pose on the porch of Miami's first high school building, which Dade Heritage Trust is working to preserve. (Photo courtesy of the Collection of Arva Moore Parks) Miami's Oldest High School by Howard Kleinberg In the summer of 1905, school officials were convinced that the lone public school in the Miami district was becoming too crowded. The two-story schoolhouse, which fronted on today's Northeast First Avenue between Third and Fourth streets, already had the physical addition of a classroom, but there were other additions as well—a four-year high school department had begun formally in 1903. There wasn't enough room for everyone. The population within the Miami city limits had reached close to 5,000 by 1905 and people con- tinued to pour into the relatively new communi- ty. On June 3, 1905, it was announced in the Miami Metropolis that "owing to the demand for more room and the cramped condition of the Public School and the limited accommodation for the High School department," the school board decided to build what was referred to as a "temporary structure" on the property behind the existing schoolbuilding. On July 11, the school board accepted a bid of $1,650 to build a bungalow -style addition that was reported to be 20x25 feet with two rooms, one for recitations and the other for the high school classroom. It is presumed these meas- urements were for each room. (Decades later, the building, obviously altered and moved from its original site, reportedly measured 3005 feet.) The high school students, 29 girls and 20 boys, moved into the new building on Sept. 18, 1905. Half were freshmen; only five were seniors, four of them girls. One of the students to attend class in the bungalow was Estelle DesRochers, who moved with her family to Lemon City in 1896. In a 1973 memoir of her life, she recalled having to travel by bicycle or foot over the roughly five -mile -long rock road from her home to where the schoolhouse was located. "Everyone walked a lot in those days," Estelle wrote. "Sometimes on rainy days I went over to the argument were aired, the Southside people the Lemon City station and took the train to withdrew their objection and the little bungalow Miami." was moved south of the Miami River. When Edna Mettair began attending the bunga- low school, there was a "mass transit" of sorts. She and others rode in a wagon pulled by two mules that made stops in Lemon City and Little River enroute to the high school. Reportedly, the students often were loud and unruly. For reasons unexplained, the "mule bus" eventually was discontinued. After that, Edna, like Estelle, made the trip to school via bicycle. Less than a month after the bungalow was occu- pied, its temporary status was reasserted. On October 5, the school board said it intended to build a three-story stone building to replace it sometime in the next few years. The decision to replace the bungalow began to take shape following the 1909 graduation. It was not without resistance. In August, the Miami Morning News -Record, a predecessor to the Miami Herald, editorialized against spend- ing money on a new school, saying the county's overall financial condition was tenuous. Nevertheless, the school board voted to build a new, three-story concrete building on the site of the grammar school and incorporate, again, the grammar and high schools. As the new building began to take shape, it also was decided to move the bungalow to today's Southwest 12th Street and First Avenue where it would serve as the first school building for that growing area until such time when a concrete building also could be created there. This did not please the Southside residents. They felt they were getting a "second-hand school," and one that would cost as much to move from downtown Miami, and to refurbish, as it would cost to build a new one from scratch. After a series of public meetings in which both sides of The bungalow was repainted, new desks put in, and other improvements made. It opened on Oct. 9, 1911. It served as Southside Elementary School until 1914 when a new concrete build- ing was opened that still serves the neighbor- hood. The bungalow came into private hands and was modified to be a boarding house. It has remained so ever since, unnoticed by many behind its network of trees and foliage. The story goes that the late Miami historian Thelma Peters, while writing her book Miami 1909, in 1983 called her former student, histo- rian Arva Moore Parks, to tell her that she had something special to tell her. "I got in her car," Parks recalled some years ago, "and she drove me to the site and told me not to tell anyone because she was afraid it would be torn down." Those fears neared reality in 2001 when it became known there were plans for a high rise on the site. A coalition of Parks (a Miami Edison graduate), the Miami High Alumni Association, Dade Heritage Trust and the City of Miami embarked on a million -dollar project to save the structure. Hopefully, their efforts to work with the developer, KV Brickell Partners, Ltd., will result in the bungalow being moved from its home since 1911 over to nearby Southside Park where it will be restored as a community center and focal point of Miami High history. The material above is excerpted in part from a forthcoming book on the 100 -year history of Miami High being authored by long-time Miami journalist and historian Howard Kleinberg, him- self a 1951 graduate of Miami High School. MIS*LAMAR LOUISE CORY: Miss Lamar Louise Curry, now 95 years old, knew from the time she was three years old that she wanted to be a teacher. An only child, she was bom in Key West on December 11, 1906. Her paternal great- grandfather, a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, had owned three plantations in South Carolina before moving to Florida after the Civil War. Her mother's father, Dr. James P. De Pass, a graduate of the Citidel, was president of what became the University of Florida, when it was a college in Lake City in the late 1800s. Miss Curry today still has the refined manners of a Southern lady and the com- manding presence of a respected educator. Miss Curry, at age nine, moved with her parents to Miami in 1916. Her father was in real estate, owning land in the Keys and in much of Downtown Miami. After Miss Curry graduated from Miami High School in 1923, she attended Southern College, now Florida Southern, in Lakeland. Her parents felt very strongly that they did not want their daughter to be a teacher. They told the college not to allow Miss Curry to take any teaching courses. She graduated magna cum laude. Miss Curry then went into teaching—which she believes is a natural gift-- without the benefit of any specific education courses. Her first teaching job was at Andrew Jackson Junior High School in 1927. In 1930, Dr. I.T. Pearson, then superintendent of the school system, wrote her that he needed a strong disciplinarian at Miami High School, and so she was assigned to Miami High. During the A Revered Miami High Teacher and Benefactor by Ann Marie ClyaU Depression, she was paid $92 a month for nine months of teaching. Miss Curry taught history for 32 years at Miami High School, influencing thousands of students, including Bob Graham, now a U.S. Senator, and Don Slesnick, now mayor of Coral Gables. Many of her students interned with her, returning to teach side by side with her and continuing a life-long friendship. She retired in 1962 to help her mother have a better quality of life. The two built a beautiful Southern colonial home in a gated community in Coral Gables. Miss Curry designed and decorated the house herself. She still resides there. Miss Curry has received many awards for her service and philanthropy. A generous supporter of the College of the Ozarks near Bramson, Missouri, she was presented the college's Outstanding Educator Award in 1996 by First Lady Barbara Bush. At the request of pioneer TV news commentator Ralph Renick, she funded and has maintained a flower gar- den in the southwest corner of Bayfront Park in mem- ory of her parents, whose plan had enabled the City of Miami to acquire 62 acres to build Bayfront Park before the 1926 hurricane. A bronze plaque near the Challenger monument recognizes this effort. In December, 2001, the Miami -Dade County School Board broke ground on the new Lamar Louise Curry Middle School, named in her honor. It is a fitting FAR-MER5 MARKET SUPPORTING SOUTH FLORIDA FARMERS JANUARY thru APRIL Submitted I record in cc 4cwenr��e� item MAIWWffs Priscilla PINECREST at 124'" Street 305-255-2468 Ito the p inection _on A. Thorf tribute to an outstanding and devoted educator. Miss Curry's interest in historic preservation is well demonstrated by her membership in the Miami Pioneers, which has now merged with the Natives of Dade, and in Dade Heritage Trust. As Honorary Chairman of the "Save Old Miami High" fundraising committee, Miss Curry was a major donor to the "Splashtacular" event at the Seaquarium to raise funds to save the first Miami High School building. Miami High Alums—and all who know her—salute Miss Curry for her life-long dedication and commit- ment to education —and for her commitment to pre- serving the heritage of Miami High. A quote from an article Miss Curry wrote for the 75th anniversary of the school says it best: "By the chemistry of memory, respect becomes love. As the years pass, the clearer we see the imprint made by our teachers upon our lives, the more we realize that our respect of yesteryear has become love and appreciation." Ann Marie Clyatt, a 1951 graduate of Miami High School, is the Alumni Coordinator of the "Save Old Miami High" fundraising campaign. An active preservationist, she is a member of Dade Heritage Trust and the Villagers, Inc. She led the effort to restore the Crandon Park Carousel on Key Biscayne and serves as president of the award-winning Crandon Carousel Amusement Organization, Inc. Miss Lamar Louise Curry with former (Photo by Becky Roper Matkov) 03- 48,61 15 The Curtiss Mansion before restoration began. (Photo by Becky Roper Matkov) RESCUING THE CURTISS MANSION The restoration of the Curtiss Mansion, which was almost destroyed by years of neglect and arson, is a task worthy of its original owner, Glenn Hammond Curtiss. Innovator, aviator and inventor Glenn Hammond Curtiss loved a challenge. You could say, in fact, that his dream was to do anything that hadn't already been done and what others said couldn't be done. As early as 1907, he was dubbed the "Fastest Man on Earth" when he designed and devel- oped an 8-cylindered motorcycle that sped him to 137.8mph. He developed the first flying serv- ice schools (both land and sea) at the first municipal airport in Miami in 1912. The Curtiss-Wright Hangar No.2 at the original Miami Municipal Airport was the place of departure for the famed female aviator Amelia Earhart. The Curtiss JN -4 "Jenny" airplanes were used to train US pilots in World War I, and the Curtiss NC -4 "Flying Boat" crossed the Atlantic Ocean in 1919, making the first transatlantic crossing in the history of our coun- try. The accomplishments of Curtiss, known as the "Architect of Aviation,"are widely recog- nized by an extensive exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution's Air and Space Museum. Having amassed a fortune by the end of WWI for his innovations in flight, and grounded because he was deemed too valuable to the US government to risk any more flying, Curtiss looked for new challenges on the ground. He found them in land development, community planning and architecture, becoming the devel- oper of Miami Springs, Hialeah and Opa-locka. In 1912, Everett Sewell, who would become Miami's first mayor, convinced Curtiss to come south from his hometown of Hammondsport, New York, to open a flying school. Curtiss used what is now the Miami Canal that separates Hialeah and Miami Springs for pilot training and bombing practice. When the war was over, he looked at the land south of the canal and envisioned a planned residential community with wide boulevards, lush greenways and a centrally -located, thriving, downtown business area. Enamoured of the examples of architec- ture in the Southwest, he planned his communi- ty in the Pueblo -Mission style. 16 , .-. by Donna Wood-Beney In 1925 he built a residence for himself, which he named "Dar -err -aha," meaning House of Happiness. This Pueblo -Mission Revival style residence was one of the first constructed in the Curtiss -Bright Company's community of Country Club Estates, later named Miami Springs. It was locally and nationally designat- ed as an historic site in 1987 as part of the Pueblo -Mission Revival Thematic Group and has presently earned an individual listing on the National Register of Historic Places. The estate's 5,531 square feet are roughly cen- ter -sited on the triangular-shaped tract, land- The famous aviator Glenn Curtiss in 1909 scaped with tropical vegetation. The site was locally designated under the City Historic Preservation Ordinance in 1987. The owners of the property, Sunburst Hospitality, donated the site to the City of Miami Springs, which accept- ed it at the City Council meeting of August 24, 1998. The site had long been neglected and had been the victim of arson fires and vandalism during the previous six years. Curtiss Mansion, Inc. entered into a property agreement with the City of Miami Springs on September 1, 2000 and took immediate action to secure the build- ing from further vandalism, to acquire appropri- ate architectural and engineering plans, and to begin seeking sources of funding for its restora- tion and re -use. The goal of CMI is to restore the Mansion to its original 1925 condition and to develop the entire historical site and surroundings. The adaptive re -use of the site will eventually be multi -faceted, to include opportunities for his- torical, educational, cultural and civic events. The offices of CMI, as well as artifacts and memorabilia from Miami Springs's aviation history, will be housed at the Mansion. Community rooms will be utilized to host town meetings and forums, and will provide school- children an opportunity to actively participate in historical seminars and events related to the history of aviation, Mr. Curtiss and early Miami -Dade County. Although most of the original gardens were destroyed in the 1926 hurricane, CMI will be embellishing the grounds to offer a lush, tropi- cal setting. The extension of the City's Bicycle Path now runs adjacent to the Mansion proper- ty, and CMI plans to create a "trail head" for the path; eventually linking with all of the green - w lys in Miami -Dade County. Educational programs on Historic Preservation and its extreme necessity in today's urban plan- ning will be highlighted. The complete process of the Mansion's restoration has been filmed, and a continuous loop will be part of the exhi- bition aspect of the completed project. Students from throughout the District will develop a broader understanding of the importance of pre- serving our history and understanding their role in future preservation projects. Guest speakers from CMI's Speakers' Bureau will continue to create interest in the Mansion & Gardens through local civic and governmen- tal organizations, and field trips from District schools will comprise part of the events offered on the site. CMI retained the respected firm of RJ Heisenbottle Architects to develop site plans and oversee all aspects of restoration, from debris removal and shoring up of the structure through the actual construction and implemen- tation of the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Historic Preservation. Thanks to a $300,000 Special Category matching grant obtained in 2001 from the Bureau of Historic Preservation , Division of Historical Resources, Dade Heritage Trust Executive Director Becky Roper Matkov, re -enactor "Glenn Curtiss;' and aviation leader George Batchelor on a tour of the Curtiss Mansion grounds hosted by CMI. Florida Department of State, Phase 1-A of the restoration project is almost completed. Continuing full speed ahead, CMI is dedi- cated to pursuing all avenues of funding in order to bring this multi -million -dollar restoration of the Curtiss Mansion & Gardens to a reality. From then on, it will be searching for endowments and operating grants to continue the work of teaching his- toric preservation, enlightening students of all ages to the contributions of Glenn Hammond Curtiss, and securing artifacts and records for future generations. Donna Wood-Beney is executive director of Curtiss Mansion, Inc. record in connection with item on Priscilla A. Thompson City Clerk Miami Springs Council Member Helen Gannon and Miami -Dade County Commissioner Rebecca Sosa are given an update on restoration plans at the Curtiss Mansion. A view of the Curtiss Mansion in the 1920s. Wit" M01"'t HEISENBOTTLE A R C H I T E C T S ago hONORCA 'AVENUE " CORAL .... GAREESe��nor 3 w itm ARCHITECilla A. Thompson FEORIDA ;' a PLANNING JJ1 34 C CR'City lerk INTERIOR DESIGN ?y..,: A Pfokism W NY'5 xialmM AAC 001511 the 03- 06 17 DHT Revives %iami's Historicity Cemetery Miami's historic burial ground, final resting place of "mother of Miami" Julia Tuttle and many of Miami's leading pioneer families of all races and religions, was in dire straits just a few years ago. It was a victim of crime, homelessness, vandalism and neglect. Ten years ago Dade Heritage Trust Trustee Enid Pinkney, chair of DHT's African American Committee, organized the first Commemorative Procession and Service to honor black pioneers buried in the City Cemetery. She has continued to be the guiding light of this multi -cultural annual event, which is a highlight of Dade Heritage Days and makes the entire Miami community aware of this historic resource. In 1996 Dade Heritage Trust organized a Cemetery Task Force, chaired by DHT Trustee Penny Lambeth, to tackle the crime and vandalism issues in the cemetery. Thanks to the Task Force's efforts, an attractive security fence and lighting has been installed, markers have been repaired, and thousands of dollars' worth of trees and flower- ing shrubs have been replanted. For her leadership on the restoration of the City Cemetery, Penny Lambeth was recently presented the Oakley Award by The Association of Gravestone Studies (AGS). High School Winners of the DHT Essay Contest on "Why I Am Proud of My Heritage" are, from left, Christine Smith ofHialeahlMiami Lakes High, third place; Lisa Myla of William H.Turner Technical Arts School, second place; and Chamail Alexander ofWllliamH. Turner Technical Arts School, first place. The Rev. Dr. Ralph Ross, pastor of Historic Mt. Zion Baptist Church, unveils a new headstone for M.T. Mitchell, an African American incorporator of the City of Miami, joined by Georgian Bethel, Dorothy Edwards, Leona Salton and Dorothy Graham. Miami City Commissioner Tomas Regalado (second from left) and Commissioner Arthur Teele (second from right) present proclamations to the families honored in the Commemorative Service. 18 The City of Miami provided fire engines and a Color Guard for the Procession. Following a Progressive Jazz band, the Procession marches from St. Agnes Episcopal Church to the City Cemetery. The Singing Angels of Arcola Lakes perform for the assembled crowd. Ready to march: DHT African American Chairman Enid Pinkney, in front, is joined by Miami City Commissioner Johnny Winton and son, DHT Cemetery Task Force Chairman Penny Lambeth, and Everett Stewart, Sr. Straegizing at Villa Wobine Beside the marble fireplace are host Bill Hansen and DHT Trustees Walter Alvarez, Cathy Coates, Bill Murphy and Ruth Jacobs. preserve or perish Submitted Into 4 put record in co netton %i item Poe4on 1 -f -e Priscilla A. Th mp C tv C Laura Mullaney Coldwell Banker Real Estate 305 790-1000 GablesHistoricHomes.com Bill Hansen, president of Bills' Catering, recently hosted a Dade Heritage Trust Board meeting at the beautiful Villa Woodbine, 2167 Bayshore Drive. The historic 1930 mansion, usually a venue for elegant parties and weddings, was an inspir- ing setting for preservation planning to save endangered sites. Dade Heritage Trust Board members work at the dining room table where the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba reportedly was first planned. From the left are Kathy Hersh, Cathy Coates, Jeanette Poole, Dolly Maclmyre, Frans Boetes, Neil Robertson, George Neary, and Marie Stiefel. 19 20 AGra nd Re0toration for a Grand ;1d Theater by Joan Paye Thanks to a Special Category grant from the Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources, Bureau of Historic Preservation and funding from Miami -Dade County's Cultural Affairs Department, the Gusman Center for the Performing Arts is undergoing a massive interior restoration. The $2 million dollar restoration is the largest of its kind since 1972 when the theater was first renovated by architect Morris Lapidus. The project, led by Richard J. Heisenbottle, AIA, president of the award-winning preservation firm, R. J. Heisenbottle Architects, PA of Coral Gables, Florida, will entail the complete restoration of the theater's interior spaces, including the atmospheric audito- rium. Trigram GC, General Contractors, of Miami, is performing all restoration work. The theater, which Paramount Studios opened in February, 1926, was designed by the renowned architect John Eberson. Eberson's design was initially inspired by a trip through a New Orleans antique shop in which he found an ancient Persian incense burn- er. Immediately thereafter, the concept for the Olympia was born. Although he used a variety of styles, including Italian, Persian, Spanish and Egyptian, the Olympia became an atmospheric the- ater whose auditorium creates the illusion of an amphitheater set in a courtyard of a Mediterranean villa, complete with the dark blue evening sky with twinkling stars, chirping birds and rolling clouds. The opulent and flamboyant style literally "blew the roof' off theater design at the time. All of the original theater's exotic decorative detail, including the ornamental plaster, decorative paint, statuary and urns, interior barrel -tile roof above the proscenium, Corinthian columns and balustrade have been analyzed and are being restored to their orig- inal color scheme. Dozens of artisans specializing in decorative plaster repair and historic paint restoration will clean, repair, remold and paint the intricate ornamentation, which requires scaf- folding of the entire 63 -foot -high auditorium. This will be a metic- ulous and painstaking effort, done entirely by hand, and similar in complexity to Old World restoration techniques. Even more unique to the theater's restoration will be the complete replacement of exact replicas of the original taxidermy and deco- rative foliage. This includes doves, quails, and pheasants perching in their original locations in and around the ornate organ loft. The final foliage restoration will include palm trees, ferns, vines and various shade trees. Both the foliage and the taxidermy will enhance the imagery and the illusion that Eberson so carefully crafted in his overall theater experience. In addition to the much needed paint and plaster restoration, the plans also include air conditioning the stage, restoring the decora- tive house lighting throughout the auditorium and significant the- atrical lighting improvements that will enhance the theater's tech- nical and production capabilities. Future phases of restoration will include new theatrical rigging and audio systems, new auditorium The Gusman Center, located at 174 E. Flagler Street in Downtown Miami, opened in 1926 as an "atmospheric theater" designed by architect John Eberson. Architect Richard Heisenbottle, left, explains the restoration process to preservationists during a tour of Gusman in August, 2002. seating with decorative end panels to match the original seats, and an historically accurate replication of the theater's original carpet. The theatre is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is, according to Richard Heisenbottle, "the Crown Jewel of theaters in Miami and a priceless part of Miami's past." Eberson, by the way, felt the same and said he was "convinced that the the- ater was imbued with character and individuality; a different con- ception of atmosphere carried out in architectural treatment." The Gusman is indeed in a class of its own in the realm of fanta- sy theater architecture. For this phase of the restoration, it was necessary to close Gusman from June 24, 2002 until October 10, 2002. Newly restored, it will be the star attraction at the League of Historic American Theaters' annual conference, to be held in Miami in July 2003, which will be led by Richard Heisenbottle. Submitted Into the public record in connection with item 2Qd&__on Priscilla A. Thompson City Clerk OCEAN BANK We Care For You The magnificent interior of the theater creates an illusion of being in an amphitheater set in a Mediterranean courtyard. Ocean- Bank Our Commitment... to Serve the Community dince its inception in 1982, Ocean Bank has grown to become one of the largest financial institutions in Florida. At the foundation of this outstanding success is our strong commitment of loyalty toward this community and our personalized service style. By investing funds into projects that strengthened our local economy, Ocean Bank has remainedfaithful to its tradition of service. Today, we proudly reaffirm our commitment.• to create Headquarters lasting values that contribute to the economical and 780 N.W. 42nd Ave, Miami, FL 33126 Tel.• (305) 442-2660 cultural growth of our community. Equal Housing Lender Member FDIC Equal opportunity/Affirmative action employer 03- 4$01 21 Rediscovering MiMo": Miami T4odern Design Relatively out of vogue and unappreciated until a few years ago, the architectural style now dubbed "MiMo"—Miami Modem—has been gaining new fans. The attention of preservationists is now renewing interest in saving these often endangered buildings. During a time when Man traveling to the Moon was as farfetched as the green cheese it was rumored to be made of, Miami was evolving archi- tecturally – with cheese holes, among other mod- em design elements. A fascination with everything new and shiny, along with a national need to move on after WWII, led architects and visionaries to create a new modernism - Miami Modern. Today, a new generation has discovered—and is attempt- ing to save—these structures. As fast and sleek as the automobiles of the era, Miami Modern, or "MiMo," offered an architec- tural roadmap for the future. A MiMo fantasy of bricks and mortar was inspired by a future based on the automobile and tropical living. Art Deco did this very thing from the 1920s and 40s for South Florida and the world. It was a fan- tasy of the future, using all of the latest materials and engineering capabilities, sprinkled with a little seaside tropical magic. It too sought to redefine our environment, and celebrate it through color, materials and design. Following in the footsteps of its Art Deco older sister, MiMo redefined the resort hotel, as it was then known. On the heels of Art Deco that embraced the tropical style, MiMo continued the progression with lavish fountains, interior planters and vivid colors. But MiMo pushed the envelope even further. With America's obvious romance with the auto- mobile and rediscovering our homeland, the post WWII -era saw the development and fine tuning of businesses, resorts and motels that seemed to cater as much to our cars as to our selves. Route 66 and Las Vegas are prime examples of this national obsession to hit the road in a splashy way. AIA and Biscayne Boulevard offered a similar roadmap to South Florida style. Facilities—the drive up con- venience of full service gas stations, burger joints The Biscayne Plaza shopping center in Miami displays "MiMo" features, (Photo by Debbie Tackett) 22 By Herb Sosa The Fontainebleau Hotel on Miami Beach, designed in 1953 by Morris Lapidus, features "cheese holes" and a sweeping, curved fagade. (Photo by Becky Roper Matkov) and a place to spend the night— seemed to pop up almost as fast as the roads they lined. This was a time of American progress, and MiMo was ready. But along with all of this new construction came even more competition and a need to stand out from the crowd. In Sunny Isles, prime examples of the Vegas -inspired hotels today are disappearing due to lack of vision and an excess of greed. MiMo brought the camels, pyramids, boomerangs and spaceships that all competed to catch our attention as we zoomed along AIA in our rum- bling BelAires. Nowhere is this more obvious than at the Vagabond Motel, at 7301 Biscayne Boulevard in Miami, designed in 1953 by Robert Swartburg. Larger than life, a circus of neon and whimsy announces your arrival at what is a rela- tively modest motel. If the steel and neon sign romanced you enough to check in for the night, then it accomplished exactly what it set out to do. Melvin Grossman also knew how to catch our eye while on the road. In 1956 he designed the International Inn at 2301 Normandy Drive, Miami Beach, and the Deauville at 6701 Collins Avenue in Miami Beach. Both have impressive entrances, expansive spans of sheer glass walls that aim for the stars, and seem to defy gravity. The Deauville's porte-cochere was grand enough to welcome the Beatles in their first visit to the US. The whimsy and fantasy of MiMo continue along AIA and the South Florida Atlantic. Male guards, 24' concrete columns, stand at attention alongside swaying palm trees at 6345 Collins Avenue at the Casablanca, designed in 1949 by Roy France. Morris Lapidus' 1953 Fontainebleau at 4441 Collins Avenue, with its cheese hole facades and sweeping, curved, marble clad walls, created a nouveau French -Floridian elegance that to this day is viewed as a national landmark. The MiMo Style was not limited to resort architec- ture. Private homes, apartment buildings, interiors, office and retail establishments all embraced the MiMo craze. Golden spheres and rocket inspired columns surround the Pan Am Training Facility at Miami Intemational Airport, designed in 1963 by Steward -Skinner Associates, while floating con- crete palaces of the future inspire an educational mood at Miami -Dade Community College - Kendall Campus at 11011 SW 104th Street, creat- ed in 1967 by Pancoast, Ferendino, Spillis and Candela. When the Sunshine State Intemational Industrial Park at 1300 NW 167th Street was developed in 1964, architect William Webb was commissioned to design its striking archway entry feature, remi- niscent of the better-known St. Louis Arch. To me as a child growing up in North Miami, that sun- shine archway, along with the adjoining Modernage Furniture showroom, offered a futuris- tic, space age gateway to a world of wonder and innovation. To my parents, who convinced me as a child that they had built this archway for me, it also represented a hope for the future in a forever - youthful Miami. Herb Sosa, a past president of DHT, is the excecu- tive director of Miami Design Preservation League. Parrot Jungle's 1954 entrance was designed by Tony Sherman, architect of the Castaways. Submitted Into the public 10 record in connection with THE' ICE HOUSE LUCK OUTtem g4 on <--7_o3 Priscilla A Thom s Just how endangered can a designated historic site be? Try this: Two neighbors notice workers pulling the siding off Kendall's historic Dice House, in preparation for demolition. They call Rick Ferrer of Miami -Dade County's Historic Preservation office, who speeds from down- town with a cease-and-desist order. The oldest house in Kendall awaits planned restoration as a restaurant. Plucked from the brink, the Dice House is in the midst of a stunning comeback. Thanks to a sensitive and enthusiastic new owner, the Dade County pine cottage is now set to become the Dice House Cafe, a neighborhood spot featuring outdoor dining and live music under its soon -to -be -rebuilt porch. The cafe will also feature its place in local history as the oldest house in Kendall. It was built in 1917 by storekeeper and unofficial mayor of Kendall David Brantly Dice, but it seems to have been built using a much older house as the starting point. Under the gen- erous hipped roof was discovered a second cedar shake roof, which may have belonged to a structure dating from before the tum of the 20th Century. Kendall was named for a London merchant who came to South Dade in the early 1900s to manage the groves he co -owned. Henry Flaglers railroad naturally passed through Kendall as it followed lim the erock ridge southward, and Flagler set up a model orange grove at Kendall. Most of that grove is now pan of Pinecrest, on the east side of US 1. Kendall's train station was located along SW 77th Avenue, which is still called "Kendal Avenue' (using an early spelling with one 'L') between 98th Street and 100th Street. And that's where the Dice House can be found, on the comer of 99th Street and Kendal Avenue. Mr. Dice's store, Kendall Feed and Supply, was located a block north, to the east of the railroad track located about where the Metrorail tracks now end. When US 1 was built, Dice made the back door into the new front door, so the store would face onto the new highway. The bolita he ran upstairs, along with a perpetual card game, made the store a local attraction for decades. If you didn't come to gamble, you might have come for the telephone: the Dice store was the spot where Kendall residents received phone calls. If you weren't within shouting distance, Mr. Dice would go fetch you. What sights would have been seen from the Dice House front porch in years past? As evening fell on the pinelands, two -wheeled mule carts would pass by on their way to deliver their harvest of coontie to the mill, located near today's Kmart on US I south of 104th Street. Coontie root, which is the starchy tuber of the cycad " Zamia pumila", was a staple food of native peoples. Carrier pigeons were used to let the mill know that a mule cart should be sent out as far as Cutler or Homestead to fetch another load of coontie. From the Dice House porch on a Sunday afternoon, you might have seen the Smoak children --Clarence, Lula & Fred --boarding the train for Homestead. Kendall had no school before 1929, so the young Smoaks were sent to the bustling metropolis of Homestead by Albert Harum-Alvarez ^^ p�n for schooling. They would return on the Friday train for weekends en boards used by her son who was a Trappist monk.Chity.Clerk in the country --in Kendall. listed the seven subject areas of the ancient Trivium and The boom years of the 1920s brought the train station across the street from the Dice House. Dan Killian, politically powerful coun- ty commissioner and owner of one of two stores in Kendall, had street lights installed in front of his store. No homesteading lands were available in Kendall, and Seminoles still lived in a village west of where Baptist Hospital now stands. Another Seminole village was on the present site of Kendall Indian Hammocks Park, west of 107th Avenue between Kendall Drive and Sunset Drive. The Dice House front porch was a good vantage point to watch farmers bring their winter vegetables in, and to see grove owners bring in their late summer mangoes and avocadoes. From the porch on a certain blustery morning in September 1926, you would have seen the rescue train heading down to the Keys to evacuate residents in the face of the great Labor Day hurricane. The doomed train never returned. It was swept into Florida Bay, along with thousands of human victims. Kendall was hard hit as well. The coontie mill was destroyed and never rebuilt. Many other homes and buildings also fell to the winds. During the Depression Kendall was quiet. The closest you could get to a crowd was at the Civilian Conservation Corps camp across from what is now Dadeland. Stone masons from Wisconsin lived at the camp while they built the limestone structures at Matheson Hammock park and along Old Cutler Road. In the Forties, the same camp held Nazi prisoners of war captured in North Africa. The Fifties saw a lot of changes from that front porch. The old heart pine packing house burned down. The arrival of the new US I roadbed turned "Old Dixie Highway" into a back alley. New hous- es were built by the dozen. The Smoaks sold off their farmland to be platted for modem ranch houses. It was the beginning of Kendall's boom, which hasn't stopped yet. The Palmetto Expressway arrived in the early Sixties, terminating just to the east of that same front porch. The Dice House almost fell in the eighties to make way for a maintenance yard for Metromil. A change in plans concentrated the train yards in Hialeah instead. The pine cottage lost only a few shingles to Hurricane Andrew, despite the fact that Wayside Baptist Church, one block to the north, lost an entire side of its sanctuary. Twisted steel, concrete rubble and soaked hymnals covered the plush theater seating, leaving a two- story -high hole in the eastem face of the church. Dade County pine, it seemed, still had its advantages. In the aftermath of the hurricane, the Dice House became the office of an electrical contractor dis- placed from South Dade. The Dice home has fared better in many ways than its namesake family. Luck ran out on the Dice bolita game in a 1964 raid on the store. But by that time, bad luck was already on a roll in the Dice family. David Brantly Dice died in 1949, leaving the store and its bolita game to his eldest son, who died a decade later in 1959. The store then passed to the middle son, who lasted another ten years before dying in 1969. The last son could see the writing on the wall, and prepared to meet his maker in 1979. In January 1980, he threw a party to celebrate the end of the Dice Curse. He died two months later. By the Eighties, the house was unoccupied and falling into disre- pair. One of its last residents, Viola Bums, left behind a set of wood - Quadrivium of classical times. It seemed the Dice House was as doomed as the Roman Empire. The house was declared historic by the county in 1989, but by 1997, then -owner Randy Boynton successfully petitioned for the right to move or demolish the house as an economic hardship. This led to the sale of the house, with a window of six months for its removal. An effort led by neighbor Trish Ramsay to move the Dice House to the grounds of Kenwood School failed due to the bureaucratic requirements of the school board. Preservation efforts stalled. The new owners failed to respond to phone calls from neighbors. It seemed the owner failed to realize that he had only six months to remove the house. Neighbors missed this subtlety as well. Weeds encroached around the house, and Virginia creeper vines ranged across the old front porch, now collapsing of wood rot. The owners left the door open, despite reminders by neighbors to lock it. Squatters moved in, and the house began to reek of human waste. A mysterious fire in the late nineties claimed the house next door to the Dice House, an old blacksmith's cottage that some called "the second oldest house in Kendall," though this was unconfirmed. Evidence pointed to arson. Neighbors were sure that the intended New owner Bernardo Junco and his children visit the Dice House. target was the Dice House itself,which by that time was the focus of a contentious lawsuit over its historic status. The owners were fighting once again for the right to level the building. Their plans featured a gated compound of condos intended for sale to South Americans drawn to shop at Dadeland. That lawsuit was defeated thanks to the efforts of the County Attorney's office, served ably by Tom Logue, counsel to the coun- ty's Historic Preservation Board. The owners finally decided to sell the house. And the story's not over. Thanks to new owner Bernardo Junco, the Dice House is preening for a new role in Kendall. As Downtown Kendall rises a few blocks to the north, the old crossroads of historic Kendall is still a special place. Pretty it ain't, not quite quaint, but it's a place that still seems to have a ghost of a chance at becoming a true neighborhood center once again. The Dice House Cafe is scheduled to open this year. No matter what's on the menu, the flavor of historic Kendall will be on special. Albert Harum-Alvarez, a native Miamian, is secretary of the Dice House Coalition. A former elementary school teacher, he now owns The Small Company, a software company. 1)14,3CUSSED 23 03— 48,61 24 Restoring The Ransom Cottage: No Bad News by Betsy Tilghman Many years ago, when DHT's Executive Director, Becky Matkov, was the President of the Junior League of Miami, she elevated enthusiasm for a new year and a new presidency with a lively presentation sung around a chorus of "No Bad News" Now, sixteen years later, as I write this article on the restoration of the Paul C. Ransom Cottage at Ransom Everglades School, Becky's optimistic slogan remains with me, and with my story I pen a happy continuum of things that do go well in our city. The Coconut Grove school my children attend, Ransom Everglades, will celebrate its 100th birthday in 2003, placing it among a handful of South Florida institutions able to claim such a long and successful history. Paul C. Ransom, graduate of Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, a founding board member of the Harvard Law Review and a graduate of Columbia University Law School, first visited the pio- neer settlement of Coconut Grove in 1893. The young Mr. Ransom, who had recently set up a promising law practice in Buffalo, New York, had just learned from his doctors that he was afflicted with a grave kidney ailment. Ransom was encouraged to escape the unfor- giving winter months in the northeast for a more health -giving climate, in the hopes that this would delay his demise. And thus, in the spring of 1893, after travel- ing the winter through South Florida and the Keys, Ransom purchased seven and one half acres of bayfront pineland from his hence- forth neighbor and friend, Kirk Munroe. Ransom returned in February 1896, accom- panied by the young son of friends, whom he had agreed to tutor during the winter months in Florida. This process being so agreeable to all concerned, many families became eager to send their boys south to Pine Knot Camp to study under this, extraordinary teacher. Thus began the germination of a unique institution that in L903 expanded into the country's first migratory school, the Adirondack -Florida School, with the opening of Meenahga Lodge in the woods of Onchiota, NY. Of course, Ransom Everglades is no longer the A.F.S. school. The Adirondack campus was closed and sold after WWII; the Miami campus was renamed Ransom School in honor of its founder, and in 1974 the school merged with the nearby Everglades School for Girls. Most of the many Dade County Pine board and batten school buildings dating back to Pine Knot Camp and A.F.S. have dis- appeared from campus – several blown away by a few nasty hurricanes and others through the need for modern replacements and an expanding student enroll- ment. The resurrected Ransom Cottage will tell the story of Ransom Everglades' 100 -year history. (Photos courtesy of Ransom Everglades School) "The Pagoda," listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is the largest and most important structure from the school's early years. It was saved and restored in the 1970s due in large part to the efforts of Ransom's late alumnus Giulio Blanc '73. No other structure remains— except a little green and white cottage with a mysterious beginning, which last saw duty as the band classroom. The earliest known reference to this cottage was contained in a letter written by the school librarian, Betty Smith, in 1981 to Edward E Mellon, citing pictures of it in 1909. Sadly, these pictures cannot be found. The first recorded images of the structure that we possess appear in the 1913 photo album of alumnus Herbert Gordon Fales, when it was the school infirmary. The use of the structure is confirmed by a 1920 Fire Marshal Map which again identified the building as an infirmary. So, we can assume with some confidence that the cottage was built on the campus during the first decade of the century, and that it was originally, or soon thereafter, used as the school's infirmary. We know that this use continued through the beginning of WWII, when the school closed for five years. After the War, the new Headmaster, D. Pierre G. Cameron, and his wife took up residence in the cottage, although as a headmaster's home it was barely satisfactory. Mike Stokes, who has taught at the School for nearly 40 years and lived in the cottage with his wife and infant daughter, remembers that the cot- tage came "equipped" with an electric wire and single light bulb that hung from a rafter to nearly floor level. With hooks placed around the cottage – by a reading chair, in the kitchen and bed room – light could be taken where it was needed. Dan Bowden, who began teaching at Ransom in 1955, recalls the evening coffees the Camerons hosted nightly for the faculty, who, after eating with the students, would join the Camerons for wide ranging intellec- tual discussions and reflection on matters of education. As the School expanded after the War, the cottage continued to be used as faculty hous- ing, a dormitory, an art studio, and finally as the band cottage. In 1998, when the school's Parents' Association committed restoration funding for the building, it was moved sever- al yards just west of its original location to make room for the new Fine Arts Building. During the ensuing four years, a committee of Parents' Association officers, alumni, and other concerned parents worked to find a restoration architect, solicit and examine con- tractor bids, and find additional funding for an appropriate level of restoration. We hired Rocco Ceo as our architect, and alumnus Mahoney Baggs as our contractor. Both indi- viduals approached this project with intense devotion and pride, and the restored cottage reflects their passion for the project. Mahoney's father, Bill Baggs, was the editor of the old Miami News and the visionary who fought for the creation of the State Park on Key Biscayne, and for whom the park is named. Bill should be well pleased by his son. As all of us who have watched, read about or been involved in any historic restoration know, restoration does not come cheap, demands compromise, and succeeds only with vision, tenacity and devotion. Yet, through the support of the School's Board of Trustees, funds raised by the Parents' Association, and the generous gift of a cur- rent trustee family, this little cottage was beautifully restored. Nestled under an oak hammock, the original structure has been resurrected like the resurrection fern growing on the limbs above it after a good rain. The Ransom Cottage will live to tell the stories of a special place. Today, at Ransom Everglades, may I report that there is No Bad News! Betsy Tilghman, who has restored an historic house in Coral Gables, is a past Executive Committee member of the Junior League of Miami. A former member of the Dade Heritage Trust Board of Trustees, she chaired Dade Heritage Days for two years. She served on the Board of Ransom Everglades School as president of the Parents' Association and helped spearhead the effort to restore the Ransom Cottage. She is now chairman of the Ransom Everglades Centennial Cookbook Committee. Preserving the RedlandHotel: A Beacon of History in Downtown Homestead In 1997, Rex and Katy Oleson and Jerry and Nancy Gust had a vision — to restore one of downtown Homestead's most historic land- marks. Located just south of the hustle and bustle of Miami, the Redland Hotel was originally built in 1904 and stands today as a reminder of times past, as well as a sym- bol of the area's vibrant history. From 1904 to the present, the Redland Hotel has had many owners, many names, and has undergone numerous renovations, including being rebuilt in 1913 after a major fire. Although operations were periodically interrupted, the hotel was open for business from 1904 to 1995. In 1995, it was con- demned due to 250 code violations attribut- able to neglect of the property. From 1995 to 1997, the hotel stood abandoned and in a state of disrepair. To the community, the Redland Hotel was an eyesore. Seeing the potential of the property, com- bined with the growing demand for a high- end, full service hotel between Kendall and Key Largo, the Olesons and Gusts felt the Redland Hotel was the ideal site to meet this demand. Furthermore, the couples did not want to see the history of downtown Homestead lost. The combined experience of the Olesons and the Gusts made them qualified to take on a project of this caliber, specifically one of historic preservation; Rex Oleson's role as Chairman of the Homestead Historic Preservation Board enhanced the credibility of the partnership. Moreover, with both couple's expertise in the hospitality indus- try, specifically Bed & Breakfasts, Rex Oleson and Jerry Gust's background as con- tractors, and the long-time friendship the couples shared, the decision to become part- ners was a natural one. In 1997, the Olesons and the Gusts purchased the Redland Hotel and began their joint venture. Financed through a variety of sources, they were able to achieve their dream. A $25,000 grant from the Enterprise Zone assisted in the restoration of the fagade. A $20,000 grant from Miami -Dade County's Economic Redevelopment Fund, through the City of Homestead, a $200,000 loan from the City of Homestead's Revolving By Dawn K. Terrick Loan Program, and a half -million dollar loan from TIB Bank of the Keys, in con- junction with the SBA, were applied to the hotel's overall restoration. The remainder of the funds needed to complete the restora- tion was obtained through private entities. With the financing secured, the Olesons and the Gusts began their quest to restore this historic gem. From 1997 to mid 1999, the structure was gutted. Slowly taking apart the hotel, sal- vageable items which were found were doc- umented. Unfortunately, due to many own- ers, renovations and pilfering over the years, there were few interior items found that could be saved. After the gutting was com- pleted, they spent 16 months putting the hotel back together. In July 2001, the Redland Hotel, once again, opened its doors. Here, guests can unwind Florida - style in a relaxed, sophisticated environ- ment. Reminiscent of old Florida, the Redland Hotel paints a picture of refined elegance. The hotel's architectural design, basic in form, is frame vernacular. Its large wrap- around porch, finished with delicate ginger- bread detailing, adds elegance to its exteri- or. The interior boasts a welcoming front desk, made of original bead board salvaged from different parts of the hotel. This wood was also used to build parts of the bar. Uniquely, the hotel's pub was Homestead's first public library, hence its name "The Library." The distinguished, original main stairway leads guests to the second level, which comprises a total of 11 guestrooms, with two guestrooms on the ground floor. Although the restoration was one of signifi- cant magnitude, there was little alteration to its original design. "It's as historically accurate as you can get," said Rex Oleson. "After the fire in 1913, the hotel was rebuilt, and incorporated shiplap siding. In the 1920s, stucco siding was added. We restored the overall structure to mirror its original design from the 1920s, adding only a railing to the porch, and two doors where windows had originally been located. Therefore, the Redland Hotel today looks exactly as it did 80 years ago." The Redland Hotel, having recently cele- brated its one-year anniversary since its restoration, is a model for historic preserva- tion. It has been a catalyst in the revitaliza- tion of Downtown Homestead. "In the beginning, everybody thought we were crazy," said Katy Oleson. "Now they come back and say `Wow, we were wrong. If they can do it, we can do it.' It has created com- munity interest as well as sparking regional attention. We're optimists," said Nancy Gust. "This project is just the beginning of other exciting projects to follow." Dawn Terrick worked on the Downtown Main Street program for the Miami Downtown Development Authority. She now works in public relations for an architectural firm. Submitted Into the public record in connection with item /11;4�1 on 25 43- 4&1 26 HOW THEAWERING TATE WAS WON AND L ST AND WON AGAIN) by Ivan Rodriguez This is the heartwarming success story of a the first inn to operate between Miami and In August 1985, after considerable debate, magnificent treasure rescued from extinc- Key West. the Dade County Historic Preservation tion not once, but twice within the past 15 Board designated the Deering Estate at years. The Deering Estate at Cutler is an The other family to make a significant con- Cutler as a local historic site, historic dis- environmental, archaeological and histori- tribution was the Deering family. Charles trict and archaeological zone. In March cal preserve comprising over 440 acres, currently owned by the State of Florida and Miami -Dade County, operated as a public park by the county's Park and Recreation Department. On the property are found the Cutler Fossil Site, which yielded important scientific evidence of human habitation in South Florida 10,000 years ago, and a circa 1700 Tequesta Burial Mound. Home to many early pioneer families during the nine- teenth century, the property was located within the settlement of Cutler, one of the first towns founded in South Miami -Dade County. Two families in particular left an important legacy at the Deering Estate at Cutler. The Richmond family settled and built their home here in 1896. Deering, chairman of the board of International Harvester, began purchasing property in the area in 1913, and by 1916 had assembled most of what is now the Deering Estate at Cutler. That year he remodeled the Richmond Cottage into his private winter home. With subsequent landscaping, construction of the keyhole - shaped boat basin, three outbuildings and the beautiful 1922 Stone House, the Deering Estate at Cutler became one of the most significant waterfront mansions that dotted the shores of Biscayne Bay during Miami's building boom years. The property remained in the Deering fam- ily long after the death of Mr. and Mrs. Deering. In the early 1980s the family heirs no longer had use for the property and put it up for sale. Its waterfront loca- tion made the property highly desirable for private developers, and its wealth of natu- In 1900 the Richmonds enlarged their rat and historical resources made it even house and opened the Richmond Cottage, more valuable for preservation advocates. On August 24,1992, Hurricane Andrew devastated the Deering Estate. The 1900 Richmond Cottage was flattened, and the 1896 original Richmond family house was nearly destroyed. Deering's 1922 Stone House flooded from the 16.7 foot storm surge but survived, 1986, the property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In July 1985, the State of Florida, under its Conservation and Recreational Lands (CARL) program, and Miami -Dade County agreed to purchase the Deering Estate at Cutler for $22.5 million. It was a long, difficult victory, and many played significant roles in seeing the acquisition through to its successful com- pletion. Especially important were the efforts of the Miami Corporation, owners of the property, who were willing to nego- tiate a deal; the Dade County Historic Preservation Board and the State Historic Preservation Office, who persevered in securing historic designation for the prop- erty; Dade Heritage Trust, for its advocacy role in securing political support for his- toric designation and public acquisition; Finlay Matheson, who held an option to buy the property until the public acquisi- tion package could be structured; the Trust for Public Land for making possible bridge financing until the permanent acquisition could be realized; and Dade County Commissioner James Redford, who cham- pioned public acquisition. On August 24, 1992, Hurricane Andrew hit South Miami -Dade County with the fury of the worst natural disaster ever experi- enced in the area. Winds officially clocked at 165 miles per hour and a storm surge of 16.7 feet above sea level at the site left the Deering Estate at Cutler in a state of utter devastation. The property suffered an esti- mated $7 million worth of damage to the buildings and main grounds alone, and t effects on the natural areas were cata- strophic. The process of salvage, recovery, recon- struction and restoration was a formidable task. First came cleaning up the grounds, which were rendered impassable and unrecognizable by the storm. To complicate things further, the building debris contained asbestos and lead based paint, making its removal a long, arduous and costly project. Historical building materials from the Richmond Cottage, such as Dade County pine flooring and mantelpieces, were salvaged for future reconstruction. Fortunately, a few years earlier a historic preservation class from the University of Florida had meticulously prepared meas- ured drawings and photographic documen- tation of the buildings. Without this help, reconstruction of the Richmond Cottage and rehabilitation of the other historic structures would have been extremely dif- ficult, if not impossible. Months before the storm, the Park Department had commissioned the firm of Fullerton Diaz Architects, with Development Management Services as restoration consultants, to prepare a reuti- lization plan for the property. Their role was expanded to prepare a full plan for reconstruction and rehabilitation and to assist in the development of a master plan. One of the major challenges ahead was to secure sufficient funding to cover more than $7 million needed to bring just the historic buildings back to life. Funds were obtained from the Florida Secretary of State's Office, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Florida Inland Navigational District, Florida Boating Submitted Into the public The Deering Estate at Cutler as it looks today. Miami -Dade County Park and Recreation Department and Fullerton Diaz Architects received DHT Preservation Awards for their outstanding work in restoring this historic landmark. (Photos cour- tesy of Miami -Dade County Park and Rec Dept.) Improvement Program, South Florida Water Management District, Knight Foundation and insurance settlements. The most substantial and toughest to negotiate contribution came from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which provided $4 million. Finally, in March, 1999, the Deering Estate reopened its doors. The second battle to save this historic, cultural and environmental gem had been won. Today, the park serves as a visitors' attrac- tion, where tours of the historic buildings, grounds and natural areas, including Chicken Key, are regularly held. The buildings are being gradually furnished with antiques and artwork original to the Estate, thanks to generous donations from the Deering Estate Foundation and mem- bers of the Deering family. The family has made possible the restoration of the library and ballroom, and the wine cellar is fully restored and stocked with the original bot- tles, albeit now empty. The park also serves an important educa- tional function through lecture series, classes and special multidisciplinary activ- ities that combine tours and hands-on experiences presented to public school stu- dents and summer camp programs.. Facilities are also available for business and social functions, and special events such as concerts and festivals are being periodically held. The Deering Estate at Cutler is a magical place. The visitor is transported to another time in South Florida, a quieter, gentler time. The traffic noise of the city seems far away. The only sounds heard are the lap- ping waves of the bay, the rustling of palm fronds and the songs of birds. It is a place of contemplative beauty, of harmony between people and nature, between the past and the future. Its existence in the present is a true miracle of preservation and perseverance, a wondrous legacy to the cultural heritage of South Florida. Ivan A. Rodriguez served for seven years as Director of the Deering Estate at Cutler, over- seeing the $12 million restoration of the park's buildings and natural areas. He founded and directed Miami -Dade County's Historic Preservation Division from 1977-90, authoring From Wilderness to Metropolis. He has been executive director of Miami -Dade County Art in Public Places since 2000 and is currently also serving as interim director of Miami -Dade County's Historic Preservation Office. He has a Bachelor of Design degree and a Master of Architecture degree in Architectural History and Historic Preservation from the University of Florida. DISCUSSED 03- 4 8;1 27 30 PRESERVATI(N EASEMENTS: A (eft to the Future Dade Heritage Trust has a program to accept and hold protective easements on property to assure the preserva- tion of architecturally and historically significant build- ings. The preservation easement is a way by which the owner can protect the architectural integrity of a building for the benefit of the community and future generations. WHAT IS A PRESERVATION EASEMENT? A preservation easement is a contract by which the prop- erty owner transfers to another clearly specified rights or privileges pertaining to the subject property. An ease- ment allows for restrictions on modifications to a build- ing. It is written in the form of a deed, granted in perpe- tuity to Dade Heritage Trust and specifies the level to which the building is to be restored and maintained and provides for monitoring and enforcement. WHY GIVE AN EASEMENT? A preservation easement is given to preserve the appear- ance of an historic building. The owner of a particular property often wants to be sure that the visual appear- ance will not be altered or neglected in the future. By giving an easement, the present owners can be assured that the property will be protected indefinitely, regard- less of who the future owners may be. There also may be tax advantages when an easement is given. WHAT BUILDINGS ARE ELIGIBLE FOR AN EASEMENT? Charitable deductions for easement contributions are restricted to properties individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places or certified as con- tributing to a National Register Historic District. Although it is possible to donate an easement on a prop- erty not listed on the Register, no charitable deduction can be taken. WHAT ELEMENTS OF A BUILDING ARE PRO- TECTED BY AN EASEMENT? The easement can be unique to each property and may incorporate many elements. Protected features may include the facades, the interior, the grounds, view sheds, or air rights, etc. The fagade easement is a common type of donation. The terms of the agreement are reached by mutual consent between the property owner and the easement- holding organization. WHAT RESTRICTIONS ARE IMPOSED ON THE PROPERTY OWNER? The primary restrictions of an easement relate to the physical maintenance and possible modification of the building's fagade. These restrictions apply only to the portion(s) of the building which are included in the ease- ment. The property may continue to be used for what- ever purpose the owner may choose. The grantor of the easement assumes the obligation of securing the approval of Dade Heritage Trust before undertaking changes to any elements covered in the easement. HOW LONG DOES AN EASEMENT LAST? The Internal Revenue Service allows charitable deduc- tions to be taken only for perpetual easements. WHO GIVES AN EASEMENT? Any public, private or corporate owner of an historic property can donate a fagade easement. The kind of ownership affects the tax benefits that result from donat- ing an easement, with corporations benefiting less than individual owners or partnerships. Both the donating owner and any subsequent owners during the lifetime of 1, i the easement are bound by its regulations. The easement stays with the property, not the owner. WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR IMPROVING AND MAINTAINING THE BUILDING? Although the property owner grants certain rights and privileges to Dade Heritage Trust, under the terms of the easement, the owner retains full possession of the prop- erty and is responsible for maintaining the building. As part of the easement, the property owner agrees to improve and maintain the subject fagade to the agreed upon level of care. The owner is also responsible for obtaining adequate fire and liability insurance and for listing the Dade Heritage Trust as an additional insured on his insurance policy. SHOULD AN EASEMENT BE DONATED BEFORE OR AFTER ANY IMROVEMENTS ARE COMPLETED? The property owner may wish to complete the improve- ment program and then donate the easement on the improved building to Dade Heritage Trust. Since any improvements are likely to add to the value of the build- ing, the deduction would be proportionally higher. Alternately, the owner may donate the easement and then undertake improvements. This course of action may permit the property owner to take charitable deduc- tion on the before restoration value of the property and then take an additional charitable deduction on the value of the extra restoration mandated in the easement. WILL THE GRANTING OF AN EASEMENT ALWAYS INVOLVE IMPROVEMENTS? Dade Heritage Trust is oriented toward the preservation of the visual character of historic buildings, not their full restoration. In many cases, an easement can be negoti- ated that accepts existing conditions of the building and provides guidelines for its future restoration. This insures that any changes to the building in the future will be in the direction of restoration. WHAT RESTRICTIONS WILL APPLY TO SIGNS? The signage for each building can be developed as part of the overall fagade specifications. The signage finally worked out should be consistent with the character of the building as originally designed. WHAT IS THE PROCESS FOR MAKING CHANGES TO THE FACADE AFTER AN EASE- MENT HAS BEEN GRANTED? The property owner describes his or her proposed changes to the Dade Heritage Trust, which determines whether or not it is compatible with the building's his- toric architectural character. All major changes require advance approval of Dade Heritage Trust. The alteration policy will be based on the Secretary of Interior Standards for Rehabilitation. If the property is locally designated, the property owner will be required to secure a Certificate of Appropriateness from the local govern- ment body. WHAT HAPPENS IN THE EVENT OF THE ACCI- DENTAL DESTRUCTION OF THE FACADE? Necessary emergency repairs would be made by the property owner to render the property safe. Then he or she would work with Dade Heritage Trust to restore the building to the easement specifications. In the event of total destruction Dade Heritage Trust would likely can- cel the easement, but if the building is restored, the terms of the easement would still apply. WHAT ARE THE TAX CONSEQUENCES OF EASEMENT DONATIONS? The gift of an historic fagade easement may have income, gift, estate and real property tax consequences that will be beneficial to the donor of the easement. The tax consequences of a gift must be determined between the donor, assisted by his or her attorney or accountant, and the tax authorities. Under most circumstances the value of an easement depends upon the property's devel- opment potential and operates under the assumption that an easement limits development, thereby reducing the value of the property. Easements may be combined with Federal Historic Rehabilitation tax credits. Property owners interested in donating an easement should con- tact Dade Heritage Trust for more information. The National Park Service lists Dade Heritage Trust as a local easement -holding organization. DHT currently holds several active fagade easements, including the Wainer Place and Firehouse Four in Miami. The Warner House, at 111 SW 5th Avenue in Miami was built in 1912 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In the early 1980s it was restored as an office build- ing by the Magic City Restoration Company, which donated a preservation easement for four exterior facades and the interior staircase to Dade Heritage Trust. The Poinciana Cottage is the last remaining building of the historic Camp Biscayne built on Biscayne Bay in Coconut Grove by pioneer Commodore Ralph Munroe. From 1905 until 1925 Camp Biscayne attracted winter visitors from the North with its simple lodgings and emphasis on natural beauty, intellectual camaraderie and outdoor activities. In August, 2002, David W. Swetland , whose family had pur- chased Camp Biscayne in 1925, donated a conservation easement far the Poinciana Cottage to Dade Heritage Trust. Mr. Swetland, who has recently moved to Maine, wanted to give a lasting legacy to a community he had lived in for so long. [ nC iemureu )ionegate mansion as tt loo Ks Coaay. Stonegate: A Miraculous Survivor A Miami Herald article published in May 1995 summed it up: "Stonegate needs a miracle." This magnificent property survived hurricanes, fires, vandals, and an unsympathetic economy to remain one of the outstanding examples of coral rock construction anywhere in the county. A derelict "Stonegate" before renovation began Situated on 10.5 acres, the property known as Stonegate was constructed between 1923 and 1927 by Oliver Sollit, a retired contractor from Chicago. He had completed the construction of a two-story, eight -room guest house, and then began work on the main house. When the pun- ishing hurricane of September 1926 struck, work on the main house was left incomplete. Casper Hagner, a retired paint company owner from Kentucky, bought the property in 1946 and finished the house. The estate contained a chapel and servants' quarters in addition to the impressive stone entry arch that gave the estate its name. Hagner supported the local historic designation in 1981 of Stonegate, which received the county's high- est rating of importance for its architectural sig- nificance. The coral rock walls that composed the building on the estate and the wall that sur- rounded it were three feet thick in places. In 1983, Hagner sold the property to developer Emil Gould for a purchase price of $682,500. By Ellen J. Uguccioni Gould had lived in the house immediately south of Stonegate since 1951. The land in this area was zoned for estates and only one house was allowed per acre. Gould sought a zoning change that would allow him to create multiple dwellings, but neighbors successfully defeated all his efforts at rezoning the property. In 1988 a demolition permit was actually issued; but thanks to quick -thinking neighbors, the County Historic Preservation Division was notified and intervened. Stonegate was a hair's breadth away from the wrecker's ball! The property sat vacant and neglected for a number of years, falling prey to vandals who wreaked their share of havoc. In April of 1995, Gould put the property up for sale for $1.9 mil- lion. On October 29, 1995, Stonegate was the victim of a "mysterious fire." Because the house is constructed of stone, walls were left standing, but the interiors were gutted and the structure seriously undermined. At this point, there seemed to be no possible solution for preservationists who understood blic record in connection with item -on-�-b3 Priscilla A. Thompson City Clerk the lasting implications of this distinctive sur- vivor. That was until Vivian Dimond appeared on the scene. Determined to restore Stonegate's rightful place in history, Ms. Dimond and three partners bought the property in 1998. Eventually zoning variances were granted for the lot size and building setback which allowed the gatehouse and three -car garage to be converted into resi- dences, and seven additional homes were built around the magnificent centerpiece. The Gould house next door also became a part of the devel- opment. The main residence has been fully restored. The saga of Stonegate is a story of persever- ance, courage and vision. We are all the richer for those heroic efforts. Ellen J. Uguccioni directed the Historic Preservation Office for the City of Coral Gables for fourteen years, serving as its first director. Ms. Uguccioni is a prestigious author, having written numerous articles and books throughout her career, including the soon to be published book, The Biltmore Hotel — A Legacy Continues, which she (o -authored with Sam LaRoue, Jr. Architect Charles Harrison Pawley and ownerldeveloper Vivian Dimond, shown with her daughter, accept a Dade Heritage Trust 2002 Preservation Award for their work in restoring Stonegate. DHTAwards Chairman Rich Heisenbottle, on the left, and DHT outgoing president Jeanette Poole, on the right, presented the awards at the finale of Dade Heritage Days, held at the Biltmore Hotel. (Photo by Jeannett Slesnick) DISCUSSED 03- 4 8,1 31 Dade Heritage Days 2002: Cherish ur Heritage The September 11, 2001 horror at the New York World Trade Center seared into the American psyche how important architectural landmarks are as symbols of our culture and soul. Though this was a hard year to produce Dade Heritage Days—which lasted throughout March and April and includ- ed over 70 events—we felt it more important than ever to "cherish our heritage," to showcase—and save—the historic places and neighborhoods we still have left in Miami. Dade Heritage Days banners, like this one in Coconut Grove, appeared all over town. Volunteers at the Villager "Tropical Retreats" Garden Tour. Herald writer Georgia Tasker, who contributed a chapter to Miami's Historic Neighborhoods, and editor Becky Roper Matkov at a Dade Heritage Days book signing. DHT Trustee Don MacCullough and Janet MacCullough with Howard Kleinberg, who pre- sented a Dade Heritage Days lecture on Miami Beach at the 'Art Deco Museum, with MDPL Executive Director Herb Sosa. 32 1 A Dade Heritage Days boat tour of the Miami River departed from Spring Garden. Bob McClymonds and Brenda Marshall of Trust for Public Land cel- ebrate the Miami River's heritage at Spanish Point. Gail Meadows and Elvis Cruz led tours at the Historic Morningside House Tour. Submitted Into t record in conne( tem &dxc - on Priscilla A. T 1 Linde Barrett, Veronica Matzner, Miami -Dade School Board Member Betsy Kaplan, and Pinecrest Mayor Evelyn Greer at Pinecrest Park dur- ing Dade Heritage Days. Marge Pearlson and DHT Trustee Kathy Hersh at a Pinecrest Preservationists' event during Dade Heritage Days. Miami history experts Bob Jensen, Larry Wiggins, Professor Ari Millas and Seth Bramson enjoy the Miami Memorabilia Club's Open House during Dade Heritage Days. Coral Gables Mayor Don Slesnick and outgoing DHT President Jeanette Poole with DHT Trustee Dolly Maelnryre, who was presented DHT's highest honor, the Henriette Harris Award, at DHT's Preservation Awards Ceremony held at the Biltmore Hotel. Beside Dolly are her daughter Sheffield Maelnryre and granddaughter Sylver. M, At a luncheon hosted by the Dade Heritaec 1),ns African American Committee, student, 1-m Poinciana Park Elementary School re-enurtrd the lives of outstanding black women burie,l in the Miami City Cemetery. Dade Heritage Days' Antique Car Show on Flagler Street, or�an- ized by the Downtown Miami Partnership, attracted fans to Downtown Miami. Sponsors of'Dade Heritage Days are thanked at the Biltmore Preservation Awards Ceremony. J w� ply 34 Corporate Heritage Profile The Graham Companies Celebrate70th Anniversary Ernest "Cap" Graham, who purchased 7000 acres of soggy dairy land seventy years ago, surveys his milk cows in the early days. Z ZW PROGRESSIVE ADVERTISING • Web Design • Graphic Design • Interactive Presentations • Promotional Items • Catalog Program • Fulfillment • Point of Purchase Displays • Printing • Packaging • At -Event Marketing Phone: (305) 525-8922 www.zmarkonline.com .t 41 i- On January 25, 2002, William A. Graham, Chairman of the Board of The Graham Companies, was joined by U.S. Senator Bob Graham, members of the Graham family, current and former employees, friends and residents of the City of Miami Lakes for the 70th Anniversary Celebration of The Graham Companies in the main ballroom of Don Shula's Hotel in Miami Lakes. Founded by Ernest R. Graham in 1932, The Graham Companies, is a pioneer south Florida family-owned company best known for its devel- opment of Miami Lakes, a 40 -year old, five -square -mile residential and business community. Miami Lakes has become an icon for urban devel- opment at its finest and its model has been copied throughout the coun- try. The Graham Companies' agricultural concerns include dairy farm- ing and sugar cane production in Florida and registered Angus breed- ing, forestry interests and pecan groves in Georgia. The company always emphasizes its roots in dairy farming, including the fact that Miami Lakes was built on pastureland for its dairy cows, some of which still graze on undeveloped land in the community. U.S. Sen. Bob Graham, William A. Graham, Chairman of the Board, and William E. Graham, President and CEO, share seven decades of stories detailing the evolution ofThe Graham Companies with the audience during the 70th Anniversary Celebration in Miami Laker. THANK YOU, � THANK YOU! As a nonprofit organization with a small staff but a big mission, Dade Heritage Trust could never succeed in our many efforts without the support of good friends who give generously of their time, money and expertise. Our sin- cerest appreciation to you all! Dade Heritage Days 2002 Participants The Barnacle First Presbyterian Church, 609 Brickell Avenue The Wolfsonian - Florida International University Miami Design Preservation League The Lyric Theater The Historical Museum of Southern Florida Morningside Civic Association Morningside Historic Education Society Biscayne National Park Charles Deering Estate The Merrick House The Kislak Foundation Ransom Everglades School Tour Miami Shores Preservation Board The Spring Garden Civic Association Coral Gables Historic Homeowners Association Arch Creek Trust Greater North Miami Historical Society The Villagers Tropical Audubon Society Grant Livingston Bayside Residents Association The Black Archives Friends of Aqua Vista Marjory Stoneman Douglas Biscayne Nature Center Miami Springs Historical Museum City of Coral Gables Penalver State Clinic Community Center Viemes Culturales participants African American Committee of Dade Heritage Trust Heritage 11 of Miami YMCA's Mary Barr Munroe Society The Kampong Friends of the Everglades Cape Florida Lighthouse The Miami River Marine Group The Miami River Commission Miami Memorabilia Collector's Club The Biltmore Hotel TAP TAP Haitian Restaurant Downtown Miami Partnership Curtiss Mansion, Inc. Miami -Dade Park and Recreation, Crandon Park Land Trust of Dade County Louis Wolfson II Media History Center Sponsors and Donors American Express Peacock Foundation, Inc. Miami -Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs The Miami Herald / El Nuevo Herald The Biltmore Hotel and Conference Center of the Americas J. Poole Associates, Inc. Realtors The City of Miami Ocean Bank The Goldsmith Family Foundation David W. Swetland Mellon United National Bank McCartney Construction Company The Villagers, Inc Miss Lamar Louise Curry Dunspaugh-Dalton Foundation The Graham Companies The Charles N. and Eleanor Knight Leigh Foundation Bureau of Historic Preservation, Division of Historical Resources, Florida Department of State, assisted by the Historic Preservation Advisory Council Miami High Alumni Association The Seaquarium Bahamas Air Publix Coral Gables Congregational Church Metro Beauty Centers Special Thanks to Jeanette Poole Enid Pinkney Bill Murphy Richard Heisenbottle, AIA Don MacCullough Judy Pruitt George Neary Penny Lambeth Luis Penelas Dolly MacIntyre Rafael and Ana Penalver Submitted Into the public record in connection with thy Coat4tem fe on �- f-0 Marie Stiefel Priscilla A. Thompson Ruth Jacobs -Gt clerk African American Committee of DIPty Arva Moore Parks Ann Marie Clyatt Blanca Mesa Elena Carpenter of Mass Media Chico Goldsmith John Hinson Lee Pinto Neil Robertson, Esq. Don Marx Don Slesnick Frans Boetes Thomas J. Matkov, Esq., of Dunwody, White & Landon Andrew Moss, Esq., of Kutner, Rubinoff, Bush & Lerner, P.A. Thomas Spain, AIA Donna Underwood Dottie Zinzow Dottie Boyer City of Miami Mayor and Commissioners Miami -Dade County Mayor and Commissioners Chris Eck Ivan Rodriquez City of Miami Manager Carlos Gimenez Al Ruder and the City of Miami Parks Department Sarah Eaton Kelli da Silva Pat Quintana Art Hertz Eugene Threadgill Nancy Liebman Donald Slesnick, III Parrot Jungle John Adams Downtown Miami Rotary Club Mitch Kaplan of Books & Books Clay Hamilton Kathy Hersh Walter Alvarez Herb Sosa Nancy Liebman Gary Held, Esq. Bill Hansen of Bills' Catering Villa Woodbine Junior League of Miami, Inc. Miami Beach Congregational Church Carrollton School And many thanks to all who have joined>"Dade Heritage Trust as members—your support is vital to our organ���� 35 a 3 ® 4 .� Miami Art of Historic Proportions Cape Florida Sunrise $ 245 Edition Size: 275 Print Size: 2 ft. x 3 ft. Vizcaya Moonrise $ 245 Edition: 275 Size: 2 ft. x 3 ft. ed Edition Giclee Prints ►irect from the Internet Be among the first to own one of these dynamic South Florida landscapes! Celebrate Miami's colorful history by hanging these rare works in your home and office. They also make the perfect gift for that history buff on your list. Vibrant Giclee prints have replaced lithography as the process of choice for fine art reproduction. Each signed and numbered piece is ready for framing with a Certificate ofAuthenticity. Floating Colony $ 225 Edition: 250 Size: 2 ft. x 3 ft. Flamingo Beach $ 235 Edition: 250 Size: 3 ft. x 2 ft. Prices Include Professional Delivery Go online to see the entire collection offourteen painted screens by this celebrated South Florida artist. Also take a look at the exciting T -Shirts and posters. The prints arrive with a full money -back guarantee. Use any of your credit cards or your personal check for your order. The official artist of "Dade Heritage Days. 2001" MioamimArtxom 305/858-9154 7'\T�� Journey to a place of myth and wonder, where 50,000 sea creatures swirl through the largest marine .. habitat in the world, second only to Mother Nature. Where an archaeological dig reveals what life PARADISE ISLAND, I� n i { n NA A s may have been like in the lost continent over 11,000 years ago. Where you can slide down the face O{'LCe, yon Our of a six -story Mayan Temple through crystal tunnels in a shimmering lagoon. Where you can Y11�• experience a thrilling casino, l l refreshing pool areas, miles of white sand beaches, a full-service spa, sports center, world-class marina, Discovery Channel Camp'"' at Atlantis for children, Club Rush for teens, and 38 restaurants and lounges. A place you can try to imagine, or discover for yourself. For reservations and information, call 1 -800 -Atlantis or visit online at Atlantis.com. w Vim" - .a _�- �fie` T t It IF Y a The DEERING ESTATE FOUNDATION The Deering Estate at Cutler is a major educational, recreational and cultural asset to all who visit it. With exhibits, tours of historic buildings and natural areas, guided canoe trips, extensive educational, research, and training programs, the Deering Estate is creating its own glorious new history. The property also serves as a conference center for organizations with an affinity to the environment, history, the fine arts, antiques, rare books and wine. Once again, this jewel of South Florida's heritage has returned to take its place as one of Florida's most important and unique historical, archaeological, architectural, and environmental sites. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places The Deering Estate at Cutler is open 7 days a week from 10 am - S pm Last Ticket Sold at 4 pm TIME DEERING ESTATE FOUNDATION DRD£ .A£RIT.4G£, TRUS7 190 Southeast 12th Terrace Miami, Florida 33131 Your support of our endeavors is greatly appreciated. All funds raised through the Deering Foundation are used to insure the preservation and conservation of this National treasure as well as for the purchase of artifacts and much needed equipment in which to maintain your 450 acre historical and cultural gem. Information pertaining to various sponsor and donor funded projects providing permanent Estate recognition opportunities are available by calling the Foundation. Special appreciation extended to Miami based, David Turner and Turner & Associates, CPA's (305) 377.0707 for sponsoring this page. 16701 SW 72nd Avenue a Miami, FL, USA 33157 Office: 305-233-5858 a Fax: 305-233-5074 www.DeeringEstate.org Submitted Into th public ri%cord, in c .nnie'clllo c with fpm ; -L-q�:QL Prisd1la A. Thompson ity Clerk NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE MIAMI, FL PERMIT NO. 6022