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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSubmittal-Frank Schnidman-Letter to CommissionersSubmitted into the pub 'c record fo ite s) Frank Schnidman on '' City Clerk P. O. Box 11339 Fort Lauderdale, FL 33339 TEL: 954/599-8715 E -Mail: schnidmanf(&earthlink.net MEMORANDUM TO: Mayor Francis Suarez Commissioner Wilfredo Gort Commissioner Ken Russell Commissioner Joe Carollo Commissioner Manolo Reyes Commissioner Keon Hardemon FROM: Frank Schnidman RE: Public Comment: Multiple Property Designation DATE: Thursday, July 14, 2018 Thank You On behalf of the property owners on the Property List that I represent, I submit this Memorandum for the record to formally thank the Chair and Members of the Historic and Environmental Preservation Board and their Attorney for deferring the Multiple Property Designation Agenda Item at their July 3, 2018 Regular Meeting to a Special Meeting this coming Monday, July 16, 2018. Though recognizing that some owners could not attend because of July 41h holiday commitments, the reason for the deferral was a recognition that the Multiple Property Designation process was new, but that the process of designating individual buildings was governed by existing'procedure. Therefore, though there could be one Designation Report to expediate the process of staff recommendation, Due Process and fundamental fairness require that each property on the Designation List has to be individually presented, with the opportunity for the owner to respond before the HEPB discusses and votes on the staff recommendation. Evangelist Street/Charles Avenue Designation Report I also submit this Memorandum for the record to formally submit a copy of the June 2012 Designation Report for the Evangelist Street/Charles Avenue Historic i q�'%Vs�i��-�t�n�S�,n,�ma�n- �e�er � 6w\SSIOWS Submitted into the public recondfQr ite on 1 City Clerk Street Designation. This approved designation was for the right of way only, not the structures on either side of Charles Avenue. Note that though this right of way has been designated as Historic, the City Capital Improvements and Transportation Department, Project 40-13183612, in active design with the assistance of Kimley/Horn, is planning roadway milling and resurfacing, replacement of damaged sidewalks and driveway approaches, ADA ramps, removal of existing drainage system (cover ditch) and replacement with new drainage system (inlet, MH and exfiltration trench), and the installation of a new valley gutter, from Main Highway to South Douglas Road. With HEPB approval, it is not technically wrong to do this, but it will forever change the historic ambiance of this recognized resource. "Charles Avenue is narrow and out of line, especially when viewed from its entrance on Main Highway, because it was laid out by the homesteaders and not surveyors." (Emphasis added.) Will it be like that after the efforts by the City Capital Improvements and Transportation Department remakes this historic right of way? What will happen to the "...pleasant narrow road with narrow sidewalks and trees typically planted inside the property line..."? The Statement of Significance from Designation Report for Evangelist Street/Charles Avenue is the "cut and paste" source of much of the Statement of Significance for the Multiple Property Designation. In the opening paragraph it states that this Avenue "...symbolizes the thriving black community that helped shape Coconut Grove and of which the local history could not be told separately." The text goes on to describe the people and the homes that were built—yet NONE of the text suggests that historic designation include any of the buildings along the right of way. Why in 2012 was only a right-of-way designated and not any of the buildings? Was this only what the Community wanted? One very interesting point made in this 2012 Report, on page 13-14: "...Several studies were conducted thatfound the area eligible for historic districts, both the West Grove (as a whole) and Charles Avenue (individually), that never went through, a Neighborhood Conservation District (NCD) was created to protect historic properties in 2005 (buildings are still being lost), individual properties have been designated historic, such as the Mariah Brown House and E. W.F. Stirrup House (both vacant), and a few historic marks have been placed mostly to educate visitors." (Emphasis added.) Has so much really been lost in these few years that there can no longer be an historic district? 0 Submitted into the public recordMites on City Clerk How Wide Do You Cast the Net? When the City Commission began this process, there was to be a study to create an historic district to protect approximately 20 shotgun homes. Then, without any public justification, the designation went to a new never before used concept in Miami, the Multiple Property Designation. With this change, the required outreach for a proposed historic district was avoided: "In those instances when a historic district is being considered, the preservation office shall conduct outreach involving all relevant home owner associations and neighborhood associations, ultimately ascertaining their level of support by way of resolution or vote. " (Emphasis Added.) Such outreach was therefore avoided, and there was no significant community engagement until the proposed list of properties was prepared—a list that had significantly expanded from the 20 or so shotgun homes to 51 "Wood Frame Vernacular Residences." Slum and Blight, "Feeling," and the "Unreasonable or Undue Economic Hardship" Slum and Blight In January 2018, the City Commission designated the area that includes all designated residences as "slum and blighted" when they approved the Finding of Necessity (FON) for the expansion of the Omni CRA. The FON identified this as an area of significant decay and deterioration. And the FON recognized severe problems with not only public infrastructure, but with the publicly and privately owned residential and commercial buildings. No information about the actual condition of each residence designated for historic preservation was researched, other than by a windshield or walk by survey and selected research into City and County records. Little effort was made to talk with any of the property owners. What are the actual condition of these designated buildings? Is it appropriate to consider designation of buildings that have received "Unsafe Structure" notices, and the current owners have not been involved in "demolition by neglect"? Is it appropriate to consider designation of slum or blighted buildings that cannot be economically rebuilt? "Feeling" During a previous Commission discussion of why not an historic district and why the Multiple Property Designation, it was recognized that historic designation was a "burden" on the property owners, and that the Commission did not want to burden all properties within a district. You also recognized that Multiple Property Designation, though never done before, would be faster because only one report was needed for all designated properties. Submitted into the public record fpr itejn s) � , t on 7 City Clerk During the work of the Historic Preservation staff, a wide net was cast that caught not 20 shotgun homes, but 51 "Wood Frame Vernacular Buildings." "Frame Vernacular, as defined by the City of Miami Preservation Office Historic Design Guidelines, refers to a simple wood frame building, which is the product of the builder's construction experience, available resources at the time, and the surrounding environment." Page 16 of the Designation Report, Description section, goes on to say that "The buildings included in the Multiple Property Designation are all wood frame structures that contain the above elements to varying degrees." And on page 18: "Feeling is a property's expression of the historic sense of a particular period of time resulting from the presence of physical features that, taken together, convey the property's historic character. As the properties retain integrity of setting, design, materials, and workmanship, they convey a feeling of residential life in Coconut Grove Village West community in the early twentieth century. " (Emphasis added.) (Note that some of the properties included on the List are frame vernacular single family or duplex structures were built in the late 1930's. These owners wonder how that relates to the "feeling of residential life ... in the early twentieth century." They "feel" that they simply own old wooden buildings.) Unreasonable or Undue Economic Hardship Sec. 23.2 of the Code defines Unreasonable or Undue Hardship as: "An onerous or excessive financial burden that destroys reasonable and beneficial use of property and that would amount to the taking of property without just compensation or failure to achieve a reasonable economic return in the case of income producing properties. " (Emphasis added.) To translate that into non -legalese, it means that a homesteaded single-family home owner will not easily be able to allege unreasonable or undue economic hardship to get a certificate of appropriateness to avoid governmental enforcement actions to fix or maintain the property because they would likely not be able to meet the "taking of property" requirement as they have the economically beneficial use of living in the residence. In addition, Sec. 23-6.2(h)(4) states that "...The fact that compliance would result in some increase in costs shall not be considered unreasonable or undue economic hardship if the use of the property is still economically viable." And, the "taking of property" analysis is a legal analysis that will require an opinion of the City Attorney in each and every case. The Historic Preservation staff will not be able to render such an opinion. In addition, once designated, the property owner has only 15 calendar days to appeal the designation, and it will be expensive in terms of fees, consultants and 4 Submitted into the public recordMf �City Clerk attorney fees. So, if a homesteaded property owner waits for more than 15 days thinking there will be financial incentives to assist in meeting required repairs mandated by designation and/or code compliance, they will no longer be able to appeal the designation to the City Commission. However, Sec. 23-6.2(h)(4)(b)(6) states: "...For income producing property only, a profit and loss statementfor the property containing the annual gross income for the previous three years; itemized expenses, including operating and maintenance costs, for the previous three years; annual cash flow for the previous three years; and proof that the owner has made reasonable efforts to obtain a reasonable rate of return on the owner's investment and labor, " (Emphasis added.) In effect, if designated, rental property has a much easier time getting a certificate of appropriateness, because they do not have to meet the "taking of property" test. And, this economic analysis will require economic development expertise beyond the skill set of the Historic Preservation staff. And, since there are really incentives of little value for the investor or landlord to be a designated historic structure, they are more than likely to meet the 15 calendar day requirement to file an appeal with the City Commission to object to their designation. (Note that this is very different from the situation in the MiMoBiscayne Boulevard Historic District where substantial financial incentives exist to foster preservation and rehabilitation of historic structures, contributing structures, non-contributing structures, and even new construction.) Closing In closing, let me again thank the HEPB for the honest, open and transparent manner in which they will deal with this new and novel approach to historic preservation — the multiple property designation. Hopefully, given the chance for individual presentation, owner response and public input and voting after each individual discussion, these professionals will be able to determine which of the wide pool of designees actually merit final designation. ************* • f ar'� IrA 1 r IF 01 F .. +' CHARLES AVENUE 4 r The first laWek,coatnaUY"it+ f)n the South Morl€ ~�r �hair�i in�f began her-: it] rs the tate t [is when - I WaCks Primarily t£ctm tile Bat-mmaa come vi 7"_;-�. lC 1 r t t'e -Work at. t he Pe u ock li o, Their it r ,a f°iy " fust hand experWmc with tropiml plants • ' ' ywW l+ut.l� ing �a olei-ir�ls �gry�o��d invaltic tyle {to � the 6040ekva lent of C'Wc+sal V i �..�.sides 9 p "svWe hoonea the uar)V boildinC, k iM1"ded +- -ice am Felkws HaI3, which• served r4 it rhunity censer wind libmry Macedbn6 fWPH % Church. fior a a� the okdcsf black t acIregatio(n in. the area. qnd IM, A.M.E. Mtho is1 Church, which housed the COMWLrnit "s fIrO schook At the western .erns of. Charles Avenue is one of r—emeterica Submitted into the public record fqr ite (s) IN on `-,! d City Clerk REPORT OF THE CITY OF MIAMI PRESERVATION OFFICER TO THE HISTORIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL PRESERVATION BOARD ON THE POTENTIAL DESIGNATION OF THE EVANGELIST STREET/CHARLES AVENUE AS A HISTORIC SITE WRITTEN BY MARINA NOVAES Reviewed by Arva Parks JUNE 2012 2 Submitted into the public record f ite (s Ion City Clerk Location and site maps ���r•ir � 'lilil�w. .rr`w i i ytywy�M x ti�Yt f�w�w. S 4✓r ��,w o.— i Trims �r C ii p [ p wart s r � N f f f ; t iwrr J[ , �w•�w - iwari wr+r y}lli� „ P40 {{ d 3 Submitted into the public record fo� ite s , on 1 City Clerk Contents I. Generallnformafion II. Preliminary Statement Of Significance III. Description IV. Application of Criteria V. Bibliography VI. Photographs Submitted into the public record f�'; ite (s) 1 'n -1777 I 7 city clerk I- General Information Historic Name: EVANGELIST STREET Current Name: CHARLES AVENUE Date of Construction: c.1900 Location: COCONUT GROVE Present Owner: CITY OF MIAMI Present use: AVENUE Zoning: T3-0 Folio No.: N/A Boundary (Legal Description): The entire length of Charles Avenue right-of-way from Main Highway to SW 37th Avenue (Douglas Road) Setting: Charles Avenue is located in between William Avenue (north) and Franklin Avenue (south) in Coconut Grove, Florida; and extends from Main Hwy (east) to SW 37th Avenue (west). Integrity: Charles Avenue has integrity of location, design, setting, feeling, and association. 5 Submitted into the public record f r ite on I � � � Cit}r Clerk II- Statement of Significance The legacy of the most peculiar and unique street in South Florida is directly associated with the Bahamian community that settled in the area known today as West Grove (or West Village) in Coconut Grove. Evangelist Street, as it was first named due to the number of churches it had, symbolizes the thriving black community that helped shape Coconut Grove and of which the local history could not be told separately. The particularity of West Grove development, which started on Evangelist Street, is the reflex of the circumstances that it came about; to understand it, it's necessary to acknowledge the culture of these skilled people that came to U.S. from the Bahamas not as slaves but as free men and women in search for a better life. Most Bahamians that settled in Coconut Grove were from the island of Eleuthera in the Bahamas where the majority of inhabitants were runaway slaves from West Indian plantations; many came with the Loyalists from the Carolinas as slaves during the American Revolution; and others were dropped there after slaves ships were liberated by British sailors when England abolished slave trade in 1807. The descendents of these former slaves moved through the Florida Keys with the Conchs becoming accomplished fisherman and seaman off the Florida coast, not unlike their forefathers who lived as freemen on the sea coast of West Africa.' They were excellent sailors, some even became ship captains; and besides being seaman, wreckers, and working in the agriculture the Bahamian people were also in the sponging and turtling industry. The mass immigration from the Bahamas to U.S. in the late 1800's was due to the Island's rocky soil that got exhausted and agriculture became unsustainable affecting the food supply and the means of living of many Bahamians that came to the Florida Keys to grow pineapples (a very lucrative industry at that time)2. Being the South Florida's topography similar to that of the island, the Bahamians knew how to plant this land and soon they made South Florida like home. George E. Merrick, founder of the City of Coral Gables, former President of the Historical Association of Southern Florida, and one of the founders of the University of Miami wrote in 1941: "Through the 70's, 80's, and right through the 1890's, they were practically the only available workers, the Georgia Negroes did not come in any volume until after 1900, after the coming of the railroad. In this West Indian period all of our heavy laborers were Bahaman Negroes. I believe these Bahaman Negroes had a most distinct and important influence, in that they brought inspiration to many of the first English, French, Northern and Southern planters; to all of those early settlers who at first were skeptical of 1 http://www.kislakfoundation.org/milennium-exihibit/andrewsl.htm 2 http://www.kisIakfoundation.org/milennium-exihibit/andrews1.htm Submitted into the public record f r it s),, on t City Cled the coral -rocky country, forbidding and desolate from the planting standpoint. In the Bahamas there is the same coral rock; and the Bahaman Negroes knew how to plant on it; and how to use it: and they knew too that all kinds of tropical trees would grow and thrive on this rock. They, too, had a vital influence upon our civilization in bringing in their own commonly used trees, vegetables and fruits. Soon these supplemented all those that had been brought in by the Bahaman whites - the sea -living Conchs. Such things were introduced as the pigeon pea, soursop, star -apple, sugar -apple, Jamaica apples, and all the anons - caneps, sapotes, and dillies. These fruits can still be found in best profusion in the Bahaman colored village in Coconut Grove (which was first called Monrovia, and which was the first Bahaman Negro settlement on the Bay) and also in their villages at old Lemon City, Cutler, and Perrine. These Negroes had built their homes in their own island of the coral -rock, and they brought here their skill in masonry building. Today, some of the oldest buildings in Coconut Grove and old Cutler are of the same construction which has been in use for one hundred and fifty years in the Bahamas. Built without cement with only the native lime mortar, these houses have withstood the countless hurricanes of the Bahamas! This knowledge of building with the native coral limestone came with Bahaman Negroes, as did so much other valuable knowledge and experience in the building of walls, roads, other uses of the coral; and uses of the land, and of the sea."3 One of the first Bahamians to arrive in Coconut Grove was Mariah Brown who was brought from Key West to work in the Bay View House which was later, renamed the Peacock Inn. Charles and Isabella Peacock arrived from England in 1875; they met Commodore Ralph Munroe in 1881 who told the Peacocks if they built a hotel he would bring in the tourists from Staten Island, NY where he lived before moving definitively to Coconut Grove in 1889. The Peacocks opened the Bay View House (the first hotel in South Florida mainland); the first building was located on a ridge overlooking the bay, the Bay View House (1883) was a large home with extra rooms for guests, a store, and a post office.4 Mariah Brown was born in Eleuthera in 1851 and came to U.S. in 1880. She and her three daughters (little is known about her husband) lived in Key West where she worked as a washer woman before coming to Coconut Grove to work at the Peacock Inn which was already the center of the community in the late 1880s. Upon her arrival, Mrs. Brown and her family lived at the Peacock Inn and circa 1890 she purchased a piece of land from pioneer Joseph Frow for $50.00 and built there her home which was within walking distance of the Peacock Inns located on a "back road" (Main Hwy) that linked Coconut Grove with the more remote farming community of Cutler towards the south.6 Mariah 3 Merrik, George E., "Pre-Flagler influences on the Lower Florida East Coast". Tequesta - volume one. March, 1941. 4 Burnett, David. "Coconut Grove" in Miami's Historic Neighborhoods. Dade Heritage Trust Publication, 2001. 87 5 Day, Jane S. and Eaton, Sarah E. "The Mariah Brown House". Designation Report. City of Miami. 1995. 6 Patricios, Nicholas N. "Building Marvelous Miami."University Press of Florida. 1994. 26. Submitted into the pu lic } record f items) on I City Clerk Brown's house still stands at 3298 Charles Avenue (Evangelist Street) and was designated a Historic Site by the City of Miami in 1995. Soon more Bahamians started to arrive attracted by the profusion of work; the great success of the Peacock Inn was in part credited to the charismatic personality of Isabella Peacock but also due to Commodore Ralph Munroe that organized the first unofficial tourist season, attracting many tourists to the Grove in the winter of 1886-87. "Christmas, 1886, was a big event. A community tree was raised at the Bay View House, soon to be known as the Peacock Inn, for perhaps the biggest social event in the history of the whole area. Over fifty people attended, coming by boat from as for north as Lemon City and as for south as the Hunting Grounds (Cutler). A pine tree was decked with ribbon and tinsel, and presents were distributed to all the children."7 Some of these wealthy tourists would become Coconut Grove's permanent residents and employers. Ebeneezer Woodberry Frank Stirrup was an essential element on Evangelist Street (and West Grove) development. Stirrup was born on Governors Harbor Island in the Bahamas in 1873, a mulatto; his mother was a servant in the wealthy white Stirrup household, his father's family. After his mother died when he was only nine -years -old, he was taken by a relative who made him work and help the family; not happy about that, Stirrup saved money and at the age of fifteen he left the Bahamas to Key West in the late 1880s. In Key West he worked with his uncle as a carpenter's apprentice. He also worked for Charles Deering on his Culter estate and later for his father William in Coconut Grove. In 1894 he went back to the Bahamas to marry his childhood sweetheart, Charlotte Jane Sawyer; they first lived in Key West and then moved to Cutler where he worked as a pineapple cutter during the day and cleared land at night. Sometimes he was paid with land instead of money which he much appreciated. In 1899 the family moved to Coconut Grove, Stirrup was only twenty-five years old.8 When pioneer Joseph Frow decided to sell some of his Coconut Grove land, Stirrup wasted no time in buying up a number of lots. Stirrup built small, Bahamian -style rental houses from the plentiful and sturdy pine trees common in South Florida; he and his wife constructed these houses themselves, usually working at night after a full day of work. Stirrup rented these houses primarily to other immigrants from the Bahamas, giving many of the new arrivals an opportunity to save enough money to buy their own homes.9 Stirrup constructed more than 100 homes in his lifetime, many of the houses built by Stirrup still remain, and are concentrated around Charles Avenue (Evangelist Street) where he built himself he's own home (3242 Charles Avenue) which was designated a Historic Site by the City of Miami in 2004. Parks, Arva Moore. "The History of Coconut Grove, Florida 1821-1925". Master's Degree Thesis. 1971. 32 8 Dunn, Marvin. "Black Miami in the Twentieth Century". University Press of Florida. 1997. 38 9 Dunn, Marvin. "Black Miami in the Twentieth Century". University Press of Florida. 1997. 38 Submitted into the public record f ite (sNo on r' City Clerk Meanwhile, the little concentration of buildings in a stand of palmettos where Mariah Brown's house was located was getting more and more residents, Joseph Frow sold the Bahamians land on a long-term basis for little as fifty cents a week.10 "Citing that it was too difficult to bring in supplies or truck their crops over the existing footpath they asked for a road. When the request was denied, they gathered loose coral -rock, loaded their wagons one moonlit night and dumped the rock where they thought the road should be." Evangelist Street was officially born, and soon the little village would thrive. "Town officials relented and soon the road was extended to where Hibiscus Street intersects today. Charles Avenue is narrow and out of line, especially when viewed from its entrance on Main Highway, because it was laid out by homesteaders and not surveyors." 11 The road was called Evangelist Street because of its churches, Macedonia Baptist Church, which was first called St. Agnes Baptist Church (the oldest black congregation), A.M.E. Methodist Church, former St. Paul's Methodist Church (housed the first black school), and St. James; there was also the Odd Fellows Hall which was a community center and later served as a library for the village as well. As the area grew, Evangelist Street was extended to Douglas Road and later had its name changed to Charles Avenue after Joseph Frow's son, Charles Frow. Soon Charles Avenue became the spine of the community, Esther Mae Armbrister, remembered as interviewed by Willian Labbee in 1991: "Back then they called Charles Avenue by the name Evangelist Street, until they named it in the late Twenties after an early settler called Charles Frow. But this street was it. It was the main drag. It was the hopping place to be, William Avenue to the north was a back street, nothing but a cow path for years and years. Both Charles and Franklin, the next one over to the south, were rocky, rocky, rocky, nothing but crushed rock - they used to call Franklin Rocky Road, when I came here; they had eventually gotten 'round to tarring them." "All the business, everything was right here on Charles Avenue. Old Man Joe Major had a bicycle shop. Old Man Stirrup had a grocery store. There was a soda shop and ice cream parlor. And then they had a Cleaner's, belonged to Old Man Summons. He died last year; I didn't even know it. Father Culmer had a pressing club - a cleaner's - before he was a priest. He also was an organist at Christ Episcopal Church. After he got married and moved to Overtown and he became a priest at St. Agnes." 12 10 Parks, Arva Moore. "The History of Coconut Grove, Florida 1821-1925". Master's Degree Thesis. 1971. 39 11 Cave, Donald H. "Grove's Charles Avenue." Miami News. January 5, 1971, Sec. A. 16 12 http://www.miaminewtimes.com/1991-07-31/news/black-grove-feature/full Submitted into the publric record for ite (s \. ; \ ; t on / City Clerk The first subdivision in West Grove was officially platted in March 1910 by E.W.F. Stirrup 13 who slowly bought more and more land; over the years, he owned most of Coconut Grove downtown among other properties, such as properties in Cutler, along Flagler Street in Miami and the cemetery (one of the oldest in Coconut Grove) on Charles Avenue which is called the "Charlotte Jane Memorial Cemetery" after Mrs. Stirrup. George Simpson, a member of the Stirrup family by marriage, said: "... It was a wish of E.W.F. Stirrup Senior, who, by the way, laid out Charles Avenue, laid out the street before he built his house there; he built his house on one end of the street and a cemetery for the community and his family on the other end of the street." 14 Eventually, Stirrup became one of the wealthiest men in Coconut Grove. During the Great Depression, Stirrup lost most of his land and about $70,000 in cash when Biscayne Bank failed. But when he died in 1957 at age 84 he still owned 317 parcels of land in Coconut Grove. 15 Another Bahamian valuable contribution to South Florida was architecture and the know-how of constructing simple sturdy houses able to withstand the most intense hurricanes; they were also durable, made of pine trees which are termite resistant, and affordable, made of local material as pine wood and coral -rock. The shotgun house style can be traced back to West Africa. It is an architectural style that enslaved Africans, particularly the Yoruba, brought with them to the countries of the Caribbean and to the United States.16 The name "shotgun" was given because of the typical alignment of the house's doors; supposedly, a bullet fired at the front door would pass straight through the house and out the back door. The rooms are lined up, one behind another, usually the living room, then one or two bedrooms, and the kitchen at the back. The shotgun houses are usually tiny (12 FT wide) constructed on piers with no set back from the street, a front porch, wood frame and wood siding and sometimes, chimneys made of stone. The shotgun houses are usually one story high, the roofs can be gabled or hipped with overhanging eaves and wooden shingles; they originally had double -hung sash windows and some type of ornamentation such decorative wooden brackets and/or ornate porch railings. Some variations to the style can be found, such as houses with one and a half or two stories in height, wider houses, and some side-by-side duplexes. Bellow a few examples of shotgun houses found in West Grove. 13 "Coconut Grove is Town of rare interest" Miami daily Metropolis, March 3, 1923. 14 City of Miami minutes. City Commission hearing of May 26, 2011 regarding changing the land use of the Stirrup house at 3242 Charles Avenue. Ordinance No. 10544. 15 Dunn, Marvin. "Black Miami in the Twentieth Century". University Press of Florida. 1997. 41. 16 http://www.kislakfoundation.org/milennium-exihibit/andrewsl.htm 10 Submitted into the pub c,� rec=iteonCity Clerk RIM M !1!1!1!1!!! 11 submitted into the pub c record fo it ( ) �� I on ' L i City Clerk While white settlers were building their large homes scattered throughout the abounded land, the Bahamians were building their small shotgun houses very close one to another with no set back from the street. Their houses constructed in a way where one doing household chores inside could easily keep their eyes on the children playing on the backyard and be aware of who was coming or going on the street, all at the same time. This behavior can be explained by the cultural tradition inherited by their ancestral West Africans; Denise Andrews says on her essay (The Bahamian Influence on the South Florida Shotgun House): "The history of African people suggests that members of a community were families, or clans - a single lineage. The communities basically were composed of one head of household and the extended family members of the household - which could be hundreds of people. Compounds were created so that families could live together communally. Traditionally there was no concept of privacy or single mindedness as we know today. Family and family life was central, intimate and communal." 17 The function of the house (shotgun) was to give shelter; all the activities were outdoors interacting with the community; Esther Mae Armbrister said: "When people were married once upon a time, they would march. One woman lived on William Avenue and she marched in her wedding gown from her house all the way around Hibiscus with her wedding party. They used to walk in the streets from their house to the church or wherever it was they were going to get married. They walked the streets with someone holding their gown. You would look out the window and see the whole wedding party go by. One time two sisters got married - they lived down on Charles Avenue - and they walked from across the street to their house and got married on the front porch. The street was blocked off. Then they had a party, and all the food you would want." 18 Rebecca Gibson Johnson (another long time resident) recalled, "Mr. Stirrup used to sit on his porch with his legs crossed and just look at everybody go by. He used to say everyone was his brother or his sister. He would wave at everybody. Anything that happened overnight was told to him. He didn't have to go anywhere to hear what was going on. White and black people came. His wife was his secretary. He was a loan master. He owned houses and rented them out." 19 Clearly Mr. Stirrup didn't rent these houses to get rich (which eventually happened) but to help his folks, his "family"; it is obvious that he could have built himself a mansion with all the luxury money could buy to accommodate his large family (he had ten children) but he never did, as he never left his community. So did other members of this once 17 http://www.kislakfoundation.org/milennium-exihibit/andrewsl.htm 18 http://www.miaminewtimes.com/1991-07-31/news/black-grove-feature/full 19 Dunn, Marvin. "Black Miami in the Twentieth Century". University Press of Florida. 1997. 42. 12 Submitted into the public record foit (s _ on ' City Cleric prosperous community of simple happy people that made this piece of land just like home. The true meaning of sense of place and community living could be experienced in West Grove at its heydays. Charles Avenue is like no other in a sense that it tells the history of South Florida and signifies so much for so many black or white. Since the annexation of Coconut Grove with the City of Miami in 1925, a transformation, especially on the East Grove (white), occurred; when the real estate market became a lucrative business and charming East Coconut Grove available, high-rise after high-rise went up, business after business opened and West Grove was left neglected, essentially for being a black neighborhood, with no infrastructure, forgotten with its small old houses. The effects of the segregation era also played a huge role in the decline of West Grove. Alex Joseph Plasencia states on his graduate thesis: "East Coconut Grove had already acquired a water system, and most of its residents had septic tanks, running water, and proper bathrooms. On the other hand, West Coconut Grove continued to use the same well system, which contained contaminated water. At night the contents of the privies was collected by city trucks. The process was unpleasant as the contents often dripped out, and the smell permeated the air. These privies also attracted swarms of insects. Improving utilities in West Grove was a serious problem in need of a remedy."20 Instead of implanting a sanitary system in West Grove to solve the problem, a "slum clearance" campaign was launched when many houses were lost and many residents moved away. If not for the work of community leaders such as Theodore Gibson and Elizabeth Virrick among others, West Grove today would be only in the memory of a few. According to Plasencia: "West Coconut Grove has been considered behind the times when it comes to the creature comforts taken for granted by others on a daily basis. Instead of air conditioning, most people in the West Grove simply opened their front and back doors and allowed the breeze from off Biscayne Bay to fill their homes with the fresh air that one might have in the Bahamas. But it is not only a loss of natural air conditioning, but the loss of a large part of the Bahamian culture which makes the situation so disheartening. For ever since becoming part of Miami in 1925, the people of West Grove have been in a constant struggle to preserve their community."21 Many initiatives were taken to protect and save West Grove and Charles Avenue from being lost, all failed. Several studies were conducted that found the area eligible for 20 Plasencia, Alex Joseph. "A History of West Grove from 1925: Slum Clerance, Concrete Monsters, and the Dichotomy of East and West Coconut Grove." Graduation Thesis, Clemson University. May 2011, 33. 21 Plasencia, Alex Joseph. "A History of West Grove from 1925: Slum Clerance, Concrete Monsters, and the Dichotomy of East and West Coconut Grove." Graduation Thesis, Clemson University. May 2011, 21. 13 Submitted into the public record fqrite s) on TCity Clerk historic districts, both West Grove (as a whole) and Charles Avenue (individually), that never went through, a Neighborhood Conservation District (NCD) was created to protect historic properties in 2005 (buildings are still being lost), Individual properties have been designated historic, such as Mariah Brown House and E.W.F. Stirrup House (both vacant), and a few historic marks have been placed mostly to educate visitors. Today, Charles Avenue lies silently in the same setting, with the same extension and width; Stirrup house at one end and the cemetery at the other and some scattered historic buildings in-between. Some cultural Bahamian events still take place in Coconut Grove such their traditional Goombay Festival (on Grand Avenue) but the vibrant community that it once was is dying out as their children adapt to the new customs and comforts of modern days and the old generation struggles to keep their culture alive. 14 Submitted into the public record f r ite (s) �M , 1 on City Clerk III- Description Charles Avenue is a narrow road 5850 ft (1.11 miles) long by 30-50 ft wide, it's located in Coconut Grove, FL in between William Avenue (north) and Franklin Avenue (south), it starts on Main Highway (east) and ends on SW 37th Avenue (west). Charles Avenue intersects Hibiscus and Plaza Streets. Mostly residential, the avenue houses two churches, one cemetery, and two designated historical sites. The historic Coconut Grove Playhouse is located at the corner of Charles Avenue and Main Hwy. Three blocks long, Charles Avenue is a pleasant narrow road with narrow sidewalks, the trees are typically located inside the properties line, generally one-story small homes and a few historic shotgun houses are evenly distributed along its length. 15 Submitted into the public record f it s % ,1. on i �� City Clerk IV- Application of Criteria for Designation Evangelist Street/Charles Avenue has significance as it relates to the historic heritage of Miami and possesses integrity of setting, feeling, design, association, and location. The property is eligible for designation as a historic site under the criteria (1), (3), (4) and (8) as numbered in Sec. 23-4 (a), of Chapter 23 of the City Code. (1) Are associated in a significant way with the life of a person(s) important in the past (Mariah Brown and E.W.F. Stirrup); (3) exemplify the historical, cultural, political, economical, or social trends of the community; (4) portray the environment in an era of history characterized by one or more architectural styles (shotgun); (8) have yield, or may be likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history (Charles Avenue sits on a high probability archaeological zone). W: Submitted into the publ*cc record f it (s on City Clerk V- Bibliography Burnett, David. "Coconut Grove" in Miami's Historic Neighborhoods. Dade Heritage Trust Publication, 2001. Cave, Donald H. "Grove's Charles Avenue." Miami News. January 5, 1971, Sec. A. 16 City of Miami Minutes. City Commission hearing of May 26, 2011 regarding changing the land use of the Stirrup house at 3242 Charles Avenue. Ordinance No. 10544. "Coconut Grove is Town of rare interest" Miami Daily Metropolis, March 3, 1923. - Day, Jane S. and Eaton, Sarah E. "The Mariah Brown House". Designation Report. City of Miami. 1995 - Dunn, Marvin. "Black Miami in the Twentieth Century". University Press of Florida. 1997. http://www.kislakfoundation.org/milennium-exihibit/andrewsl.htm http://www.miaminewtimes.com/1991-07-31/news/black-grove-feature/full Metropolitan Dade County. "From Wilderness to Metropolis —The History and Architecture of Dade County, Florida 1825-1940." 1982. - Merrik, George E., "Pre-Flagler influences on the Lower Florida East Coast". Tecluesta - volume one. March, 1941. Parks, Arva Moore. "The History of Coconut Grove, Florida 1821-1925". Master's Degree Thesis. 1971 - Patricios, Nicholas N. "Building Marvelous Miami." University Press of Florida. 1994 Plasencia, Alex Joseph. "A History of West Grove from 1925: Slum Clerance, Concrete Monsters, and the Dichotomy of East and West Coconut Grove." Graduation Thesis, Clemson University. May 2011, 21. 17 IV - Photographs M E.W.F. Stirrup House L Submitted into the pu record f ite(s) on / City Clerk *Ne coto�o urcruer LMAMAM . y _ YYYV!!! I fN1W��MYI _ Odd Fellows Hall Sign 18 Mariah Brown House Cemetery Li I NIJ _ � � �'Y �rrGJ�' � • � i � I