Woman's Club of Coconut Grove | |
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| Location | Miami, Florida |
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| Coordinates | 25°43′37″N80°14′24″W / 25.72694°N 80.24000°W |
| NRHP reference No. | 75000549 [1] |
| Added to NRHP | March 26, 1975 |
The Woman's Club of Coconut Grove (originally known as the Housekeepers Club) is a historic woman's club in Miami, Florida.
The organization was founded in 1891 by Flora McFarlane. [2] Charter members included women from the pioneering families of Coconut Grove, and included Mrs. Kirk Munroe, Mrs. Joseph Frow, Mrs. Charles Peacock, Mrs. Charles John Peacock and Mrs. Benjamin Newbold. [3] The first meeting of the Woman's Club of Coconut Grove was called to order on February 19, 1891, with the primary purpose of improving life for members of the community. [4] An integral part of the group's mission was to expand education though an emphasis on literacy. [5] The Woman's Club of Coconut Grove was the first federated woman's club established in the State of Florida. [6] In 1957, Housekeeper's Club of Coconut Grove members officially changed the name of the organization to the Woman's Club of Coconut Grove. [7]
The first public school building in Miami-Dade county, built in 1889, was the site of the group's first meeting. [4] Members of the Housekeepers Club of Coconut Grove raised the funds necessary to build the schoolhouse, which also served as the community's Sunday School site. [8] The building was the area's only public school until 1894, until a larger school was constructed, and the one-room building was abandoned. [9]
An offshoot of the original Housekeepers Club of Coconut Grove, the Pine Needles Club offered young girls an opportunity to congregate, and discuss literature of present and past. [10] The club was founded in 1895, in an effort to foster a spirit of community in the South Florida area. [11] Mary Barr Munroe, wife of pioneer and author Kirk Munroe, gathered area girls for weekly outdoors readings of adventure novels, often those on the subjects of Seminole Indians and the Florida Everglades. [12]
Founder Mary Barr Munroe, alongside Pine Needles Club members, worked to establish the first lending library in the City of Miami, operating out of donated space above an area general store. [11] An 1895 donation of reading materials by frequent South Florida visitor, Louise Carnegie, and wife of Steel tycoon, Andrew Carnegie, enabled the Club to establish what became known as the Coconut Grove Reading Room. [13] The Coconut Grove Reading Room collection grew exponentially. Housekeepers Club and Pine Needles Club members were eventually able to raise the funds required to erect the very first branch of the Miami-Dade Public Library System, known as the Coconut Grove Library. [14] The branch, completed and open for business in 1901, was built upon land donated by fellow Coconut Grove pioneer, Ralph Munroe. [15]
Numerous environmental, social, and educational endeavors have been carried out by Housekeepers Club of Coconut Grove members.
In 1905, as part of the Florida Federation of Women's Clubs, Housekeeper Club members embarked on an endeavor to establish protective status for nearly 2,000 acres of land in Paradise Key, a valuable ecosystem, part of the Florida Everglades. [16] By 1915, their efforts were rewarded by the State of Florida, with the creation of the Royal Palm State Park. [16] Housekeepers Club members also spoke out against the slaughter of egrets, which was commonplace at the time.
Social advocacy was a central focus of the Housekeepers Club of Coconut Grove. Group members acted in support of Seminole Indian tribes, who remained exploited to a great extent. [16] The group participated in the delivery of humanitarian aid, working in conjunction with the American Red Cross in times of disaster or crisis. [16] In June 1923, in an effort to continue the support of positive female role models in a rapidly changing United States, the organization sponsored the first Girl Scout of America troop in southeast Florida. [16] Troop I nicknamed themselves "The Alligators." [16]
In 1921, in an effort to promote community unity, the Housekeepers Club of Coconut Grove founded a community fine arts board. [17] The board's intent also included promoting an appreciation for theatre and pageantry. [17] The outdoor performances allowed amateur actors from the community a creative outlet, and created a steady flow of funds with which outreach activities may be carried out. [17]
The group eventually moved into a building designed expressly for members by renowned architect Walter de Garmo. [18] Construction was completed in 1921. [18] The building was constructed with materials such as oolitic limestone, concrete, stone, and stucco. [18] The rectangular building features a curvilinear gable roof, and wrap-around porch, with a series of recessed, semicircular arches. [18] On March 26, 1975, the site was added to the United States National Register of Historic Places. [19]
The oldest civic group in Miami-Dade County, the Woman's Club of Coconut Grove, though its collection of active, associate, and lifetime dues, performs regular outreach projects, and awards annual scholarships to females exhibiting outstanding community leadership skills. [20] In the spirit of the group's original motto, "Lend a Hand," the Women's Club has supported numerous organization over the last decades, including Casa Valentina, Cancer Survivors, Hacienda Girls’ Ranch, Canine Companions, Heifer International, Miami-Dade Public Library System, as well as Miami-Dade County Public Schools. [21]
Coconut Grove, also known colloquially as “The Grove,” is an affluent and the oldest continuously inhabited neighborhood of Miami in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The neighborhood is roughly bounded by North Prospect Drive to the south, LeJeune Road to the west, South Dixie Highway and Rickenbacker Causeway to the north, and Biscayne Bay to the east. It is south of the neighborhoods of Brickell and The Roads and east of Coral Gables. The neighborhood's name has been sometimes spelled "Cocoanut Grove" but the definitive spelling "Coconut Grove" was established when the city was incorporated in 1919.
George Edgar Merrick was a real estate developer who is best known as the planner and builder of the city of Coral Gables, Florida in the 1920s, one of the first major planned communities in the United States.
The Barnacle Historic State Park is a 5-acre (2.0 ha) Florida State Park in the Coconut Grove neighborhood of Miami, Florida at 3485 Main Highway.
Ralph Middleton Munroe was an American yacht designer and early resident of Coconut Grove in South Florida. His home, now The Barnacle Historic State Park, is the oldest house in Miami-Dade County still standing in its original location.
The MacFarlane Homestead Historic District is a U.S. historic district located in Coral Gables, Florida. The district is bounded by Jefferson Street, Frow Avenue, Brooker Street and Grand Avenue. It contains 32 historic buildings.
Old Cutler Road is an off-grid plan, 14.9-mile (24.0 km) main northeast–southwest road running south of downtown Miami in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States.
The First Coconut Grove Schoolhouse is a historic school located in Coconut Grove, Florida. The school originally resided at 2916 Grand Avenue in Miami. The structure was built in 1887 by Coconut Grove pioneer Charles Peacock. Peacock reportedly constructed the house using wood gathered from ships wrecked in nearby Key Biscayne. The building originally served as a community gathering place, with Sunday School as its main purpose.
The Miami Women's Club is a historic site in Miami, Florida. It is located at 1737 North Bayshore Drive. On December 27, 1974, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
The Trapp Homestead is a historic home in the Coconut Grove section of the City of Miami, Florida, United States. It is located at 2521 South Bayshore Drive. On November 10, 1994, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The home was constructed in 1887 out of oolitic lime quarried locally by Caleb Trapp and his son, Harlan. During construction, the Trapps lived on a thatched hut at the front of the property. The property is believed to be the oldest-standing masonry home in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The estate's construction pre-dates the incorporation of the City of Miami. The estate was particularly notable at the time because it was one of the few stone structures in Miami-Dade County, as nearly all structures in the area were built of wood at that time.
The Coconut Grove Playhouse was a theatre in the Coconut Grove neighborhood of Miami, Florida, United States. The building was originally constructed as a movie theater called the Player's State Theater. It opened on January 1, 1927, as a part of the Paramount chain. The movie house was designed by the architect Richard Kiehnel of Kiehnel and Elliott. It was built by local realtors Irving J. Thomas and Fin L. Pierce. Albert Peacock was the contractor.
Camp Biscayne was a winter resort founded in 1903 by Ralph Middleton Munroe to provide "a stopping place in Coconut Grove, Florida", as the Peacock Inn had closed in 1902. Situated a few lots south of the Barnacle,
The Miami-Dade Public Library System (MDPLS) is a system of libraries in Miami-Dade County, Florida.
August Geiger was one of the most prominent American architects in South Florida from 1905 to the late 1940s. He experimented in Mission, Neo-Renaissance and Art Deco architecture, but is most noted for his works in the Mediterranean Revival style. A number of his works are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
Kirk Munroe was an American writer and conservationist.
Peacock Park is a 9.4-acre (3.8 ha) public, urban park where Indian peacocks roam in the Coconut Grove neighborhood of Miami, Florida on the shore of Biscayne Bay.
Helen Muir (1911–2006) was an American reporter and author. Her full name was Helen Teresa Eucharia Flaherty Lennehan Muir. Her career included writing and editing for newspapers and magazines, primarily in Miami, and she published four books focused on Miami's history. She was also known for her advocacy of libraries. She was inducted into the Florida Women's Hall of Fame in 1984.
Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) is the public school district serving Miami-Dade County in the U.S. state of Florida. Founded in 1885, it is the largest school district in Florida, the largest in the Southeastern United States, and the third-largest in the United States with a student enrollment of 356,589 as of August 30, 2021.
The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Miami in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States.
Walter C. De Garmo (1876–1951) was a prominent architect in Miami, Florida and its surrounding communities. His buildings include the Woman's Club of Coconut Grove and the 1907 Miami City Hall. He is known for his residential work in South Florida, especially large luxury residences in the Mission Revival and Mediterranean Revival styles.
Mary Barr Munroe was a Scottish-born American clubwoman and conservationist, based in Miami, Florida. Munroe founded the Coconut Grove Audubon Society and library, and worked for the establishment of a state park that became part of the Everglades National Park.
