Coconut Grove in Miami-Dade County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
Cocoanut Grove Park
Photographed By Tim Fillmon, July 12, 2023
1. Cocoanut Grove Park Marker
Inscription.
Cocoanut Grove Park. . In 1910, Miami’s first registered architect, Walter C. DeGarmo, partnered with Franklin C. Bush and John C. Gramling to form the Cocoanut Grove Development Company. In 1911, the company platted the subdivision in the southern part of the town of Coconut Grove. Set amid a dense tropical hardwood hammock, Cocoanut Grove Park was located directly west of the bay front winter estates of industrialists William J. Matheson, John Bindley, and Arthur Curtiss James. According to promotional material, the development offered “the life of a country gentlemen, away from the hurly burly of the city.” Among its noted features was a plaza at the center. The company deeded three acres, along the aptly named Plaza Street, to Coconut Grove for a park “dedicated to the perpetual use of the public.” They envisioned a tropical garden and gathering spot for residents. Over the years, notable artists, writers, and politicians, such as U.S. Representative Ruth Bryan Owen, have lived in the neighborhood. Several of Cocoanut Grove Park’s original bungalows remain alongside homes designed by prominent architects, including Richard Kiehnel and Clinton McKenzie. Cocoanut Grove Park is one of the area’s oldest planned residential communities. , A Florida Heritage Site
In 1910, Miami’s first registered architect, Walter C. DeGarmo, partnered with Franklin C. Bush and John C. Gramling to form the Cocoanut Grove Development Company. In 1911, the company platted the subdivision in the southern part of the town of Coconut Grove. Set amid a dense tropical hardwood hammock, Cocoanut Grove Park was located directly west of the bay front winter estates of industrialists William J. Matheson, John Bindley, and Arthur Curtiss James. According to promotional material, the development offered “the life of a country gentlemen, away from the hurly burly of the city.” Among its noted features was a plaza at the center. The company deeded three acres, along the aptly named Plaza Street, to Coconut Grove for a park “dedicated to the perpetual use of the public.” They envisioned a tropical garden and gathering spot for residents. Over the years, notable artists, writers, and politicians, such as U.S. Representative Ruth Bryan Owen, have lived in the neighborhood. Several of Cocoanut Grove Park’s original bungalows remain alongside homes designed by prominent architects, including Richard Kiehnel and Clinton McKenzie. Cocoanut Grove Park is one of the area’s oldest planned residential communities.
A Florida Heritage Site
Erected 2020 by The Grove 2030, Coconut Grove Village
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Council, and the Florida Department of State. (Marker Number F-1122.)
Location. 25° 43.325′ N, 80° 15.069′ W. Marker is in Coconut Grove, Florida, in Miami-Dade County. Marker is at the intersection of Plaza Street and Palmetto Avenue, on the left when traveling north on Plaza Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Miami FL 33133, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 16, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 15, 2023, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. This page has been viewed 161 times since then and 95 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on July 15, 2023, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida.
