Bonnet House

Yesterday while Bill was in DC I visited the Bonnet House, which is right up the road. The Bonnet House was the winter vacation house of Frederic Clay Bartlett and his wives Helen (who died shortly after they were married) and Evelyn who gave the land to Florida before her death in the late 90s. The brochure stressed that it was the last piece of land not developed with mega hotels and condos in Southern Florida. Supposedly the property is 35 acres, although I only saw a sliver of the land.

Yahoo travel summarizes:

Built in 1921, this historic two-story, 35-acre waterfront house was once the winter home of artist Frederic Clay Bartlett and his wife Evelyn. The Bonnet House is serenely elegant and preserved amidst the urban expansion of Fort Lauderdale Beach, which is what makes the land so special. Mrs. Bartlett, who died in 1997, gave the estate to the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation in 1983 in order to keep the property unchanged. Several concerts and events are held here throughout the year, and the house is available for private events such as weddings. Named for a waterlily that once inhabited the property, the Bonnet House is open year-round for guided tours.

So I sat through the hour and a half tour of the house and learned all about the lifestyles of the rich and famous. I was disappointed because I didn't catch a glimpse of any of the supposed monkeys and all types of birds that live on the property (although I did see a swan). The tour guide was great, but it was a very expensive 'home' to look at ($20 bucks!) It was a beautiful afternoon and I did take some nice pictures of the courtyard. Bartlett was an artist / art collector and the House featured some of his works as well as a gallery of contemporary artists, which was nice. I got my 'cultural' fix for the week I guess. They also collected sea shells from all over the world and had an extensive orchid garden (which was what peaked my interest to begin with). Unfortunately, the orchids were housed in a green house which we couldn't enter - although we could peak through the windows and they were spectacular.