The Coconut Grove cottage where Marjory Stoneman Douglas wrote The Everglades: River of Grass — the book that would change America’s perception of the Everglades and make her Florida’s most famous environmentalist — has slowly fallen into disrepair since her death there in 1998 .
Talks about restoring it and opening it to the public have been stuck in seemingly perpetual limbo for decades, mired in bureaucratic delays and legal disputes led by surrounding residents in a leafy neighborhood that has become increasingly upscale since Douglas held court there. At one point there was even a plan to cut the building in half, transport it away and reassemble it somewhere else.
Now the tiny one-bedroom house is finally undergoing long-awaited repairs and upgrades. State contractors have been working there quietly for months. But the question of when and if the public would be able to visit the site remains undecided.
Connie Washburn — a longtime board member of Friends of the Everglades, an environmental organization that Douglas helped found — is happy to see progress after so many years of frustration. She had visited Douglas there before the celebrated writer’s death at the age of 108.
“I’ve been working on this house since 1998, and it went from what to do with her belongings, to what kind of renovations would be done, allowing, allowing more, allowing even more,” Washburn said.
The house was declared a National Historic Landmark in 2015, but somehow no marker was placed over the designation. Friends of the Everglades made one years ago and Washburn would like to see it on the lawn.
“It will be beautiful,” Washburn said. “I really hope this happens before I leave this earth. I’ve been working on it for so long.”
However, Washburn is in favor of keeping the tiny house itself closed to the public, instead offering an online portal with a video tour, perhaps on the group’s website. After all, the lot has enough space to accommodate just a few cars if parking lots replace some of the grass.
Other Douglas fans are also happy to see restoration work beginning, but argue that the life of the state’s most charismatic and effective champion, the Everglades, deserves wide exposure.
From writing her book there to sharing a five o’clock cocktail with friends, the modest home played a central role in Douglas’ life, says University of Florida history professor Jack Davis, author of “An Everglades Providence : Marjory Stoneman Douglas and the American Environmental Century.”
“I think it’s important for people to see that house, and see Marjory Stoneman Douglas for the full person she was, beyond the ‘grandmother of the Everglades,’” Davis said. “And you clearly notice that when you walk into the house. It really has an impact on you.”
Davis wants the house to be open to the public to honor her impact on the South Florida community.
“It’s really sad that we forget her. I taught at the University of Florida for 21 years, and for years I asked my students, “How many of you knew Marjory Stoneman Douglas, before the Parkland shooting?” Hardly any hands would go up.” Davis said. Seventeen students and staff members were killed and another 17 were injured in the 2018 mass shooting at the high school named after her in the northwestern Broward County city.
Douglas designed and commissioned the 916-square-foot cottage on Stewart Ave. in 1926. 3744 build. The most important part of the house for her was the living and study area, with high ceilings, beautiful woodwork and natural light. There is no driveway because she didn’t drive. And it wasn’t until she was 100 years old that air conditioning was installed, because her secretaries asked for it.
As a testament to Douglas’ strong will, the cottage, when partially constructed, withstood the Great Miami Hurricane of 1926.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection began construction work in 2023 to restore the house to its original condition and eventually return Douglas’ furnishings. A sign at the site announced the ongoing work.
The restoration work comes after years of public debate about what should be done with the house.
Sallye Jude, a friend of Douglas and conservationist who died in 2022, managed a land trust that allowed the state to purchase the house in 1991 under the agreement that Douglas could live there for the rest of her life.
Jude managed the trust until the state took over in 2007. The same year, the state proposed cutting the house into pieces and moving it to Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden for display. The state dropped the plan amid protests, citing moving costs. The debate over what to do with the site dates back to not long after Douglas’ death, with neighbors divided over restoration or removal.
In 2018, Coconut Grove residents decided to open the house to the public, but by appointment only. But disagreements between the land trust and the state over costs held back progress. Meanwhile, some neighbors also continuously complained about the dilapidated state of the house.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection, which oversees the property, first placed a bid for restoration in August 2022, and a construction contract was executed in April 2023. But after discovering the house would need more work to meet code requirements, the agency filed a change. order in late 2023. A resulting structural review proposal calls for a final work completion date in August, according to DEP data.
Contractors declined a request to tour the inside of the cottage, but the DEP says they are working on major and minor maintenance and improvement projects. That includes extensive, ongoing work to address stormwater and structural issues, as well as bringing the house up to modern code standards and addressing termite and mold issues, said Brian Miller, DEP press secretary.
“It poses unique challenges for land and resource managers,” Miller wrote in an email response to the Miami Herald. “DEP is evaluating and continues to evaluate how we can best address these challenges as we achieve our mission, while taking into account the needs and desires of the surrounding community.”
Eve Samples, executive director of Friends of the Everglades and a former journalist, said the decades of delays have been frustrating, but she is relieved that time has now been spent restoring the humble home that she calls a “cultural treasure in Miami.” mentioned.
