{"id":23990,"date":"2023-09-12T18:54:03","date_gmt":"2023-09-13T01:54:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/somimag.com\/?p=23990"},"modified":"2023-09-12T20:14:26","modified_gmt":"2023-09-13T03:14:26","slug":"restoring-the-past","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/somimag.com\/restoring-the-past\/","title":{"rendered":"Restoring The Past"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/a>\n
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Doc Thomas House<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Preserving the Past, Protecting the Future<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Considered the crown jewel of storied Sunset Drive, the 91-year-old Doc Thomas House is at the center of a three-phase project focused on restoring and preserving the historic cottage that serves as Tropical Audubon Society (TAS) headquarters.\u00a0 The distinctive structure is a late example of Florida wood-frame vernacular architecture with Arts<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Vintage Arden Hayes \u201cDoc\u201d Thomas
and Mother: Tropical Audubon Society benefactor Arden Hayes \u201cDoc\u201d Thomas and his mother, Margaret, pictured mid-1930s on the front porch of the now-historic
Doc Thomas HouseVintage Arden Hayes \u201cDoc\u201d Thomas
and Mother: Tropical Audubon Society benefactor Arden Hayes \u201cDoc\u201d Thomas and his mother, Margaret, pictured mid-1930s on the front porch of the now-historic
Doc Thomas House<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Nested in a pine rockland that once
dominated the local landscape, the completed cottage blended organically into the property\u2019s wooded setting, just as Thomas
had envisioned it<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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& Crafts movement influences apparent in its ornamental woodwork and numerous built-in features.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s now going on a century since South Miami-area pharmacist Arden Hayes \u201cDoc\u201d Thomas hired Architect Robert Fitch Smith to design a house that would harmonize with its natural Pine Rockland setting. In restoring it, Smith\u2019s original design and ethos \u2014 which included the use of native materials such as Tidewater Red Cypress, Dade County Pine, oak, mahogany, and oolitic and coralline limestone \u2014 are being honored. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since being gifted to TAS by<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n

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Thomas upon his death in 1975, thousands of Miamians have visited the benefactor\u2019s former home. The now-iconic landmark structure serves the community as a hub for South Florida environmental groups, a beacon of environmental advocacy and a charming, rustic repository of local history. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although the Doc Thomas House is now a bona fide architectural treasure listed in the National Register of Historic Places, a state-designated Florida Heritage Site and a Dade County Historic Site, the <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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multiple effects of heat, humidity, hurricanes and daily use have taken a significant toll over the decades. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, Miami-Dade County\u2019s leading environmental conservation organization launched a $1.2M Capital Campaign to address the extensive needed repairs and restoration of the quaint,1932 cottage that sits just east of South Miami and south of Coral Gables in unincorporated High Pines.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n

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Following a professional building condition assessment completed in the spring of 2019, TAS engaged R. J. Heisenbottle Architects, Douglas Wood Associates and Red Door Construction to get restoration of the 1,551-SF historic structure underway. Phase 1, encompassing critical repairs to the house\u2019s sub-structure and putting on a new cedar shingle roof, has been completed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funding and completing Phase 2 will focus on<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The Florida Wood-Frame Vernacular cottage commissioned by Arden Hayes \u201cDoc\u201d Thomas in 1931 features native materials, including Tidewater Red Cypress board-and-batten siding, along with Arts & Crafts Period architectural details. Perhaps its most welcoming feature is its charming front porch\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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exterior and interior finishing work, while Phase 3 will concentrate on enhancing the Steinberg Nature Center, the 2.2-acre near-native grounds that are home to the Doc Thomas House.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most of Phase 1 was accomplished with the financial support of private donors, The Villagers, Inc. and First National Bank of South Miami. \u201cIt\u2019s a huge relief to have the essential, structural stabilization of the Doc Thomas House completed,\u201d notes TAS Board member and Historian Dan Jones, \u201cYet there is much more to be done. We\u2019ll need more private and public dollars to get us across the finish line,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An estimated $900,000 must be secured to meet the campaign goal and complete Phases 2 and 3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe launched our \u201cPreserving our Past, Protecting our Future\u201d Capital <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n

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Campaign to ensure our society\u2019s historic house and wooded grounds will remain hubs for environmental activism and assets to the community for at least the next 90 years,\u201d says TAS President Jos\u00e9 Francisco Barros. \u201cIt\u2019s a big lift for our organization, but we\u2019re counting on our philanthropic community to help us get it done.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A literal green oasis surrounded by cheek-to-jowl retail and residential, the wooded grounds act as a magnet for those seeking sanctuary in Nature \u2014 a need felt all the more acutely during the pandemic lockdown. Visitors bird-watch, wander the trails that thread the Pine Rockland and Tropical Hardwood Hammock habitats, learn about gardening for birds and other pollinators, or bring a bite <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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to enjoy lunch in the shady picnic grove. For these reasons and more future Capital Campaign dollars will also support the implementation of a Master Plan to enhance the site\u2019s natural beauty, upgrade or restore outdoor infrastructure and expand conservation education opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cOur Capital Campaign provides a unique opportunity to simultaneously support historic preservation, ensure environmental advocacy and sustain a \u201cgreen island\u201d in an urban setting,\u201d Barros says. \u201cIts benefits to wildlife and our community will be realized in perpetuity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PHASE 1 RECAP<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In September 2020, Phase 1 was tackled in four stages over one year, working from the ground up: <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n

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Tropical Audubon Society\u2019s Sunset Drive campus has been known as the Steinberg Nature Center since 2011, named in honor of the late environmentalist, birder, benefactor and board member Alan Steinberg. The Steinberg Nature Center trails are is comprised of Hardwood Hammock, rare Pine Rockland and pollinator habitats.\u00a0 The\u00a0 2.2-acre Steinberg Nature Center grounds serve as a haven for wildlife and a mecca for humans seeking nature<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

1) House Foundation Repairs
2) House Structural Repairs
3) Porch Structural Repairs and Restoration
4) Roof Replacement  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Spalled concrete foundation piers were repaired and bolts connecting the piers to the floor frame were replaced where necessary. 
\u2022 Damaged wood support beams and posts were replaced and\/or reinforced beneath the house and around its perimeter.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Any rotting cypress board-and-batten siding was replaced.  Much of the \u201csiding\u201d is actually both the exterior and interior sidewalls of the house\u2019s two wings.  Therefore, the visible inner sides of the wood were then carefully stained to match the existing interior walls.  <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\u2022 The porch\u2019s west side roof beams and sheathing were replaced as were any deteriorated support posts within the porch columns. 
\u2022 The porch screening and screen door were removed to return the porch to its historically accurate appearance. 
\u2022 Enhancements were made to the roof substructure and, finally, cedar roof shingles were installed.  The new shingles closely resemble the original, wood-shingled roof. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 As the project progressed, metal strapping and brackets were attached between the different components of the house\u2019s wood frame to provide additional structural support.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doc Thomas House is now stabilized, \u201chardened,\u201d and much better protected against the elements.  In addition, the front porch rehabilitation\/restoration and the roof replacement improved the house\u2019s outward appearance and brought its front view closer to its original look.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To learn more about the Doc Thomas House and Tropical Audubon Society\u2019s \u201cPreserving our Past, Protecting our Future,\u201d Capital Campaign go to https:\/\/tropicalaudubon.org.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Article by Hunter Renshaw<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photos provided by Tropical Audubon Society<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n

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Doc Thomas House Preserving the Past, Protecting the Future Considered the crown jewel of storied Sunset Drive, the 91-year-old Doc Thomas House is at the center of a three-phase project focused on restoring and preserving the historic cottage that serves as Tropical Audubon Society (TAS) headquarters.\u00a0 The distinctive structure is a late example of Florida<\/p>\n

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