Bonnet House: Come for the Monkeys, Stay for the Art
In its heyday, the mangroves at Bonnet House in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, sheltered a barrel of wild monkeys who so loved their mistress, Evelyn Bartlett, that they seemed to know exactly when she was en route from Massachusetts. By the time she arrived for the winter season, they were gathered in the branches overhanging the porch, awaiting the toast points with strawberry jam that Evelyn fed them.
It seems outrageous, calling to mind Mrs. Thurston Howell III, doesn’t it? But such are the privileges of the very very wealthy. And what good fortune that Evelyn Bartlett (whose maiden name was indeed Fortune) did not sell her valuable property to Fort Lauderdale developers, that instead she donated all 35 acres to the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation.
Today, Bonnet House is one of the only homes and art studios of two recognized American artists — Frederic Bartlett and his wife Evelyn — that has remained intact with original furnishings. I highly recommend a visit. For $20 you too can feed monkeys, wander the loggias, explore the dense hammocks, and marvel at the artistic talents of its former occupants. I think it is our version of Monet’s Giverny.
Here is a quick history on Bonnet House and the interesting people who built it.
Until 1895, the property was nothing more than mangroves, Florida scrub bushes and sandy beaches. But that year, Hugh Taylor Birch, a successful Chicago lawyer and amateur artist, found himself blown ashore in a storm, and he decided he liked the place. It would be an escape from Chicago’s relentless noise. So he bought up a bunch of land for thirty dollars an acre — a very valuable investment. In the end, he owned almost 3.5 miles of beachfront property in what is now the heart of Fort Lauderdale.
In 1919, Hugh gave the bulk of the land to his daughter Helen and her husband, artist Frederic Clay Bartlett, as a wedding gift. The Bartletts built a plantation-style home named the Bonnet House (after the bonnet lily that grows in profusion on the property), where they spent their winters. The rest of the year, they traveled extensively in Europe, scooping up all manner of fabulous art painted by those renegade Impressionists, including Georges Seurat’s A Sunday on La Grande Jatte. Tragically though, Helen died within five years, of cancer, in 1925.
Frederic subsequently married Evelyn Fortune Lilly, ex-wife of Eli Lilly, grandson of the pharmaceutical giant. With this marriage, a second renaissance of the Bonnet House began. Both Frederic and Evelyn were talented artists and they embellished Bonnet House with their own paintings, collected works from their travels (such as a stunning mural of ancient Persian Kings), and charmingly decorated rooms, loggias, porches and gardens.
Frederic died in 1953, but Evelyn continued to return each winter. In 1983, she donated Bonnet House to the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation —at the time, the largest charitable gift in Florida history— but she continued to live there until the ripe age of 109 when she passed in 1997.
Today, Bonnet House remains largely as it looked in the 1930s and 40s, except it is completely surrounded by modern day Fort Lauderdale. It is a secret island of wild monkeys, fine paintings, antique dishes, carousel animals, and ancient orchids, right under the shadow of glass and steel high rises.
Please enjoy my tour, but excuse the poor quality of my photos. The signs say no photography, a rule I blatantly broke.
The Bartletts filled the loggia with folk sculptures, carousel animals, and their own paintings.
"This is the only great house I've ever known with a sense of humor," said its former director, Carl Weinhardt, who died in 1985. I think this pair of ducks would agree. They’re having a good chuckle.
Frederic built the roof of the loggia using a piece of mahogany that washed ashore. He painted the sea turtle, the shells, and the fish. The tour guide pointed out that Evelyn had the unenviable job of painting the netting.
The ornamental grillwork in the loggia and on the balconies is from New Orleans. While other wealthy transplants to Florida were building Spanish style homes, Bartlett created a traditional plantation house. And until Evelyn came along, and glammed it up a bit, the place was austere, even rough.
The Royal Palms that border the slough were a birthday gift from Evelyn’s father.
Evelyn painted the portrait of the pair of swans on the property. Today, only a white swan remains and I guess he’s cranky. I heard a groundskeeper say that when he passes, he will not be replaced.
The Pavilion overlooking the lily pond where the bonnet lily grows. Note the close proximity of the high rise. Hurricanes Wilma and Katrina did a lot of damage to the upper canopies surrounding Bonnet House. I bet someone up there is taking a pic of me taking a pic of them.
The Bartletts used to play cards in this spot. Sadly, it needs a little TLC.
An aviary painted in the bright colors that Frederic and Evelyn preferred. They also had a farm in Massachusetts which drew photographers for its big yellow barn.
Helen, the second wife of Frederic Bartlett, was an accomplished pianist, and this was her music room. My son, also a musician, immediately noticed that the piano, a Steinway, seemed short on keys. Turns out this was one of Steinway’s earlier pianos, designed with 85 keys, and when he changed to 88 keys, he asked customers to turn in their old pianos, which he had burned, en masse, in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The Bartletts did not turn in their 85-key piano.
The dry fountain, built in 1942 with materials recovered from a demolished estate in Palm Beach. This is where chairs are set up and floral arches erected if you wish to be married at Bonnet House. It is so pretty!
One of the wild monkeys still on the estate. Rumor has it that back in the 1990s, a night club in Fort Lauderdale with monkeys had to shut down. Somehow, all of those monkeys found their way to Bonnet House.
The Bartletts collected seashells from around the world. Often, guests gifted the Bartletts matching shells, which became incorporated in the Shell Museum and the walls of the loggia.
Frederic and Evelyn loved bringing home exotic plants from their travels abroad. Evelyn especially collected orchids and many of the specimens at Bonnet House are decades old.
My other favorite space is the studio. I liked Frederic’s paintings very much. He was also a sculptor, a muralist, and very very proficient in the art of stained glass. Louis Tiffany once remarked that Frederic’s talents surpassed his own.
A giant painting of Persian princes! My family and I were so thrilled to see this! Flanking the mantelpiece are portraits of Evelyn and Frederic.
Can you see the inlaid shells on the walls next to the monkey’s alcove? And the shell tureen is simply to-die-for.
It took every ounce of self control I had to keep from restyling these shelves and smoothing out the wrinkles in that hideous plastic tablecloth. I did notice that Bonnet House is looking for a new caretaker. I hope whoever gets the job can dust carefully. Go to their Facebook page if you are interested.
I felt lightheaded touring the kitchen and dining room. They’re spectacular. Evelyn was a dish whore, like me, and the tour guide told me guests could stay a week at Bonnet House and never eat off the same plate twice.
Bonnet House welcomes artists, hosts musical evenings, is available for weddings, and has been used as a set locale for The Bachelor.
Bonnet House is one of the only remaining examples in South Florida of a native barrier island habitat. View from the Chickee Bridge of the Island Theater, built in 1938 and officially the first movie theater in the state of Florida.
The walkways around the estate are made of coral. Despite many hurricanes, the courtyard itself escaped real damage. (Knock on wood!)
Seeing as this is a Friday and Evelyn was such a gracious host, I’ll end today’s blog post with one of her recipes using the Rangpur lime, which Evelyn brought from India to her property. May you have an artful and interesting weekend!
Rangpur Lime Cocktail
four parts Barbados Eclipse dark rum
1 part fresh Rangpur lime juice
sweeten to taste with Vermont maple syrup and serve over crushed ice.