Birch acquired over 3,500 acres of coastal property, including the land that would eventually become Bonnet House. He named it after the bonnet lily, an aquatic flower native to the area’s freshwater lagoons. For decades, Birch lived a simple life among the dunes, constructing a modest cabin and spending his days exploring, reading, and corresponding with intellectuals of his era.
Though Birch could have developed his land commercially, he resisted the temptation. He saw the region as a natural paradise to be protected rather than exploited. His decision to gift a portion of his land to his daughter and son-in-law would set the stage for one of the most remarkable architectural and artistic projects in Florida’s history.
The Birth of Bonnet House: Frederic and Helen Bartlett
In 1919, Birch gifted a 35-acre parcel of his beachfront estate to his daughter Helen Louise Birch and her husband, Frederic Clay Bartlett, as a wedding present. The couple, both deeply involved in the arts, envisioned the site as a tropical retreat and creative studio.
Frederic Bartlett (1873–1953) was a prominent Chicago-born artist and muralist. Educated at Harvard and trained in Europe, Bartlett had established himself as an influential painter and patron of modern art. His works graced the walls of institutions such as the Art Institute of Chicago and the University of Chicago.
Helen Birch Bartlett shared her husband’s artistic passion. A poet, art collector, and philanthropist, she played a key role in supporting emerging modernist artists such as Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, and Georges Braque. The couple’s art collection would later become one of the cornerstones of the Art Institute of Chicago’s modern art holdings, known as the “Helen Birch Bartlett Memorial Collection.”
When construction on Bonnet House began in 1920, Frederic designed it as a personal artistic vision rather than a traditional mansion. He blended plantation-style architecture, Caribbean influences, and Mediterranean motifs to create a home that reflected both his aesthetic imagination and the tropical environment surrounding it. shutdown123