Just one of the spectacular east-facing views from The Grovenor House in Coconut Grove.

Located in Coconut Grove along tree-lined Bayshore Drive, the Grovenor House boasts panoramic views of Biscayne Bay and Miami.  Click on the video for more breathtaking vistas and read more below about the area’s history.

HISTORY AND FAMOUS RESIDENTS

Coconut Grove was established in 1929, but saw many settlers prior to the 20^th century, making it Miami’s oldest continuously inhabited neighborhood.

One glance from the balconies at Grovenor House and Miami’s history comes to life with expansive views of Biscayne Bay, where Spanish explorers and pirates once roamed when Tequesta Indians lived on these shores. Today, shipwrecks make up part of Biscayne Bay National Park, most of which is underwater.

In 1882, Brits Charles and Isabella Peacock erected the first hotel in South Florida, where Union Jacks were raised and tea was served. Today, the former homestead is a popular waterfront park in Coconut Grove named after the English couple.

Bahamians settled the area in the 1880s and remnants of island architecture still remain in west Coconut Grove.

In the late 19th century, Commodore Ralph Monroe, an American yacht designer, built a waterfront home off Biscayne Bay. Today, the property is The Barnacle Historic State Park, where locals enjoy outdoor concerts and picnics on an expansive lawn flanked by a tropical hardwood hammock.

The Kampong –the only National Tropical Botanic Garden in the continental U.S. — is located just a few miles south of the Grovenor House.  The former winter home of botanist, plant collector and explorer David Fairchild from 1920-1950, the Kampong is currently an educational facility open to the public for tours and boasts one of the largest ficus trees in Miami at nearly 400 feet wide in circumference at eye level.  Fairchild is best known as one of the founders of Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, located nearby in Coral Gables.

Fairchild and his wife, Marian, hosted many famous visitors, including Marian’s father Alexander Graham Bell as well as Thomas Edison, Henry Firestone and Henry Ford.

Marian Fairchild’s sister was married to Gilbert Grosvenor, the first editor of National Geographic Magazine and President of the National Geographic Society. Known as the father of photojournalism, Grosvenor purchased the property adjacent to The Kampong and named it Hissar after the Turkish town where he was born.

Marjory Stoneman-Douglas also lived in Coconut Grove for seventy years after building her vernacular masonry home in the 1920s.  It was here she wrote River of Grass, her groundbreaking book about The Everglades.  The author and legendary conservationist loved Coconut Grove for its garden-like character and was instrumental in developing Fairchild Botanic Garden.  Meetings at The Kampong with Fairchild, Douglas and Ernest Coe led to the establishment of Everglades National Park.

The lush and tropical coastline of Coconut Grove still make the city one of the most verdant areas of Miami.

Later in the 1950s, Howard Hughes, American businessman and aviator, established his namesake Medical Institute in Miami. In the 1970s, the facility moved to Coconut Grove until 1986, when the institute settled in its current location, Bethesda, Maryland. Today, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute is one of the largest private funding organizations for biological and medical research in America.

AROUND THE GROVENOR

Miami City Hall is just a stone’s throw away from the Grovenor House. The Art Deco structure was Miami’s first commercial airport when Pan American operated seaplanes in the 1930s and 40s.

The Grovenor House features a maritime architectural theme and it’s no wonder — The Coral Reef Yacht Club, Dinner Key Marina and the Coconut Grove Sailing Club are all footsteps away.  Dinner Key Marina offers paved areas along the docks open to the public for pleasant strolls.  Children and adults can also participate in watersports at Shake-A-Leg.

There’s plenty to do near the Grovenor House: dining at waterfront restaurants, including luxe Gibraltar, located on a private island; shopping at Fresh Market, an upscale, gourmet grocery store; and walking the dog at a pet-friendly, waterfront David Kennedy park.

Just minutes away by foot or car in downtown Coconut Grove are boutiques, outdoor cafés, cinemas, lounges, art galleries, coffee shops, yoga studios, a bookstore, gym and comedy club in addition to the swank Mayfair Hotel, with its unique Gaudi-esque architecture and rooftop lounge. The Ritz-Carlton, popular among locals for its Sunday brunch, is just two blocks away.

The area also enjoys some of the city’s finest private schools and his home to several temples and churches.

To learn more about the property, visit Grovenor3102.com.

– Maria de los Angeles is a freelance wordsmith based in Miami.