Two (2) Admission Passes!

The Bonnet House Museum & Gardens are situated in Ft. Lauderdale on a 35 acre subtropical estate on a pristine barrier island that separates the Atlantic Ocean in the East from the Intra Coastal Waterway to the West.

Designed and built in the early 1920s by Frederic Clay Bartlett, the Bonnet House Museum & Gardens is an amazing and magical place.  This treasured South Florida attraction was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984, and is also designated as a City of Fort Lauderdale Historic Landmark.

A Little History

The story of the Bonnet House Museum & Gardens began in 1893 when Hugh Taylor Birch bought these 35 acres of land with 3 miles of oceanfront property in Ft. Lauderdale for less than $1.00 per acre. Then in 1920, Mr. Birch gifted the property to his daughter Helen and her new husband, Frederic Clay Bartlett, as a wedding gift. Frederic was an American artist who was originally from Chicago, IL. From then on, Hugh Taylor Birch and the new married couple spent their winters enjoying the sunny South Florida weather.

In 1920, construction of the Bonnet House began and continued for over 20 years. The Bartlett's estate was given it's name after the Bonnet lily which grows on the
grounds. Frederic and Helen loved to travel the world, collect art, and create artwork, all of which helped shape the design, furnishing and ambiance of the Bonnet House.

Sadly, in 1925 Helen Birch passed away. A collection of Post Impressionist paintings was donated to the Art Institute of Chicago as a memorial to her life's work. Six years later, Frederic married Evelyn Fortune Lily who helped him further the extensive collection of art, plant life, and architectural additions which have remained largely unchanged to the present day. After Frederic's passing in 1953, Evelyn continued to spend her winters at the estate until she gifted the entire property to the Florida Trust For Historic Preservation in 1983. Both the Smithsonian Institution and the National Trust For Historic Preservation played a role in helping make sure that the Bonnet House is protected for future generations to enjoy.

Before the Birch and Bartlett families owned the land, other groups that roamed the area included the Tequesta Indians, the Spanish explorers and the U.S. Lifesaving Service that built a "House of Refuge" for shipwrecked sailors in 1876.

Mr. Birch spent his winters with Evelyn & Frederic until 1941 when at the age of 93 he had a beachfront home built just north of the Bonnet House in an area which is now the Birch State Park & Recreation Area.