The Boca Chita Key Historic District is a

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

historic district within the

Biscayne National Park Biscayne National Park is an American national park located south of Miami, Florida in Miami-Dade County. The park preserves Biscayne Bay and its offshore barrier reefs. Ninety-five percent of the park is water, and the shore of the bay is th ...

in Miami-Dade County,

Homestead, Florida Homestead is a city within Miami-Dade County in the U.S. state of Florida, between Biscayne National Park to the east and Everglades National Park to the west. The population was 80,737 as of the 2020 census. Homestead is primarily a Miami s ...

. Located on the northwest section of

Boca Chita Key Boca Chita Key is the island north of the upper Florida Keys in Biscayne National Park, Miami-Dade County, Florida. The key is located in Biscayne Bay, just north of Sands Key. An ornamental lighthouse is present on the key.Biscayne Bay Biscayne Bay () is a lagoon with characteristics of an estuary located on the Atlantic coast of South Florida. The northern end of the lagoon is surrounded by the densely developed heart of the Miami metropolitan area while the southern end is la ...

in the north and west and a half ruined stone wall on its southern side, it contains three historic buildings and the Boca Chita Lighthouse. On 1 August 1997, it was listed in the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

for its architectural, historical and recreational values.

Location

Boca Chita Key Historic District covers an area of within the larger Biscayne National Park of area. It is bounded on the southern and western border by the

Biscayne Bay Biscayne Bay () is a lagoon with characteristics of an estuary located on the Atlantic coast of South Florida. The northern end of the lagoon is surrounded by the densely developed heart of the Miami metropolitan area while the southern end is la ...

and the remnant of a stone wall.

History

Mark C. Honeywell, a wealthy industrialist and his wife who owned the island off their house in the Miami beach, built the structures as part of his development plan after he bought the island in 1937, and built up the structures between 1937 and 1940.; however, the building built between 1937 and 1939 do not exist now. The Honeywells built it as their holiday resort. They built many structures which included a chapel, a lighthouse, a pavilion for holding picnic, a generator room, and also a garage. An arch bridge was also built across an existing canal. The August Geiger Firm were the architects and builders of the structures, which were built in modern architectural style with use of

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wid ...

and

asphalt Asphalt, also known as bitumen (, ), is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. It may be found in natural deposits or may be a refined product, and is classed as a pitch. Before the 20th century, the term ...

. The retreat was a popular venue for holding parties when Honeywells and their guests crossed over to the island from the Miami beach in luxury vessels. On such occasions, a canon located near the lighthouse on the harbour was fired as a welcome gesture to the guests. After his wife's death, Honewell's interest in the island waned. He got married again to Eugenia Hubbard and then sold the island to Florence Emerman in 1942. The structures were built with Miami oolite limestone, and even in the existing structures the external faces have a quarry finish, typical of the area.

Historic structures

Some of the historic structures are the lighthouse, the chapel and the open air picnic pavilion. Also notable are the stone wall and the cannon.

Lighthouse

The island's 65-foot lighthouse was built by Mark C. Honeywell in 1938. Built at the north end of the harbour, in a tapered shape with “concrete bricks laid in common bond with the exterior clad in uncoursed limestone.” At the base the tower is in diameter and is founded on a square concrete base. The observation deck has protective rails painted in white paint, The dome fitted with the lantern light is steel frame cage. The entrance door has a stone projection. There is a circular staircase which is cantilevered from the wall of the tower. The owner of the island had built it with the objective of using it as a navigation guide for his business operations on the island. However, a few hours after the lighthouse was lighted and commissioned, it had to close down, as Honeywell had failed to inform and obtain permission of the U.S. Coast Guard, the Lighthouse Service authorities, about the purpose of his project. The U.S. Coast Guard considered it a navigation hazard as it was not charted. During Hurricane Andrew in 1992, the windows of the lighthouse were damaged and were replaced with funds provided by a friend of Honeywell. The dome of the lighthouse was also under repairs since July 2013 (damaged panels) and was expected to be ready by end of August 2013. The repairs to the lighthouse involved up-gradation with Hurricane-proof glass for the dome, apart from repairs and providing new vents for ventilation. Painting of the entire structure was also on the anvil. As the lighthouse is not functional it can be visited (during September to May and some days during the summer months) only when the park staff or volunteers are available there. The top deck of the lighthouse provides scenic views of the bay, ocean,

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

Key Biscayne Key Biscayne ( es, Cayo Vizcaíno, link=no) is an island located in Miami-Dade County, Florida, located between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay. It is the southernmost of the barrier islands along the Atlantic coast of Florida, and lies sou ...

, and the sky line of the Miami Beach.

The chapel

The chapel is concrete structure of size built with uncoursed stone. It has a concave shaped roof with a steep slope The roof covering is made of asphalt shingles. Entrance doors are provided on the walls on northern and eastern sides. The southern door is flanked by a low level wall which is curved. Two identical openings are provided on the walls.

Picnic Pavilion

The picnic pavilion is an open-air structure which is located across the lighthouse. It is founded on a concrete raft as base which measures . Above the concrete rafts ten square piers are raised along the longer length of the pavilion. The cornice and

frieze In architecture, the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Paterae are also usually used to decorate friezes. Even when neither columns nor ...

are supported by the piers and above this is the roof in a hip shape covered with asphalt shingles.

Cannon

A cannon is also one of the historic objects. IT is located on the northeastern part of the key near the lighthouse. The gun's trunnions are fitted on either side of the cannon over the base which is an inclined with indentures. The cannon is rusted.

Stone wall

The stone wall was built with limestone on reinforced cement concrete foundation. The Honeywells built it to enclose the structures that were originally built in the Boca Chita area. The wall was built in several stretches. The first stretch was for from the Biscayne Bay to the south of the picnic. It then turned for a length of in curved alignment from t where it was extended to the west for further . The next orientation of the wall was to then turned north for a length and ending close to the engine house. Initially the wall had seven gate at different locations of which there only three are extant; two gates, each of width, have high gate posts. The third gate in width has an arched opening. Hurricane Andrew destroyed the eastern two-thirds part of this wall, stone gate house and gate posts. The remaining one third of the wall has the arched opening.

References

;Bibliography * *

External links

Dade County listings
a
National Register of Historic Places
{{Greater Miami National Register of Historic Places in Miami-Dade County, Florida Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Florida National Register of Historic Places in Biscayne National Park 1997 establishments in Florida