It is well known by many of our guests that the Bonnet House estate has an incredibly unique and fascinating history. From its ecological significance to its historic importance, this property and the people who lived here have captured the imaginations of countless visitors throughout the decades. For this reason, we are excited to be hosting a speaker series that will highlight some of the more interesting and unknown facts about the property, South Florida, and much more.
Our first lecture in this series will cover the gentleman who started it all: Frederic Clay Bartlett. Frederic Bartlett and his first wife, Helen, began construction on the property in 1920. But unfortunately, tragedy struck in 1925 when Helen died from breast cancer. After that, Frederic’s visits to Bonnet House became sporadic until 1931 when he married Evelyn Fortune Lilly. With this marriage, a renaissance occurred on the site as Frederic and Evelyn entered a prolific period of embellishing Bonnet House with the decorative elements that delight visitors to this day.
But despite all that took place on the Bonnet House property before, during, and after his marriage to Evelyn, Frederic did not live exclusively at Bonnet House. In fact, over the span of his 80-year life, he actually lived in more than 15 different homes! Each of these homes reflects on his various passions, artistic endeavors, and even his character.
In this fascinating lecture, we have invited J. Kent Planck to discuss the significance of some of the places Frederic Bartlett called home. This event will occur on February 14th, from 10:00 am – 11:30 am. This event will take place both in-person and virtually via Zoom. To learn more and register for this event, click here.
It goes without saying that the Bonnet House property would not be what it is today without Frederic Bartlett. We hope that you can take the time to learn more about his interesting life at this lecture. If you are unable to attend this event, we will continue our lecture series on a monthly basis with a variety of speakers & topics. To learn more, visit our events calendar.
