Friday, January 6, 2012

The James H. Snowden Residence

The James H. Snowden residence designed by Herbert L. Bass & Co. c. 1917 on Collins Avenue in Miami, Florida. Snowden was an oilman from Oklahoma who built the place as his winter residence. The property had formal gardens and 1,400 feet of oceanfront. In 1923 Snowden sold the residence to Harvey S. Firestone, founder of Firestone Tire and Rubber Company. Following Firestone's death in 1938 the house was used as U.S. Army officer's quarters during WWII. The residence was later demolished to make way for the Fontainebleau Hotel, built in 1954. Click HERE for a great history on the mid century hotels of Miami.



Photos from Architecture and Building, 1917.

2 comments:

The Devoted Classicist said...

This are great photos, as are those in the link to the proposal for the Morris Lapidus Historic District. A few weeks ago, I featured another historic district just a little further up the beach. Although these oceanfront houses are in the $9 -12 million range, the grandeur is not comparable.

http://tdclassicist.blogspot.com/2011/12/underneath-mistletoe.html

The Down East Dilettante said...

"Honey, let's build a house and see if we can make it look like an infirmary on a tropical army base"