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3848 Little
Dear Neighbors,
We have been trying to save one of our
houses in Ye Little Wood.
The property at 3848 Little was built in
1902 by William V. Little, the Mayor of
Cocoanut Grove in 1920 and 1921. He and
his wife, Nell (a Shakespearean actress)
lived in the house for many years. Both
William and Nell were active in Cocoanut
Grove in the early 1900's. This property
is currently on the market along with
the adjacent property for $3,700,000.
We fear that it will be purchased by a
developer and demolished.
An Historical Designation report has
been issued from the City of Miami. On
Page 13 the City recommends Denial of
this designation as an individual
Historic Site and suggests a Historic
District of Ye Little Wood. We feel
that the Historic and Environmental
Preservation Board (HEPB) will be
sympathetic to our cause of individual
Historical Designation if a number of
neighbors and concerned citizens are
present to show support. The HEPB
approved Preliminary Historic
Designation in January.
Report is posted here
The report speaks for itself and shows
the historical relevance of this house
as well as the unusual and historic
architecture (especially on Page 9
Style: See PDF File).
Early Miami history happened here. Ye
Little Wood had the first casino (3948
Little Ave.); and is rumored to have the
first brothel (3976 Wood Ave.). In
addition, the house at 3853 Little Ave.
was designed by the first woman
architect in Miami, Marion Manley; and
several famous movies have been filmed
at Sepy Dobronyi’s house at 3980 Wood
Ave. Fortunately these homes have been
preserved. The Massin house at 3891
Little has great historic value. Not
only was Gene Massin a nationally known
artist, but legend has it that the house
had the first Florida room. It has
recently been sold to a developer and
will most likely be demolished. In
addition, the house at 4042 Douglas Rd.
at the entrance to Ye Little Wood is
scheduled for demolition. House by
house, we’re losing our heritage.
If you haven’t driven through our
historical neighborhood, as
you drive up to the console, scroll down to
Morris, and we’ll let you in.
Take a look at what’s happening here. Adjacent
to my house at 3803 Little (on your
right after turning onto Little Ave.) is
a McMansion not quite finished after two
years in construction, apprx. 9000 sq.
ft. w/an elevator. It is listed for more
than four million dollars. The next
house at 3853 Little is the house
designed by Marion Manley. The subject
property at 3848 Little and adjacent
property at 3860 Little are the two
houses on your left. Unfortunately, the
subject property is surrounded by a high
stockade fence and impossible to see,
which is one of the reasons given for
the recommendation of denial. However,
there are many historic sites that are
not open to the public, such as The
Kampong, across the street, which is
David Fairchild’s original home and
studio. It is a Designated National
Historic Site.
We urge you to attend this important
meeting to be held on Tuesday, April 3rd
at Miami City Hall, Dinner Key, in the
Commission Chambers. Our item is #10 on
the agenda, and we may arrive as late as
5:30 pm to participate in this hearing.
Hope to see you there.
Sincerely,
Joan
Joan Morris
305-793-3172 cell
yelittlewood@earthlink.net
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