Bonnet House was the winter home of American artists Frederic Clay Bartlett and Evelyn Bartlett and was named for the bonnet lily that grows in the slough.
The house was designed by Frederic and began construction in 1920. Bonnet House remains much as it was in the 1930s and 1940s, when Frederic and his wife Evelyn created the unique blend of art and whimsy that delights us today.
Its gardens, coastal hammock, courtyard and freshwater slough form an oasis of green among the developments on Fort Lauderdale beach. Australian Melaleuca trees shade the path to the front of the estate, decorated with a desert garden of yucca and century plants.
To the west are brackish wetlands and mangrove trees - home to manatees, fiddler crabs and shore birds - and lying east are groves of mangos, avocados, and citrus trees. Frederic was also a collector of fine art and donated a priceless collection of paintings to the Art Institute of Chicago, creating the first permanent collection of contemporary art in the United States intended for public exhibition.
Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Bonnet House Museum & Gardens is a 35-acre subtropical estate and historic house museum located in the heart of Fort Lauderdale. Bonnet House, Inc. is a nonprofit, 501c3, whose mission is to celebrate the story of Frederic and Evelyn Bartlett, we preserve the art, history and nature of Bonnet House, providing inspiration and respite for all.