A recent photo of the entrance to The Kampong home — original designed by Edward Clarence Dean, circa 1920s — and today, an illuminated tropical garden setting.
Although not technically a building, The Kampong is one of Miami’s quaint architectural gems. Located in Coconut Grove just off Biscayne Bay in the area that borders Coral Gables, The Kampong was the private home of Dr. David Fairchild — legendary horticulturalist, intrepid global explorer and one of the founding fathers of Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden.
Today, The Kampong property is home to a National Tropical Botanical Garden — one of five in the United States devoted to advancing scientific research, public education and plant conservation. A living classroom for botany and horticulture courses, The Kampong is also part of the National Register for Historic Places.
Many celebrities have brought homes in Miami and the The Kampong is no exception, although the famous folks in this case built their residences early in the twentieth century. Fairchild married Marian, the daughter of Alexander Graham Bell, who received $25,000 in 1916 as an advance on her inheritance to purchase the beautiful waterfront property, which slopes down from Douglas Road to Biscayne Bay. That was no small fortune back in the day.
Architect Edward Clarence Dean designed the Asia-inspired home, which became a residence in 1928. Although Dean never traveled as far east as his client, decorative features at the Kampong — which means “village” in Malay — include a Balinese-inspired door. Previously, he had built another more traditional Mission style home for the Fairchild couple in Maryland.
The Fairchild family had famous neighbors, too. Marian’s sister, Elsie, married Gilbert Grosvenor who was the first editor of National Geographic Magazine. They purchased the adjacent property and called it Hissar, named after the small town in Turkey where Grosvenor was born.
The property was no stranger to famous guests. Florida’s first tech pioneers, Thomas Edison and Henry Ford — who also owned waterfront homes in Florida on the gulf coast — visited the Fairchild family.
In 1965, Catherine Sweeney purchased the estate and added a tennis court as well as a boat basin to the sweeping bay front property — a common feature in many of today’s luxury waterfront estates.
An exterior design detail at The Kampong. Photo by the author.
More architectural detail at The Kampong’s entrance — an arch surrounded by tropical foliage and a 1-point perspective of Biscayne Bay in the distance.
The expansive waterfront lawn at The Kampong today.
This historic estate is landscaped with native and non-native plants, some of them unusual and considered “celebrity trees” that work well in South Florida.
The stunning and enormous Banyan tree at the entrance of The Kampong is a sight to behold for anyone who passes by on historic Main Highway. The tree is a natural architectural wonder itself — emblematic of the amazing landscaping in Coconut Grove, Coral Gables, South Miami and Pinecrest neighborhoods adjacent to the botanic garden.
The banyan tree at gated entrance of The Kampong is one of Miami’s most spectacular, although there are larger specimens in the area.
For Miami home owners who are interested in curb appeal and don’t want to leave everything up to their landscape architects, a tour of the Kampong offers insight and inspiration about what plants work in South Florida — all part of Fairchild’s amazing botanical legacy.
Public twilight tours in the fall and winter season are perfect for appreciating the property’s beauty.
Summer is upon us and that means more rain, but also amazing blooms. Royal Poincianas are sturdy trees, boasting amazing orange, yellow and red flowers in a large canopy that provides shade for many streets as well as truly regal tropical splendor for Miami residents.
This weekend, the Tropical Tree Flowering Society presents the 76th annual Royal Poinciana Festival — Miami’s oldest continuing running festival. Some activities are scheduled for Saturday and on Sunday, a trolley tour of some of the area’s most fabulous tree sightings begins at The Kampong.
Royal Poinciana tree in full bloom provide a feast for the eyes in South Florida at the beginning of summer. Photo courtesy of Akvatek via Flickr.
For more information, click on the links below.
Royal Poinciana Festival
One Sir Listings in Coconut Grove
– Maria de los Angeles is a freelance wordsmith based in Miami.
Note: Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden and National Tropical Botanic Gardens are two separate institutions, but they do share the common history of Dr. David Fairchild’s profound legacy in the Miami community.
All photos courtesy of The Kampong unless otherwise noted.