Jul 05, 1984
National Register of Historic Places - Bonnet House (Bartlett Estate)
Statement of Significant: The Bartlett Estate, historically known as the Bonnet House, is significant as the highly individual design of noted American artist and col- lector of art Fredrick Clay Bartlett. The house was designed and con- structed under Bartlett's supervision between 1920-21 and reflects the highly individual personality of its creator. The building is significant in terms of design not as the representation of an exact architectural style but rather through its remarkable individuality and integrity. The estate is one of a rapidly dwindling number of ocean front estates in South Florida and retains most of its original furnishings. Its designer, Frederick Bartlett, is nationally recognized as a noted early 20th century landscape artist and muralist and also as a collector of art, particularly of the post-impressionist period. Fred Bartlett was born in Chicago in 1874, the son of Adolphus Clay Bartlett, president of a large hardware firm." Bartlett took ad- vantage of his financial independence to study art and in 1894 he left Chicago to study painting in Munich. After a year of work with a private tutor, he became one of the few Americans to be accepted to the Munich Royal Academy. Upon graduating from the Academy, Bartlett went to Paris where he attended three different schools, including the studio of James Abbot McNeil Whistler. Bartlett's interest in mural painting was stimulated at this time when he met the eminent muralist Pierre Purvis Charannes. In 1899, Bartlett returned to Chicago to find the city in the midst of a great building boom. Accompanying this new construction was a corresponding demand for the decorative arts in public buildings. This offered an ideal opportunity for Bartlett's talent which, coupled with his social connections, brought him commissions for murals. His first commission (1900) was for the decoration of the nave of the Second Presbyterian Church. This was an extensive undertaking, involving the execution of 25 frescos, all of which survive. Other major Bartlett works include a frieze in the lobby of the Frank Dickenson Bartlett Memorial Gymnasium at the University Club at the University of Chicago; a mural in the Fine Arts Building and gothic-inspired ornamentation in the Fourth Presbyterian Church. Bartlett was also a landscape painter and was exhibited regularly at the Art Institute of Chicago between 1900-1933. Before 1918, most of his work was painted during his trips to Munich, Southern France, Switzer- land, Italy and the Orient. His work shows the influence of the post-impressionist movement, particularly of Matisse and Van Gogh, whose works he had already begun to collect. Bartlett was honored with several one- man shows at the Art Institute in which twelve to twenty-four paintings were exhibited. His work was also awarded prizes at the St. Louis Exposition of 1904 and the San Francisco Exhibition of 1915.
National Register of Historic Places - Bonnet House (Bartlett Estate)
Statement of Significant: The Bartlett Estate, historically known as the Bonnet House, is significant as the highly individual design of noted American artist and col- lector of art Fredrick Clay Bartlett. The house was designed and con- structed under Bartlett's supervision between 1920-21 and reflects the highly individual personality of its creator. The building is significant in terms of design not as the representation of an exact architectural style but rather through its remarkable individuality and integrity. The estate is one of a rapidly dwindling number of ocean front estates in South Florida and retains most of its original furnishings. Its designer, Frederick Bartlett, is nationally recognized as a noted early 20th century landscape artist and muralist and also as a collector of art, particularly of the post-impressionist period. Fred Bartlett was born in Chicago in 1874, the son of Adolphus Clay Bartlett, president of a large hardware firm." Bartlett took ad- vantage of his financial independence to study art and in 1894 he left Chicago to study painting in Munich. After a year of work with a private tutor, he became one of the few Americans to be accepted to the Munich Royal Academy. Upon graduating from the Academy, Bartlett went to Paris where he attended three different schools, including the studio of James Abbot McNeil Whistler. Bartlett's interest in mural painting was stimulated at this time when he met the eminent muralist Pierre Purvis Charannes. In 1899, Bartlett returned to Chicago to find the city in the midst of a great building boom. Accompanying this new construction was a corresponding demand for the decorative arts in public buildings. This offered an ideal opportunity for Bartlett's talent which, coupled with his social connections, brought him commissions for murals. His first commission (1900) was for the decoration of the nave of the Second Presbyterian Church. This was an extensive undertaking, involving the execution of 25 frescos, all of which survive. Other major Bartlett works include a frieze in the lobby of the Frank Dickenson Bartlett Memorial Gymnasium at the University Club at the University of Chicago; a mural in the Fine Arts Building and gothic-inspired ornamentation in the Fourth Presbyterian Church. Bartlett was also a landscape painter and was exhibited regularly at the Art Institute of Chicago between 1900-1933. Before 1918, most of his work was painted during his trips to Munich, Southern France, Switzer- land, Italy and the Orient. His work shows the influence of the post-impressionist movement, particularly of Matisse and Van Gogh, whose works he had already begun to collect. Bartlett was honored with several one- man shows at the Art Institute in which twelve to twenty-four paintings were exhibited. His work was also awarded prizes at the St. Louis Exposition of 1904 and the San Francisco Exhibition of 1915.
Jul 05, 1984
Posted Date
Aug 03, 2023
Historical Record Date
Jul 05, 1984
Source Name
National Register of Historic Places
