The Dice House

The Dice House, built circa 1920 by David Brantly Dice, is the oldest surviving structure in the Kendall area. Dice, regarded as the community’s “unnamed mayor,” also owned and operated a general store on adjacent property. The house survived several area storms, including Hurricane Andrew in 1992. Designated a historic site by the Miami-Dade County Historic Preservation Board in 1989, it later served as a pre-school and day care center until advanced deterioration forced its closure. Its most recent owner, Bernardo Junco, sought to rehabilitate it for use as a lunchtime cafe, but when financing fell through and the Unsafe Structures Board condemned the building, demolition appeared unavoidable. A last-minute plan involving Commissioner Katy Sorenson, the Miami-Dade Park and Recreation Department, the Dade Heritage Trust, Inc., owners Beatriz and Bernardo Junco, the Dice House Coalition, and the Miami-Dade Historic Preservation Board relocated the structure to nearby Continental Park for rehabilitation and reuse as an after-school recreation center.

Kendall, Florida · United States