Doc Thomas House

Arden Hayes "Doc" Thomas, a South Miami-area pioneer, pharmacist, and owner of the O.K. Drug & Feed Store, commissioned architect Robert Fitch Smith in 1931 to design this distinctive High Pines home, which was completed in 1932 as a sophisticated Rustic style version of a Florida frame vernacular cottage. Characterized by native woods and oolitic limestone, the house also features built-in components and ornamental woodwork. A lifelong conservationist, Thomas gifted his property to Tropical Audubon Society to ensure its preservation and use to benefit both the society and the general public. Established as a National Audubon Society chapter in 1947, Tropical Audubon Society traces its origins to the 1915 Coconut Grove Audubon Society, the first in Dade County, and, like all Audubon chapters, is a conservation organization named for 19th-century ornithologist, wildlife artist, and naturalist John James Audubon. After Thomas's death on December 31, 1975, Tropical Audubon Society received his property, and since 1976 the house has served as the society's headquarters while the surrounding acreage has become the Steinberg Nature Center. The house was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.

Florida · United States