Florida Architects ~ Lake County Historic Mansions

 

 

The first woman to become a member of American Institute of Architects’ New York chapter wasn’t formally trained as an architect. 

 

Instead, Katherine Cotheal Budd (born in 1860 in Clinton, Iowa), had studied art and design at the Shinnecock Hills Summer School of Art (Long Island) from 1891 to 1894. After that, she studied with William R. Ware, an architect who also taught at Columbia University. She achieved her AIA membership in 1924.

 

The Howey Mansion, Howey-in-the-Hills

 

Ms. Budd is notable for designing the Howey Mansion, built in 1925 for citrus magnate William J. Howey and his wife, Mary Grace Hastings Howey. The house “is a great example of the Mediterranean Revival architecture that appeared during the state’s land boom era” (Dykstra).

Howey House, circa 1925

The mansion’s twenty-room interior featured high ceilings, original hand-painted tiles, and a grand staircase. Florida’s elite attended the glamorous parties held beneath the red tile roofing. Even Calvin Coolidge was a guest! 

 

Though the house fell into disrepair over the decades, the magnificent house has been restored and was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

Harry C. Duncan House, Tavares

 

 

Ms. Budd also designed a historic home in Tavares which is considered “one of the best examples of the Colonial Revival style in Florida” (Duncan). This mansion, built for Harry C. Duncan, a prominent community leader, was added to the National Register in 1997. Mr. Duncan was a colleague of William Howey—in fact, he helped persuade Mr. Howey to move to Lake County where both these homes are located.

Legacy

 

Though she maintained her architectural practice in New York City, Ms. Budd often traveled to Europe. She lived in Florida from about 1926 to 1928, apparently staying in the Sunshine State for health reasons after her two major commissions. During her long career, Ms. Budd designed hospitals, churches, and more than a hundred houses.

 

She also teamed up with other notable women architects to design Hostess Houses for American military camps during World War I. The YWCA (Young Women’s Christian Association) commissioned these newly constructed buildings to provide a comfortable place where soldiers could entertain their families and “as places for women to gain experience in managing complex and relatively large institutions” (Brandimarte).

 

Ms. Budd was not only a talented architect. She also wrote articles focusing on kitchen, pantry, and Japanese design for such journals as American Homes and Gardens, Architectural Record, and Country Life. 

 

In 1940, Ms. Budd moved to Tucson where she taught arts and crafts as a Girl Scouts volunteer. She died, at age 90, in 1951. 

Your Turn ~ Which architectural style do you prefer--Mediterranean Revival (the Howey Mansion) or Colonial Revival (the Duncan House)?

 

More Info

 

This site has amazing photos of Howey Mansion’s interior and details more of its history ~ https://abandonedfl.com/howey-mansion/.

 

More info about Ms. Budd and the Hostess Houses, including photos, can be found at this site ~ https://misspreservation.com/2016/03/16/seven-years-the-hostess-house-and-the-female-architect-and-mississippi/.

 

Johnnie Alexander is a bestselling, award-winning novelist of more than thirty works of fiction in multiple genres. She is both traditionally and indie-published, serves as board secretary for the Mosaic Collection, LLC (an indie-author group) and faculty chair for the Mid-South Christian Writers Conference; co-hosts Writers Chat, a weekly online show; and contributes to the HHHistory.com blog. With a heart for making memories, Johnnie is a fan of classic movies, stacks of books, and road trips. Connect with her at JohnnieAlexander.com.

 

Photos

Harry C. Duncan House ~ https://web.archive.org/web/20101215202455/http:/dhr.dos.state.fl.us/facts/reports/places/index.cfm?fuseaction=FullImage&id=897

Harry C. Duncan House ~ By Ebyabe ~ Own work, CC BY 2.5, ~ https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1841470. 

Howey House, circa 1925 ~ Florida Memory offers all images under the terms of the Creative Commons Public Domain Mark 1.0 (PDM 1.0). This indicates that the images are free from all known copyright restrictions. For more information, please visit https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/.

Howey Mansion, Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida ~ Ebyabe via Wikimedia Commons.

Sources

Brandimarte, Cynthia. "Women on the Home Front Hostess Houses during World War I." https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/592789. (Accessed April 6, 2025.)

Dykstra, Jon. "15 of the Finest Historic Mansions in Florida (Gilded Age South)." https://www.homestratosphere.com/historic-mansions-florida/. (Posted November 17, 2024; accessed January 2, 2025).

Harry C. Duncan House. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_C._Duncan_House. (Accessed April 6, 2025).

Christmas Snow Bandstand Gazebos

Hastings Park Bandstand, Lexington, MA. Courtesy Wikimedia Commons

In the tranquil solitude of winter when the brass bands have tucked their instruments away from the cold, their bandstand remains as a testament to music, but not as the sole purpose of its existence, for as summer wanes and winter approaches, the structure is reclaimed for the holiday season which may even include a Christmas carol sing-a-long or two.

Decorating a bandstand or gazebo usually means greenery and most definitely lights. The personal gazebos found in yards, whether in the city or country, stand out among the myriad of lighted decorations at this time of year as an inviting place to sit and relax, like this western-themed gazebo in Wantagh, New York. 

Western-themed Christmas Gazebo. Courtesy of VinnyCiro, Pixabay

If this next image of a double bandstand looks familiar it's because it was featured in my Oct 5 post of Bandstands with a Music Theme. Since the bottom level is a fountain in the summer, I can imagine skating during the Christmas season, but I doubt it would happen. Inviting damage from skate blades doesn't seem responsible after the enormous amount of money spent on its refurbishment. Still, I can dream.

Kings Square Christmas Bandstand, Saint John, NB. Courtesy Wikimedia Commons

If you like your Christmas decorations to be chock-full of bright color, you might enjoy the seasonal display at Brookside Gardens, Silver Spring Maryland, where unique sculptures are the result of lighted botanical specimens.

Brookside at the Holidays, November 2009. Courtesy Brookside Gardens, Wikimedia

On the other hand, a historic wooden bandstand, decorated only with crystals of nature's snow, is a beautiful sight of tranquility during this hectic season. It waits, withstanding the wintry weather, knowing the cold season will end and warmth will bring the fun-filled days of summer back for another round. 

Wintry Gazebo. Courtesy of VinnyCiro, Pixabay

If you could have your pick, which of the above would you love to see when you look out your window, and why?


This concludes my series on historical bandstands. The other posts can be found:

- May 5, 2018 - Wooden Bandstands of By Gone Years

- June 5, 2018 - Scenic Bandstands with a Water View

- July 5, 2018 - Elaborate Bandstands for Special Events

- Aug 5, 2018 - From Bandstands to Bandshells

- Sep 5, 2018 - From Rooftop Bandstand to King's Hall

- Oct 5, 2018 - Bandstands with a Music Theme

- Nov 5, 2018 - Bandstand, Pavilion, or Gazebo

Anita Mae Draper's historical romances are written under the western skies of the Saskatchewan prairie where her love of research and genealogy yield fascinating truths that layer her stories with rich historical details. Anita's contemporary short story, Here We Come A-Wassailing, found in A Cup of Christmas Cheer Volume 4, was a finalist for the Word Guild's 2015 Word Awards. Her novellas are included in Austen in Austin Volume 1, The American Heiress Brides Collection, and The Secret Admirer Romance Collection. Readers can check out Anita's Pinterest boards for a visual idea of her stories to enrich their reading experience. Discover more at:
Website - www.anitamaedraper.com
Pinterest - www.pinterest.com/anitamaedraper/

Bandstand, Pavilion, or Gazebo

Saltair Pavilion, Great Salt Lake, Utah, c1901. Source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

What's the difference between a bandstand, pavilion, and gazebo? After many hours of research for this historic bandstands series, I've come to believe the name is inter-changeable depending on the community and reason for building the structure. Therefore, today's post will cover a variety of images that didn't fit the labels of previous posts.

For example, the photographs above and below both show the Saltair Pavilion, Great Salt Lake, Utah. However, the smaller pavilions share the same basic look of a traditional wooden bandstand or gazebo.

Saltair Pavilion, Great Salt Lake, Utah, c1900. Source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

A gazebo sounds quaint when referring to an open-air viewing shelter, especially where there is a scenic vista. In this next postcard, a walkway allowed one to walk from the original Canadian Pacific Railway Hotel in Banff, Alberta, to the bandstand that overlooked the Bow River meandering through the Rocky Mountains. Can you hear the music strains as they echo through the valley? 

Bow Valley, Banff, 1904. Source: Public Domain

When the original wooden Banff Springs hotel burned down in 1910, work soon began on the current hotel which still stands today, however the bandstand pictured above was lost. I was excited then, when I found a 1904 postcard which shows the original bandstand on the left of the hotel as it used to be against the backdrop of craggy Mount Rundle. You can't see the Bow River Valley between them, but we know it's there.

Banff Hotel and Mount Rundle, Banff, 1904. Source: Public Domain

Information about the Cascade Park Pavilion in Duluth, MN must be buried somewhere, but all I could find was mention of the park's sad state of decay due to flooding and erosion. Considering the geographic nature of Duluth, the city view must have been spectacular from the bell-shaped pavilion.

Cascade Park, Duluth, Minn. Source: Public Domain

This Mount Vernon Bandstand is a great example of a square bandstand, yet I couldn't discover anything about its history. Considering that it appears to be overlooking a river or lake, music would carry, and the bell would peal for a long distance. But why does it have a bell?

Bandstand at Mount Vernon, winter, c1920-1950. Source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

This stereograph of Denver's Floral pavilion intrigued me. First, because it doesn't look like it was made of the same building materials as any other gazebo or bandstand out there, and second because I couldn't find any information about its presence. I'm guessing it was part of a floral exhibit and covered with plant material as it reminds me of the floral floats on the Rose Bowl parade. 

Floral Pavilion, City Park, Denver, Col, 1900. Source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

As I conclude my series on historic bandstands, I am reassured that these architectural structures prove that music and community events played a large part in the creation of towns here in North America, and even earlier across the ocean. This fact cannot be diminished by the loss of bandstands where there was a need for the material, or to build a better one in its place. The real sorrow comes from the elegant structures that were lost due to lack of interest with no thought to the future and those who would inhabit it.

The next time you pass a bandstand-like structure, take a moment to appreciate the dreams that went into it. Have your picture taken in one, selfie or otherwise. Share it on social media. Show the new generation one of the treasures of our past. 

Before I close this series, would you like to see one final post on bandstands decked out for Christmas? Do you have any thoughts or answers on the structures shown in this post, or previous posts? 

Other posts in this historical bandstand series can be found:

- May 5, 2018 - Wooden Bandstands of By Gone Years

- June 5, 2018 - Scenic Bandstands with a Water View

- July 5, 2018 - Elaborate Bandstands for Special Events

- Aug 5, 2018 - From Bandstands to Bandshells

- Sep 5, 2018 - From Rooftop Bandstand to King's Hall

- Oct 5, 2018 - Bandstands with a Music Theme

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anita Mae Draper's historical romances are written under the western skies of the Saskatchewan prairie where her love of research and genealogy yield fascinating truths that layer her stories with rich historical details.  Anita's short story, Here We Come A-Wassailing, was a finalist for the Word Guild's 2015 Word Awards. Her novellas are included in Austen in Austin Volume 1, The American Heiress Brides Collection, and The Secret Admirer Romance Collection. Readers can check out Anita's Pinterest boards for a visual idea of her stories to enrich their reading experience.  Discover more at:

Website - www.anitamaedraper.com

Pinterest - www.pinterest.com/anitamaedraper/

From Rooftop Bandstand to King's Hall

The Pavilion, Herne Bay, Kent, on a steep slope, 1904-1912. Public Domain

Where historic North American bandstands were usually built of wood due to an abundant supply from forests, bandstand builders in the United Kingdom had access to a ready supply of coal and ore which were processed into poured cast iron or hand-wrought iron. Although both wood and iron could give decorative results, the iron bandstands had the advantage of longevity. Or at least they did until World War II came along and many of them were dismantled and melted down to make arms and ammunition. 

In my August 5th post, From Bandstands to Bandshells, I posted about the Herne Bay Bandshell, built in 1924, and how people called it the New Bandstand because an older one was further up the beach. Today's post is on the older one, which is quite confusing because when it was built in 1904, it replaced an even older bandstand on the same site.

The  rooftop bandstand was created during Phase 1 of a two phase project which cut into the hillside to create what was called the East Cliff Pavilion during it's colorful opening. Inside the small combination theater, concert hall, and dance hall, the windows were dressed with Venetian blinds, each room had gas brackets, and fresh air inlet ventilators ensured a supply of the sea air. 

The Bandstand & Pavilion, Herne Bay, Kent, 1908. Public Domain

The above postcard doesn't show a band in attendance, but according to the Wikipedia description, "There is a lot of reading, sewing, knitting and wearing of best clothes going on." Built during the British Raj era, the architecture of India is reflected in the pavilion's graceful and elaborate ironwork which has lasted throughout the years.

Elaborate Ironwork of Bandstand & Pavilion, Herne Bay, Kent, 1904. Public Domain

Phase 2 of this monumental project was the removal of a big enough chunk of the cliff for the creation of a new entertainment hall with seating for 1,500 people. The original pavilion, which couldn't hold more than 300 people, became the vestibule into the King Edward VII Memorial Hall, known simply as the King's Hall.

The next two postcards show how the King's Hall extends from the original pavilion toward the street and possibly even under it. 

The Bandstand & King's Hall, Herne Bay, Kent, 1913-1914. Public Domain

The Wikipedia description for this one says there are bathing machines in the image, but I only see cabana-style wagons which I thought were change rooms. Here's another view:

The Bandstand & King's Hall, Herne Bay, Kent, 1920's. Public Domain

Flash forward to 2011 and the King's Hall is still in beautiful form.

King's Hall Interior, Herne Bay, Kent, 2011. Creative Commons

And although the bandstand is gone, the platform remains where it once stood on the rooftop terrace of the King's Hall entrance amid the original ironwork which has been painted for beauty and endurance. Perhaps there is hope that the bandstand will rise again one day and entertain the crowds in the open sea air instead of merely having it piped inside.

King's Hall Interior, Herne Bay, Kent, 2011. Creative Commons

The evolution of the Herne Bay bandstands into modern structures show change due to circumstances. Vision was needed to build them, and appreciation kept them in place. The amazing fact is that although the rooftop bandstand itself is gone, the rest of the ironwork escaped the melting pots. 

Care to share your thoughts? Do you know what bathing machines they are referring to in this post? Have you stood inside a bandstand make of ironwork?

Other posts in this historical bandstand series can be found:

- May 5, 2018 - Wooden Bandstands of By Gone Years

- June 5, 2018 - Scenic Bandstands with a Water View

- July 5, 2018 - Elaborate Bandstands for Special Events

- Aug 5, 2018 - From Bandstands to Bandshells

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anita Mae Draper's historical romances are written under the western skies of the Saskatchewan prairie where her love of research and genealogy yield fascinating truths that layer her stories with rich historical details.  Anita's short story, Here We Come A-Wassailing, was a finalist for the Word Guild's 2015 Word Awards. Her novellas are included in Austen in Austin Volume 1, The American Heiress Brides Collection, and The Secret Admirer Romance Collection. Readers can check out Anita's Pinterest boards for a visual idea of her stories to enrich their reading experience.  Discover more at:

Website - www.anitamaedraper.com

Pinterest - www.pinterest.com/anitamaedraper/