PARK WON'T LET STILTSVILLE HOUSES REMAIN

Friday, April 2, 1999
By PETER WHORISKEY, Herald Architecture Writer

National Park officials told Stiltsville homeowners on Thursday that while the seven remaining lodges perched out on Biscayne Bay may be a significant part of South Florida's past, park policy prevents an extension of the bay-bottom leases.

The landmark homes are expected to be demolished after July 1.``I think Stiltsville is a charming place - a part of the lore of Biscayne Bay, a story that the park service will relate in our public programs,'' said Dick Frost,superintendent of Biscayne National Park, which holds the bay-bottom leases.

``But there's no legal device for me to issue new leases.'' The current leases, which were issued by the state in the mid-70s, call for the removal of the homes after July 1, 1999. The National Park Service has controlled the Stiltsville leases since the site was annexed into Biscayne National Park in 1980. Over the years, environmentalists and others have questioned the proprietyof leasing public park land to private parties.

Owners of the homes had hoped that listing Stiltsville on the National Register of Historic Places would lead to their preservation. But earlier this month, the National Register rejected the application.

Now Stiltsville owners plan to challenge the National Register decision. ``There's the Freedom Tower. The Art Deco. And then there's Stiltsville and it certainly seems worth saving, too,'' said Chris Knight, the co-owner of one of the seven homes, known as the Bay Chateau. ``But there isn't much time left.''

When supporters were asked by the board whether the nomination was a way to get the National Park Service to extend bay-bottom leases to Stiltsvillians, they answered honestly, ``Yes.''

Barbara Mattick, state historic board staff coordinator, also noted the National Park Service's desire to have the Stiltsville situation evaluated by the State Historical Resources Division. Ellen Uguccioni, the state historic board member who moved the nomination, said: ``Stiltsville is a great anomaly that has become a cherished part of Miami and quite a significant property for a long time.''

Even though most sites nominated for the National Register of Historic Places are a minimum of 50 years old, the board says the fact that the site has been ``continually occupied'' speaks to its historical significance.

The final decision on the nomination will come from the National Register for Historic Places, but the state decision makes it ``almost a slam dunk,'' Parks said.