The Villagers Incorporated was organized in October 1966. The Douglas Entrance was in danger of being demolished when the Douglas Village Corporation was formed to save and restore it. As a part of the initial restoration efforts, a group of wives of the stockholders of the Douglas Village Corporation got together as an auxiliary to do what they could to help. This group, joined by others, became the charter members of The Villagers. Our early efforts included cleaning, painting, and chasing pigeons from the tower. The major emphasis was on refurbishing the elegant ballrooms. We also held events to raise money for restoration and to raise public awareness of the needs and benefits of preservation.

Our first fund-raising success was an all-day “Fiesta,” when Coral Gables declared November 25th as “Villagers Day.” Peruvian gold jewelry, other imports, craft and art items, foreign foods and decorator “mistakes” were sold and auctioned. Our popular and profitable Monte Carlo Night was begun in 1968 and held at the Douglas Entrance for the first two years and at Vizcaya for the next three years.

When the Douglas Entrance was sold in 1972, The Villagers turned their attention to another endangered landmark, the Biltmore Hotel, and expanded their mission to include protection of landmarks throughout Miami-Dade County. The Biltmore had last been used as a hospital by the Veterans Administration. After it was vacated, The Villagers held a party in the Casa Loma building and patio to promote interest and support for the preservation and use of the Biltmore. We also held an outdoor evening fiesta with street dancing under the Douglas Entrance arch to benefit the Biltmore restoration effort.
Our next renovation project was at Vizcaya. Both rooms in the Casino on the Mound were beautifully restored with Villagers again doing physical work where possible and supplying funds for the technical work, materials and furnishings. We also had the bathroom below the Casino repaired and refurbished.

In February of 1972, The Villagers held a unique fund-raising party called “Kinshasha” with Neiman Marcus and the Crandon Park Zoo in the courtyard of Vizcaya. Animals from the zoo, dancing and champagne enhanced this red carpet fashion show, and it enabled us to contribute $500 to the Zoological Society for the new zoo.

In the summer of 1973, under the direction of the Florida Division of Archaeology, History and Records Management, a survey of historic and architecturally interesting sites in Dade County was begun. The Villagers contributed $1,000 toward underwriting this survey plus volunteer hours. This survey became a continuing project. Also in 1973, realizing the need to increase interest in preservation and restoration in Dade County, we also voted to help form a new group, Dade Heritage Trust.

In the fall of 1973, a book tracing the Miami lifestyle through its homes, from the pioneer to the contemporary, became our major project. Over $23,000 and hundreds of hours went into publishing Outstanding Homes of Miami, which went on sale in December, 1975. A wine tasting and fashion show with the Italian Trade Commission was held on the Mound at Vizcaya to help defray publication expenses. In January of 1976, an elegant publication party was held in a pre-1920’s Brickell Avenue mansion that was featured in the book.

As a Bicentennial project in 1976, The Villagers inaugurated free walking tours in Coconut Grove. The tours were so popular they were continued as a community service. The Villagers also helped with the Fairchild Ramble, participated in the Harvest Festival and exhibited at the Dade Heritage Trust Antique Show. During 1976, we provided house tours by bus, with lecturers on local history, for several convention groups. New members modeled for a fashion show coffee in October at Hammock House, a contemporary Florida “natural” style home. We also sponsored a train tour to Savannah for The Villagers and the general public to visit historic homes and sites.

Beginning in January 1977, The Villagers presented “The History of South Florida,” a series of three free seminars by Samuel Boldrick, Arva Parks and Dr. Thelma Peters. In February, we began bus tours of historic Coconut Grove and Coral Gables for the public and convention groups. We also donated money to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to help renovate the Casa Loma building at the Biltmore for their new home. In April, we journeyed to Palm Beach by chartered bus to enjoy a day of touring the Henry Flagler Museum, sightseeing and shopping. National Preservation Week in May was celebrated by sponsoring an old-fashioned ice cream social at the Coconut Grove Schoolhouse on the Plymouth Church grounds. A fashion show coffee was again held with new members as models. This was in November of 1977 at Indian Spring, the beautiful home of Dr. Walter Garst.

The next preservation project was Anderson’s Corner, the oldest existing store building in Dade County. After helping to fight possible demolition, we did intensive research and filed documentation in Tallahassee, which resulted in Anderson’s Corner being listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Villagers were recognized for their work during a dedication ceremony in December of 1977. When the City of Coral Gables took over the Merrick home, renaming it Coral Gables House, The Villagers participated in the renovation and restoration effort. We assumed responsibility for the porch areas, donating $1,000 and spending additional sums for refinishing and upholstering wicker furniture.

Another restoration project was the center courtyard of El Jardin, a bay-front mansion in Coconut Grove, which is now Carrollton School. In order to restore the patio to its 1918 beauty, we found an artisan to make matching tiles and replace broken ones. The area was cleaned, re-tiled and brightened with new planting.

On March 11, 1978, The Villagers sponsored “Pioneer Day” to commemorate the 105th birthday of Coconut Grove with crafts, exhibits, old-fashioned games and costumes. That night we held a Bahaman style Conch Dinner. With variations, Pioneer Day was repeated in 1979 and 1980.

Our “Colouring Book” was published in 1978. It featured twelve excellent line drawings of historic Dade County sites dating from 1846. The sketches have also been used for Villager note cards, wrapping paper and illustrations for our cookbook and yearbooks.

When the Alamo, the original Miami City Hospital building, was in danger of being razed, a group of hospital personnel and preservationists began a “Save the Alamo” campaign. The Villagers made a $500 donation. Sufficient funds were raised and the Alamo was moved to a new site in December of 1978. The Villagers were asked to research and file documentation for placing the Alamo on the National Register of Historic Places. In April 1980, we donated an additional $2,000 toward the Alamo restoration expenses.

Due to growing Villager expertise in research and documentation of historic buildings, other groups have asked for help on their properties. Among these are the Audubon Society for the Thomas home on Sunset Drive, which is now the Audubon House, and the Sylva Martin Community Center in South Miami.

In 1978, with the help of prominent preservation architect Hershal Shepard, we evaluated the Bulmer Apartments. Restoration in this instance was found to be unfeasible. However, we removed usable hardware for future restoration projects and we obtained warehouse space for the storage of building materials, books and records. Another documentation project was the 1897-99 Flagler Workers House, later known as the Butler Building. In 1980, the house was moved to Fort Dallas Park on the north side of the Miami River.

In 1979, we sponsored a tour of the King Tut exhibit in New York. The Villagers also continued support of Vizcaya by helping to build a “Hammock Walk” from the villa. Some members cleared underbrush. A check for $500 was presented to the director for botanical labels and additional clearing. The Judith Seymour Memorial Scholarship Fund was established, and the first scholarship went to a Florida International University student.

In April of 1981, we had a two-day major fundraiser called “Oh! Henry.” This comedy production was about Miami’s past and present. The Villagers were able to donate an additional $5,500 to the Alamo Restoration Fund, making a total of $8,000.

Our hands-on project for 1981-82 was the restoration of the Old Larkin Schoolhouse on the grounds of Sunset Elementary School. In October, we held a luncheon–fashion show to benefit the Villager scholarship fund. In February1982, we hosted a Tea Dance at the Biltmore Hotel. From the proceeds of this and other Villager fundraisers, The Villagers donated $25,000 to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for restoration of the fountain area at the entrance to the museum. On May 22, many dignitaries, including the Mayor of Coral Gables, attended the dedication of the completed fountain area.

The 1982-83 year for The Villagers began significantly with the adoption of our new logo, which incorporated the seashell design used in the past. We printed note cards depicting many of our previous restoration projects. Our fall fundraiser was a house and garden tour followed by a luncheon at the Biltmore. We decorated a Christmas tree at Vizcaya and sponsored a seminar on the process for placing an historic site on the National Register. The spring fundraiser was a Monte Carlo evening at the Victor Hotel in Miami Beach’s Art Deco District. We made a commitment to raise funds to restore the Old Coconut Grove Schoolhouse.

Our major project for 1983-84 was raising funds toward the purchase and preservation of the Tennessee Williams home in Key West. We hosted a theater party for “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” at the Players State Theater in Coconut Grove. A secondary project was the donation of two dockside flagpoles for Vizcaya. In April, we voted to change the Judith Seymour Memorial Scholarship from a year’s tuition at Florida International University to three scholarships of $500 each for students at Florida International University, the University of Miami and the University of Florida.

During 1984-85, our fashion show luncheon netted $1,500 for our scholarships. One hundred dollars was donated to the fund to fight for the Barnacle Extension. Two hundred dollars was donated to Dade Heritage Trust to assist in the reconstruction of the Brown House. Our spring fund-raiser was our first Historic Hunt and Car Rally with a barbecue afterward at Tropical Park.

In 1985-86, The Villagers decided to publish a cookbook to commemorate our 20th anniversary. It included introductions written by prominent early Miamians, members’ recipes that were thoroughly tested, sidebars of old Miami photos and interesting bits of history. To underwrite the project, we gave a house tour in Coral Gables and a theater party in Coconut Grove. Our second Historic Hunt ended at Carrollton School and benefited our scholarship fund. An educational suitcase exhibit for use by fourth grade students was created this year. We toured Calle Ocho in Little Havana. We donated $100 each to The Barnacle, Carrollton School and the Metropolitan Museum.

The 1986-87 20th Anniversary year was full and varied. Painting the wrought iron at the Venetian Pool in Coral Gables was our hands-on preservation project. A June fundraiser, “Food as Art,” was presented by Burdines and featured the state governor’s former chef. The fall House Tour of the French Village in Coral Gables was a great success. A rummage and bake sale contributed to the cookbook fund. A special historic tour and luncheon for the Key Biscayne Women’s Club added to our coffers. A February House Tour in The Moorings funded our scholarships. The Third Historic Hunt ended with a delicious supper at the Charles Deering Estate. Funds raised from the Hunt were held in trust until the County could complete restoration plans. We contributed $100 to The Barnacle and $100 to the Metropolitan Museum, in addition to having the Museum’s fountain cleaned.

In the 1987-88 year, the October House Tour was very successful. Our cookbook, “Biscayne Bights and Breezes,” was formally introduced to Miami on November 7th at the Biscayne Bay Yacht Club, which was celebrating its centennial year. Both the party and the book received rave reviews. In January, the members held “The Challenge,” dividing into three teams to sell cookbooks. Countless hours and true dedication were devoted to the sales and distribution of the cookbook. Our fourth annual Historic Hunt once again crisscrossed Miami from downtown to the Charles Deering Estate, where we dined on our trademark gourmet cuisine. We donated $660 to the account for the restoration of the Deering Estate and $100 to The Barnacle. We continued to offer three scholarships and renamed the scholarship given to a University of Florida student in honor of Dorinda Wenck.

In 1988-89, the House Tour was held just before Christmas and was the most successful to date. It featured homes in the South Miami area. A generous monetary donation and 45 books of green stamps were presented as a birthday gift to The Barnacle. The Villagers also joined The Barnacle Society and earmarked additional funds for the restoration of the wicker furniture, oriental rugs and pictures. At the Society’s request, The Villagers helped decorate The Barnacle for the Christmas season, and we still continue this tradition. We were presented with a plaque at the Commodore’s Birthday Party for our numerous contributions. Due to the closing of the Metropolitan Museum, The Villagers chose different historic sites and points of interest for general meetings. We made a monetary donation to the Coral Gables Women's Club for the restoration of its historic property. The Historic Hunt again ended at the Charles Deering Estate with a luau theme, and a silent auction was added. Our scholarships were increased from $500 to $1,500 for each university.

The 1989-90 year was kicked off by a fashion show at Burdines hosted by renowned interior designer, Mario Buatta. We created display boards and a brochure to tell The Villagers’ story to the public at the numerous events in which we participate. Members made the first Villager quilt for a House Tour raffle. It had a border of waves and palm trees for a Florida feel. A record number of guests attended our Holiday House Tour in Coconut Grove’s historic Entrada area, founded by Hugh Matheson. The Historic Hunt had a safari theme and again was held in the gracious setting of the Charles Deering Estate. Donations were given for the restoration of classical statues at the Gusman Center for the Arts, for the painting of the Barnacle and to the Deering Foundation.

1990-91 saw an increased membership. The second Villager quilt was made to commemorate our help in the restoration of the Coconut Grove Schoolhouse. It was very popular and raised $1,400. The House Tour, which featured homes near Vizcaya, was larger than ever and funded our scholarships. Our scholarship to the University of Miami was renamed in honor of Nancy Chambers Pierce. The Historic Hunt had a shipwreck theme and ended at the Charles Deering Estate. We donated money to repair the roof of the Coconut Grove Schoolhouse.

1991-92 marked our 25th anniversary, and we celebrated with a lovely catered dinner at the Coconut Grove home of one of our founding members. Past presidents were all invited as special guests. Our blue and white “Ocean Waves” quilt raised $1,200. The Holiday House Tour featured two homes in Cocoplum and two homes and a sculpture garden in Gables Estates. A Garden Tour in the spring was a new event, which generated additional funds. The location of the Historic Hunt was the Douglas Entrance, site of our first project 25 years ago. Paella on the Plaza was the theme. Our project this year was to begin the restoration of Dr. Elinor Galt Simmons’ limestone barn and Dr. David Fairchild’s attached study. $30,000 was donated to The Kampong of the National Tropical Botanical Garden for adaptive reuse of these structures.

Our 1992-93 year was unlike any in our history. Hurricane Andrew hit with a vengeance, affecting all our members. In true Villager spirit, we rallied to present a spectacular candlelight tour of historic homes and sites in Coconut Grove for the National Trust for Historic Preservation during their national conference in Miami on October 7th. The Barnacle Society and Plymouth Congregational Church were each presented with $1,000 from the proceeds of our candlelight tour. Our quilt, “Biscayne Bay,” raised $1,300. We made a smaller version of the quilt, which we donated to Preservation Action for their annual auction.

Historic homes on North and South Greenway Drive in Coral Gables were included on our Holiday House Tour this year. Outstanding attendance along with increased boutique sales raised funds for our scholarships. Our second Garden Tour was a blooming success in every way. The Historic Hunt and Hoe Down was held at the Douglas Entrance and featured a square dance. We donated $5,850 for the restoration of a Denman Fink marinescape painting and a new faux coral rock frame. The painting hangs in Coral Gables City Hall. The Villagers received the 1993 Historic Preservation Organization Award from the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation.

1993-94 was a year of new ideas. We sold quilt raffle tickets at The Harvest Festival, The Villager House Tour and at the Fairchild Ramble. We took on a project at the Fairchild Tropical Gardens. The Fairchild Tropical Museum was established with a $3,000 matching gift from The Villagers. The museum, located in the former caretaker’s cottage, supports historical education, including Dr. Fairchild’s life and time, plant explorations, etc.

Our highly successful Holiday House Tour included a home in Journeys End and four homes in Snapper Creek. For the first time we added a craft boutique. We did much the same with the Garden Tour by having an orchid boutique, unique crafts pertaining to the garden as well as adding our own chutney, jams and herb vinegars. Our exceptional publicity helped double our profits from the previous year. Channel 17-WLRN produced a documentary on the Garden Tour and our work on Dr. Fairchild’s study at The Kampong. Our Historic Hunt was a Blue Moon Fiesta held at the Key Biscayne Club under a nearly full moon.

We reached new heights in profits on our fund-raisers in 1994-95. Our red and white “Flagler’s Railroad” quilt earned $1,800. The Holiday House Tour, the largest ever with over 1,000 tickets sold, featured six homes in The Moorings. Profits exceeded $14,000. We also realized $4,000 from our Garden Tour in the spring. Handmade items are important to us for social as well as financial value and, this year, yielded more than $3,000. Our famous Christmas angel has become a popular tradition. Held at the First Presbyterian Church, the Historic Hunt earned over $9,000. The hunt, dinner, dancing and the largest silent auction to date ensured its success.

Four scholarships were awarded this year. We gave $2,500 to the Coconut Grove Schoolhouse at Plymouth Congregational Church for property repairs and landscaping. Special events for members included trips to Whitehall, the Flagler Museum in Palm Beach, the Ft. Lauderdale Christmas Boat Parade, and a lecture at the Biltmore and Charleston, S.C.

1995-96 saw The Villager name spread far and wide. We stepped outside our normal venues for a fabulous Holiday House Tour on Miami Beach, with bus transportation and lunch provided. We netted nearly $11,000. Villager booths at the Harvest Festival and the Key Biscayne Art Festival were wonderful outlets to sell our wares and spread the word about historic preservation. Our “El Jardins Jewels” quilt, angel ornament, chutney, homemade breads, The Villager cookbook and our new lighthouse notecards made over $6,000 at these and other events. Our Garden Tour, with its expanded boutique, was delightful. The Historic Hunt, featuring a Centennial theme, was a wonderful romp around town ending at the Port of Miami’s Terminal 10 for dinner, dancing and a silent auction. The event raised $9,400.

Our most ambitious project to date was the restoration of the Lighthouse Keeper’s Cottage at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Recreation Area. It included installing museum displays in the cottage, turning the detached kitchen into a state of the art theater, devising an archeological dig display in the cistern and providing signage along the Cultural Trail of historic gardens. Our donation of $60,000 qualified under new legislation for the first matching grant from the State of Florida of $40,000. These funds will provide the public a fascinating experience in living history when they visit the Cape Florida lighthouse. This year we also established a fourth $1,500 scholarship, named in memory of Villager Henriette Harris, to benefit a student at the University of Miami. In addition, we restored the displays of historic memorabilia in the old Coconut Grove Schoolhouse at Plymouth Congregational Church. For the first time, we sent two Villagers to the annual convention of the National Trust for Historic Preservation in Fort Worth, Texas.

1996-97 was the 30th anniversary of The Villagers. Our main preservation project was the continuation of work on the Lighthouse Keeper’s Cottage. Many hours of research and planning went into all aspects of the project. A video theater was installed in the kitchen building for viewing historic and educational videos. This has been The Villagers’ largest involvement in a restoration project, totaling $110,000. We obtained a $10,000 grant from the City of Key Biscayne to produce the video “Jewel in its Setting: A Visit in Time on Key Biscayne,” describing the lifestyle of the lightkeeper and his family in the 1800’s on Key Biscayne. It is now shown in the Cookhouse Theater.

The Holiday House Tour, “Island Fantasy,” showcased five waterfront homes on Key Biscayne and netted a profit of $9,285. The Historic Hunt concluded at The Barnacle with dinner and a silent auction, which added $8,043 to our coffers. The Garden Tour was another success and gave us a profit of $2,593 with another $1,009 coming from the boutique and small quilt raffle. We reached our goals this year by selling our cottage notecards for a total of $2,580 and selling $5,260 worth of our cookbook inventory. We voted to give an extra scholarship because we had such qualified applicants.
1997-98 was a preservation year of finishing well and beginning anew. The highlight was the successful completion and rededication of the Cape Florida Lightkeeper’s Cottage, Cookhouse and Cultural Complex after three years of hard work. The Villagers were honored by the State of Florida, Friends of Florida State Parks, Dade Heritage Foundation and Harbour Lights for our superb results in preserving the living history of the early lightkeepers and their families. Not resting on our laurels for a minute, we selected The Housekeepers Club building, which is now home to the Coconut Grove Woman’s Club, for a new preservation project. We pledged $40,000 to help replace the windows so that the building could be air-conditioned. We committed $5,000 towards the restoration of the historic Dade County Courthouse lobby. We also spruced up a past project, Dr. David Fairchild’s study at The Kampong.

Our traditional fundraisers continued to be successful. Our Holiday House Tour was centered around Plymouth Congregational Church, which was celebrating its centennial. The Historic Hunt went back to the site of our first project, the Douglas Entrance, and our Garden Tour featured gardens in Coral Gables. We worked hundreds of volunteer hours at the Lipton Tennis Tournament, bringing in a significant new source of funds.

In June, we held our first ever retreat at the Coral Gables Merrick House, where we reviewed our own heritage and made long range plans for continued effectiveness. We sent our President and Third Vice President to the National Trust Convention in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Our club had an outing to Mt. Dora that was greatly enjoyed by a number of our members.

1998-99 was a busy year. Drawing on ideas from the Merrick House Retreat, The Villagers focused on education, membership and marketing. To learn about preservation in the state, our president attended the Florida Trust meeting in Tampa. To learn about efforts throughout the country, she and another member attended the National Trust meeting in Savannah. To increase public awareness of The Villagers’ mission, the new tag line, dedicated to the restoration and preservation of historic sites, was added under the logo on all printed materials used or distributed by the organization. For the first time, money was allocated for educational grants. The funds are to be used to send government or education officials to seminars or workshops relating to historic preservation. Also, to increase awareness of work done in preservation, we underwrote membership in the National Trust for commissioners and city managers of Miami and Coral Gables. To complete a project from the previous year, bookmarks with a history of the Lighthouse Keeper’s Cottage were printed in English and Spanish for distribution to schoolchildren touring the cottage.

Our fundraisers included the Holiday House Tour, featuring “The Estates of Old Cutler,” and the raffle quilt entitled “Mariner’s Compass.” The Historic Hunt ended with a magical night at the Venetian Pool, including dinner and a silent auction. Once again, members volunteered at the Lipton Tennis Tournament to raise money. The Garden Tour was a two-day affair in The Moorings in Coconut Grove.

We awarded five scholarships this year. A major donation of $25,000 was given for a replica of the marquee of the Seminole Theater in Homestead. We gave $3,405 as a matching grant to air-condition Dr. Fairchild’s study at The Kampong. We gave $2,000 for the donor wall at the Junior League of Miami headquarters, located at the oldest commercial building in Coral Gables. We also made a donation to the Community Foundation in memory of preservationist Mary Ann Ballard, founder of Cauley Square.

For the first time, in 1999-2000, a special new-member restoration project was begun to actively involve new members in learning about preservation. Their project was the restoration of the fountain at the Coral Gables Women’s Club. A fundraising event at the Venetian Pool, “One Woman Show,” featured the artwork of Lynn Fecteau. Her original painting of the fountain at the Women’s Club was auctioned, and she gave the Villagers reproduction rights for notecards and posters. The new members raised $3,000 at this event. In the spring, they helped sponsor an interactive gourmet lunch at the Biltmore with a celebrity chef.

Our extremely successful Holiday House Tour, “Merrick’s Dream,” featured five homes in his various thematic villages in Coral Gables. The Garden Tour was held in Snapper Creek Lakes and the Douglas Road area. We were able to offer tours of the Montgomery Botanical Center, rarely open to the public. It proved to be a big draw and made it one of our largest tours. The Historic Hunt again led us on a merry chase, ending at The Country Club of Coral Gables. Dinner and dancing followed, with a silent and live auction called by celebrity auctioneer Bob Soper of WFOR-TV4. A record $21,199 was raised.

Our president attended the National Trust convention in Washington, D.C. A special outing for members was a trip to the Key West House and Garden Candlelight Tour. Our preservation project was a donation of $25,000 to help restore the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas home in Coconut Grove. We gave $2,000 to the Miami Circle fund. Due to all the work of our new members, we were able to give $20,000 to the Coral Gables Women’s Club for the restoration of their fountain.

We began the 2000-01 year with a new small fundraiser, the Bloomingdales' Shopping Benefit. We received a portion of ticket sales and a percentage of store sales for the day. The Holiday House Tour, “Old Masters,” featured homes designed by some of the early architects of Coral Gables. The boutique was chock-full of gift items, breads, chutneys, Villager angels and a stunning raffle quilt depicting the Everglades. The Historic Hunt was again a successful event ending at The Country Club of Coral Gables. For the first time we held the Garden Tour on a Saturday, which proved to be a hit. “Romance in the Garden” featured romantic venues in the north part of Coral Gables and a former equestrian complex on Red Road.

This year The Villagers produced a video describing our organization and the many projects we completed and funded in the community. It was designed to tell who we are when approaching groups or businesses for funding or grants. Many of our members went on a field trip to the Bonnett House in Fort Lauderdale. Our major preservation project was a donation of $10,000 to the Stan Cooper House for its relocation and the interpretation of one man’s collection of extensive Miami memorabilia. We also donated $10,000 to the Woman’s Club of Coconut Grove, $660 to Merrick House for benches for the garden and $16,000 to Overtown Revitalization.

The 2001-02 year got off with a shop-till-you drop day when we again took part in the Bloomingdales' Shopping Benefit. Our Holiday House Tour, “Stunning Seclusion,” took place in historic Stonegate on Ponce de Leon Road. An early downpour didn’t dampen our attendance or profits. The Garden Tour, “Tropical Retreats,” featured a garden on Old Cutler Road and four in Pinecrest. The Villagers co-sponsored, with the City of Coral Gables and the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation, a “2002 Spring Insider’s Tour or Coral Gables: The City Beautiful,” which was a two-day event.

We continued to work at packing items in the Stan Cooper House in anticipation of the move. In January, a number of members attended The Seminole Theater and City of Homestead Community Redevelopment Agency ribbon-cutting ceremony for the lighting of the marquee on the theater.

We pledged $25,000 to the Miami River Commission’s Greenway Project for approximately 18 historic markers. Designated sites are part of a plan to open up the river for tourism and public green spaces. An important element of the project is the preservation of historic sites and structures and their incorporation into the public greenway. We gave $1,000 to the Black Archives, History and Research Foundation of South Florida for help in printing a brochure describing the area around the Lyric Theater in Overtown. Our club held a meeting there in September. We allocated $3,625 to Dade Heritage Trust for reprinting their fourth graders’ activity book about Dade County History. Also, $2,500 was given to the Coral Gables Library to refurbish Merrick family antique chairs.

We changed our membership categories to include a designation as “Life Member.” To qualify, one must have been in The Villagers for fifteen years and active for ten of those years. Dues are lower for this category.

The 2002-03 year began with another Bloomingdales’ Shopping Benefit, and we got a head start on holiday shopping while adding to our coffers. The Holiday House Tour offered “Entrada Enchantment,” a tour of some beautiful homes in Coconut Grove with spectacular water views. Our “Stiltsville” quilt was perfect for the setting. Our Garden Tour took a different twist this year. It was an all-day Garden Gala at historic Java Head in Coconut Grove, a four-acre estate owned by Dr. Jim and Sallye Jude. Table settings were placed throughout the gardens. We featured chef demonstrations with food tasting, an art show, a vendors’ tent, music, landscape consultants, several lectures and box lunches for sale. It was a resounding success and we received very positive feedback from attendees.
As special events for members, we had a tour of Gusman Hall and took a Great Villagers’ Train Trip, a ride by Tri-Rail to Delray Beach for an historical tour and lunch. We gathered as many past raffle quilts as we could find and had a special display at the Ocean Waves Quilt Show at the Coral Gables Youth Center in the spring.

We hosted an Historic Sites Survey Workshop to train volunteers to conduct neighborhood surveys. Work continued on the Stan Cooper cottage with archiving, packing and storing the contents for the move to Charles Avenue. Eight scholarships were awarded because there were so many exceptional applicants.

In 2003-04, The Villagers were able to make several generous donations to local preservation projects. We were so successful in our fundraising abilities in the past few years, that we were able to help the community in the name of preservation. We donated $15,000 to Coral Gables Congregational Church for the repair and installation of a lightning protection system. We presented a check of $20,000 to The Historic Hampton House Trust at a press conference that attracted extensive media coverage. This money will help to restore and preserve the Hampton House Motel, where Martin Luther King gave his first “I Have A Dream” speech. We gave $4,000 to the Curtiss Mansion in Miami Springs for the restoration of the entrance gates. A donation of $1,000 was given to Coral Way Elementary School to restore a WPA sundial. We allocated $13,000 toward the restoration and move of the “old Miami High” building. We donated $14,800 to air condition the former residence of Robert Montgomery at the Montgomery Botanical Center.

We also increased the amount of our scholarships from $2,000 to $3,000 for five scholarships. An additional $3,000 scholarship was awarded this year in memory of Betty Ciaffone. We helped form the Coalition of Historic Preservation Groups to encourage networking and distribution of information among preservation groups in Dade County. We were honored to receive the Florida Trust for Historic Preservations’ “Outstanding Achievement By A Group, Business, Neighborhood or Other Organization For Their Achievements in Preservation” award.

Our generous donations did not stop us from refilling our coffers. The Bloomingdales' Shopping Benefit brought in $4,333. Our “Winter White House” Holiday House Tour on Key Biscayne was truly special. It featured Richard Nixon’s Winter White House, along with other houses in the compound and good friend Bebe Rebozo’s former home. The Winter White House has since been demolished, as have the houses used by the Secret Service. The “helipad” house has often been seen in movies. Our guests enjoyed scrumptious Villager refreshments along with a panoramic view of Miami across the bay. Our “Patriotic Pride” raffle quilt was perfect in the presidential setting. By the end of the day, we had made $24,600. Our Garden Tour, “A Tapestry of Gardens,” featured tropical retreats in Pinecrest. This year, we again had an art show, lectures, chefs presenting food for tasting, a book signing and landscape designers on site to give talks and to answer questions. With our boutique and ticket sales, we raised $10,000. The Historic Hunt was revived after a two-year hiatus. It was planned for member enjoyment with a member-contributed silent auction. It ended with a dinner under the stars in the private garden of Jim Herrera’s and Rod Hildebrant’s home in Coral Gables. The event netted $5,200 and all attendees were thrilled that the Hunt had been restored.

Our president attended the National Trust Convention in Denver, Colorado. Member special events included a tour of past Villager projects, and in the spring, a group went to Orlando to see the Tiffany Glass Collection at the Morse Museum.

In 2004-05, Villager help was sought for conferences and political causes involving preservation. Of great importance was a General Obligation Bond to appear on the November 2 ballot that would provide funding for a 13-year period for many community needs including preservation. The Villagers attended hearings and provided refreshments for an educational event on the bond issue at Vizcaya. We achieved success with a "yes" vote on Election Day. Next we hosted a World Heritage Conference reception and dinner at Venetian Pool and received effusive thanks and recognition for our contribution.

Fundraising efforts began in earnest in October with the Bloomindales Shopping Benefit where we raised $5,451. On a picture perfect day in December, we held our annual Holiday House Tour, "A Garden City Vision", featuring homes in the area around the newly renovated Coral Gables Country Club. Our signature Christmas angel and jars of chutney were featured items in our boutique which included several other vendors. A record $29,000 was added to our coffers. In the spring, "Tropical Treasures", our garden tour, opened gardens along Old Cutler Road and in Pinecrest. Several gardens had water features. The Villager boutique, an art show, lectures and food tastings all added up to a wonderful experience for attendees and added $16,400. to our treasury. The Historic Hunt and Silent Auction was again held in the spring for member enjoyment. After searching for the clues in Coral Gables and Coconut Grove, the hunters enjoyed dinner under the stars in the private garden of Jim Herrera and Rod Hildebrant in Coral Gables. The event netted $4,000. Former Villager president, Kay Gardner and the Gardner Family Foundation donated $5,000 to the Villagers for restoration and scholarships.

The Villagers donated $7200 to The Barnacle for boathouse restoration, $10,000 to the Florida Trust for its annual conference and $250 for the purchase of a brick to benefit restoration of Virginia Key Beach. We also donated $2,000 to Florida Atlantic University to support scholarships for the African-American Heritage Conference. We awarded our five $3,000 scholarships and added a sixth this year because of so many qualified applicants.

On the education front, we are continuing to provide a suitcase exhibit and workbook to 4th grade students. In addition, this year we agreed to establish a partnership with DASH to facilitate development of a Secondary Heritage Activity Notebook and other ad hoc Villager projects.

Our President and 1st Vice President attended the National Trust Convention in Louisville, Kentucky. All members had a "photo op" at the May meeting where pictures were taken to be added to the yearbook, the better to know each other. Special events included a trip to Mt. Dora with a stay at the historic Lakeside Inn and attending Renninger's Antique Show. In the Spring many members and guests enjoyed the musical "Aida" at Actor's Playhouse, Miracle Theater in Coral Gables.

2005-06 proved to be a year of challenges with direct hits from two hurricanes and a serious threat for a third hurricane. Nevertheless, our members were determined and persevered in fundraising efforts. First, the Bloomingale’s Charitable Event, postponed because of hurricane damage, was rescheduled and ultimately raised $5,825 due to the hard work of our members. Then, the Historic House Tour, “Regal Residences of Coral Gables” went forward with stunning success, earning $22,779 plus another $4,680 in sales and marketing. In spite of hurricane damage, The Villagers were able to present our Beautiful Garden Tour in the Spring, realizing and a total of $17,000 from that event. The Historic Hunt, “Passports to History” was frantic and fun, earning $8,081 which included the auction proceeds.

A donation of $25,000 from the estate of Dottie Zinzow, recently deceased and a life member of our organization, allowed us to establish a $500 scholarship to a DASH student for six years, to fund in perpetuity the Dottie Zinzow Memorial Scholarship (to be awarded to an University of Miami student), and add $1,000 to our renamed Dottie Zinzow Library. This allowed us to increase to six the number of scholarships awarded each year. Four were awarded to UM students, one to an FIU student, one to UF student, and four to DASH students. Thus $20,000 in scholarships was awarded, which included $1,500 from private donations. In recognition of our continued scholarship efforts for University of Miami students, the University gave us an award for outstanding contribution to the University.

The remaining money raised this year was used for donations of $17,765 for the restoration of a house to be used as the office of Save-a-house, $7,200 for repairs on the Boat House at the Barnacle, and $17,000 for various repairs and changes to the Woman’s Club of Coconut Grove to bring it into compliance with building codes for access by the handicapped.

On the national level, Two of our officers attended the National Trust for Historic Preservation in Oregon. In addition, the annual meeting in Coral Gables of the Florida Trust was hosted by The Villagers. Our member activities throughout the year included attending a performance of “Grease” at Actors Playhouse, a trip to Mt. Dora, a visit of the Fairchild Garden Chihuly exhibit, a trip to Savannah, and a cruise up the Miami River, organized by The Miami River Commission in recognition of our sponsorship of five information markers on the banks of the river.

In 2006-2007 The Villagers, Inc., celebrated its 40th anniversary with a variety of field trips in the greater Miami area: “A Magical History” bus tour to take a closer look at many of the places that members’ work helped to restore, narrated by a founding member; a walking tour of the North Coral Gables neighborhood, led by a member; a visit to Miami’s new Performing Arts Center; a Miccosukee Heritage bus tour; and a bus tour of African-American Contributions to Miami’s Heritage. These trips reminded everyone of why Villagers work so hard to maintain South Florida’s rich history. One officer went to Pittsburgh to attend the annual Conference of The National Trust for Historic Preservation.

This year, the Villagers added approximately $48,000 to its available funds for restoration and scholarships: from the annual Holiday House Tour, “Travel Through Time: 1860-2004,” it realized a total income of $25,920.70 (which includes $3,974.50 from the sale of angels, jewelry, breads, and chutney); from the Spring Garden Tour it realized a total of $12,791.40 (which includes $2,438 from the boutique sales and quilt raffle); and from the annual event at Bloomingdale’s, it realized $6,103.75. To better plan how to avoid emergencies that might occur at its sponsored events, the Villagers created a Crisis Management Committee.

The Villagers put its earnings to work by contributing $25,000 for Markers on the Miami River, $25,000 for restoring the lighting in historic Courtroom 6-1 of the Dade County Courthouse, $25,000 for restoration of the entrance to the former Parrot Jungle, $8,000 for three obelisks for a historic South Miami Neighborhood, and $250 for the Vizcaya defense fund to keep a high-rise from looming over the historic gardens. Also, it awarded $3,000 scholarships to each of six university students, and awarded three DASH scholarships of $1,000 each, and three $500 scholarships, all donated by Villagers and friends, for a total of $22,500 awarded in scholarships to promote historic preservation.

Dade Heritage Trust recognized The Villagers, Inc., with an award for Outstanding Preservation Organization.

In September 2007 at our first meeting, the Villagers held our first “Committee Fair”, for members to sign up for the committee they chose to work on for that year. This proved to be quite successful for educating members as to the work of each committee. And then we were off and running with our various fund-raising projects, which began with the Bloomingdale’s Shopping Event in October. We received a portion of ticket sales and a percentage of store sales for that day. We raised $7,136.02 at this event. In
December, a group of Villagers met and decorated the Christmas tree at The Barnacle.
Next was our Annual House Tour which featured six outstanding homes and the famous Villagers Boutique where we sold homemade breads and the famous Villagers chutney, our Villagers Angels and a quilt made by a group of members. Our profit for this activity was $30,088.32. Our Garden Tour in the Spring featured five outstandingly beautiful gardens. Our profit for the Garden Tour was $14,240.55.

As a result of our fund-raising, we were able to present grants to the following: Old Miami High; Virginia Key for doors to the storage area for the train; Ye Little Wood for research on the area; Montgomery Gardens for partial restoration of the guest house where visiting scientists say; University of Miami School of Architecture for images on the monograph for Marilyn Manley, and Actors Playhouse for a display case. Five scholarships in the amount of $3,000.00 were awarded to students studying architecture concentrating on Historic Preservation as follows: 4 to students at the University of Miami, 1 to a student at FIU, and 1 to a student at University of Florida.
Five additional scholarships in the amount of $1,000.00 were awarded to students at Dash.

In addition to the above grants, we were honored for contributing $25,000.00 for lighting replication for the restoration of Courtroom 6-1 at the Dade County Courthouse.
But we are not all work and no play. We had several wonderful Member Activities during the year. Some of these were: our annual Holiday party, a golf clinic, the Redland Riot Bus Tour, “Footloose” at the Actors Playhouse, and a tour of the Wynwood Art District followed by lunch in a restaurant in the Design District.

2008 started with recognition from many sources thanking us for the contributions and services we have given to the community. There was a dedication of Courtroom 6-1 where Villagers were presented with an historical courtroom picture for our archives. Our name is on a bronze plaque listing us as one of the three top donors. Our donations paid for all the lights and lamps which were duplicated from pictures of the originals that have been lost. Scholarships were presented to students from the UM school of Architecture and other comparable schools at University of Florida and Florida International University. We received a water color picture of the Douglas entrance with an attached plaque from an organization in Tallahassee called Friends of Florida. Our first member activity of the year was A Magical Bus ride to view many places we have helped restore over the years.

Bloomingdales Charity Event was our next event. With the hard work of our members, we received $6200.00. The cookbook arrived in December just in time for the House Tour. 1200 were sold during the year at a profit of $47,000.00. The cookbook was developed by Villager members who worked to have the cost of the cookbook completely underwritten by donors in the community. A special cookbook event was held at the George Merrick house. Recipes was prepared and given to the people at the event.

Once again the tree at the Barnacle was decorated by our members. Our house tour was held in Coral Gables with houses showing a variety of architectural styles. It was very successful and we cleared $33,119.45. Our quilt was named Flor Da Lilly and brought in raffle proceeds along with sales of our angel Christmas decorations and chutney and other tasty treats. We celebrated our success at a delightful Holiday party. Our members worked and supported the Green Festival in Coral Gables in January. Another member activity took us to the Bonnet House, a wonderful historic site in Ft. Lauderdale. The Policies and Procedures Committee finalized a list of good practices and methods we have perfected over the years to do business. Copies were sent via email to the membership.

Our next member activity was The Redland Riot Tour. The Garden Tour was fantastic. After expenses we cleared $22,823.47. The Hunt was by all accounts a winner. It was well attended for a good profit and Silent Auction has made over $6,000 with additional item to be sold at a later date. At our meeting this year, we were grateful for fantastic speakers who educated and entertained our members.

2009 began with a trip to Palm Beach for the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation. Ten Villagers attended the conference. We presented a check for $5000 to the Trust to help reduce the mortgage on the Trust’s headquarters.
We were presented a Medallion from the University of Miami which recognized the Villagers for over $50,000 scholarships donations over the years. This year we again presented five $3,000 scholarships to Florida Colleges and also to four Senior High students. A documentary that we helped fund showcasing Viscaya was premiered on PBS. We helped underwrite Coral Gables: Building a Dream, a book created by the Shenandoah Middle School Museum magnet students.

A donation of $7000 was contributed the friends and relatives of Eileen Hoffman to the Light keepers cottage on Key Biscayne to install a back gate and add foliage to the area. At present they are still looking for dingy to place outside the cottage. We are all in the new century and now newsletters are sent to our members by email to keep us informed of all activities. Our partnership with Bloomindales was a success this year earning us $7,450 ($1,000 more than last year). Our President and Vice President spent a very informative session at the National Trust, which took place in Nashville, Tennessee.

The tree was decorated for Christmas at the Barnacle, a yearly tradition. This year’s House Tour showcased Pinecrest and Gables. We grossed over $40,000. After expenses we cleared over $35,000. A very successful House tour, where our annual quilt Bacardi Mixer was raffled and we sold our 2009 angel Christmas ornaments. Our members worked at the Green Festival in Coral Gables in January and in February we received a plaque from the Plymouth Congregational Church recognizing our donations to the 1887 school house. The plaque will hang in the schoolhouse. Our Garden Tour had fabulous gardens and a wonderful tour and earned us $21,842.69. At Pinewood Days the Villagers were presented with a bench to be placed in the Pinewood Cemetery in honor of our help. Three thousand cookbooks that were developed by our hardworking chairmen arrived at last year’s house tour. 16 months later they were sold out. We had fantastic speakers and venues this year and were able to print another Member’s Business Directory. The Hunt and auction was a great success and lots of fun with the silent auction clearing $7,551.