1674-3 Pancoast Family 0 1 R. T. Pancoast,
EarlyArchitect
Of Miami, Dies
The dean of Miami's architects, ussell Thorn Pancoast, hu
tarl
who came to the area in 1913 as a schoolboy to join hi§ .hen
pioneer resident family when Miami was "still the primitive rs i
place of birds, fish and crocodiles,"died at his home Wednes- ar
day after a three-month illness. ` do
legs
Pancoast was 73. !ii0V 3 0 1972 'Ines
e
He had suffered a heart attack a year ago and recentl3 Ida
had lung complications, his �.;: [is r
family said. Death came at ."e4.3-;-.:`:•'' ver
the unusual home — one of lar
the most open and Florida- hit.'
like of its kind in the area, an te.
architect said — which he ; . ." '; ,n
had designed and built in ` •nbc
1961. It is at 10601 Snapper " 't
Creek Rd. rich
Pancoast was born in `` ami
1899 in Merchantville, N. J., Mset
to a Quaker family whose e r`
roots became planted in the aun
kes
early days of Miami Beach . cen
and Miami. He had been left *. cen
in school in New Jersey when :act
his parents, Thomas J. and Russell Pancoast
�
'
Katharine Collins Pancoast, • • pioneer q s
came to Florida with Mrs. shi
Pancoast's brothers to consider working on a development—
lo,
avocado and mango groves — their father, Beach pioneer
John S. Collins,was involved in in 1911, 9°
bl(
It was the year they decided to build the first bridge to
across Biscayne Bay to develop the Collins land into a real es-
tate venture, a project to which Carl Fisher later contributed Ti
financial backing in admiration of the elderly, "plucky" Col- si
lins. 0
fi
Russell Pancoast arrived the year the bridge was
completed where the Venetian Causeway is now. His son
Lester recalled that his father had been "enthralled" by the
primitive place. ,
"He rode his bicycle across the Collins Bridge to attend
school (eighth grade then) in downtown Miami and managed
Miami Beach's first paper route by taking a ferry to South
Beach, delivering to all the early residents there, before
reaching his own home at night."
Home, at that time, was about 19th Street "where Pan-
coast Lake is now. That was the northern section of the
Beach at that time," Lester Pancoast said.
Turn to Page 3B Col.
1
,t , v V ♦-r ,
Miami's DeanArchitects,of
Russ ' 1 Pancoast, Dies7� •
...,
at
and Kiehnel before opening HIS STYLE of design was He was a director of that
From rioge,1B his own office in 1926. He one which had evolved from bank; of the United National
had always considered his the early Miami days when Bank; of Fairchild Tropical
In the early days when the first "big job" the Surf Club his then-employer, like most Garden, and the South Flori- '
in 1929. But the crash and others here, had him follow da Historical Association, and
Pancoast home was just depression years followed the arched-stucco Mediterra- was a former director of the
being built, the parents lived c 1 o s e on its heels and nean designs, to the "natur- Miami Beach Chamber of
over the garage, which was construction lagged here. Ex- al elegance" and "clean line Commerce.mi Beach Chamber of
built first, and their three cept for a mid-thirties spurt, openness" local architects g
sons, including the young design out of his small office came to refer to as "a his During his active days id
n, he had
R
s s e 1 I s with
his never slowed until about 1940. Florida regionalism." conducted ehiisobusiness from
primitive area, occupied Pancoast had served in the His own firm grew over three different locations, and
two tents below. Navy in World War I and the years to become one of his firm had had a number of
w h e n its successor came the largest design oriented changes of name, always
PANCOAST attended Cor- along, due to his love of architectural firms in the with "Pancoast" among
nell University in 1912 to boats and knowledge of local state. Although the firm has them.
study architecture. Although waters he became heavily in- been responsible for a great Pancoast is survived by his
there was no family preced- volved in the Coast Guard number of projects, those in wife Katherine; a daughter,
ent for that field of study, he Auxiliary.He was discharged which Pancoast himself was Mrs. Edward G. Grafton; a
later said that he felt this after the war as a lieutenant closely involved were the son Lester C., and four
profession would be ha- commander in the reserves. Miami Beach Auditorium, the grandchildren, all of Miami.
Museum of Science, across Services will be private, and
ble to the emergence of In post war years, he became
Miami as a large city. involved in planning as ex- the road from Vizcaya; the the family requests that, in
In his architecture class at tensions of his architectural Planning of Snapper Creek lieu of flowers, donations be
Cornell, he met Katherine practice, serving for 20 years Lakes subdivision, and the made to Fairchild Tropical
French, whom he later remet as designer and town plan- recently constructed Miami Garden or the South Florida
and married after they had ning consultant to the city of Beach First National Bank. Historical Association.
bothfinished school and ob- Plantation.
tamed jobs as draftsmen in Longactive in architectur •
-
Philadelphia. Their design A shipment of genuine handwoven Oriental rugs has been
al professional organizations, shipped for the US market through bonded warehouse in
interests lapped over to their he was a Fellow of the Amer-
honeymoon, too, for their London. As a result of the recent dock strike in London,the
ican Institute of Architects,
six-month honeymoon in 1923 past secretary and past presi- blgoods did not arrive ipotime,ande instructedru theirfinanhly US agents n is
had an itinerary of"architec- dent of the Florida South to for the unpaid shipment at ation. agents
tural interests" in Southern Chapter: a member of the to dispose of entire shipment at auction.
Europe and North Africa. Florida Association of the
AIA and was a past president This shipment,in our opinion,is the finest collection in de-
IN MIAMI, the young of the Florida State Board of sign,craftsmanship,and color of handmade carpets,rugs,
4
and runners we have ever seen in all our years of selling the
Pancoast worked for estab- Architecture, on which he
lished Miami architect Rich- served a total of 13 years. finest quality Oriental rugs and carpets.
. Dock Strike