1674-21 John Collinsl/e'x -itlrlaril' Area's Grorrfh.. Since 1913
sni
•
Veteran Architect Frowns on Conservatism
FEB 2 7 1966
"Time doesn't stand still: why should an architect?"
Russell T. Pancoast, senior member of the firm of Pan-
coast, Ferendino, Grafton & Skeels, doesn't hold with
conservatism.
"A Int of people. as they get older," he philoso-
phized, "back up and Ret more conservative. 1 can't see
any excuse for that.'
Quality Is real progress for 'this specialist whose
firm has grown steadily with 40 yearn of South Florida
progress. The tall, wiry New Jersey -bons architect Is not
bashful In his opinions.
wrapped up In commercial development If the emphasis
is put on quality of development, real program will be
the result." he added. "And that's the sort of progress
that will bring people here and keep them here."
In Miami since 1013, the 67 -year-old Pancoast has
seen both kinds of "progress." '.Ari often we hulld our
cities without regard to surroundings," he said. "Then
people move out to the suburbs to escape what they've
created."
"It's a struggle to preserve the very things that
brought people here In the first place — the clear water,
clean air, the flourishing trees and plant life."
* * *
THE STORY OF Miami Beach progress virtually
started in a coconut shell, split open only through the pi.
°nearing in molt of Russell's grandfather, horticul-
-eturis n . of ins, a was an investor- a firm that
* * *
Russell. T. t'sncnast, who has been practicing
architecture In Snn!h Florida for 10 years, now lives
In an award.wlmddg home In 'Miami. But life wasn't
ahcAss s that comfortable (or the veteran architect.
N -hen he came to Miami Reach In 1913 his first home
was a tent. Sines, that time he's watched the area
grow from a small town to a metropolitan community.
bought long stretches of Florida east coast oceanfront to
raise coconuts.
This oceanfront land ran from 25 cents to $1.25 an
sere. Bringing in cargoes of coconuts from Trinidad and
Cuba by sailboat, they floated the coconuts to shore.
They brought down crews of New Jersey lifeguards to
plant the coconuts 10 the sand.
•
Rut before harvest -time could even roll around. the
raccoons, rats and landerahs had gotten there ahead of
thne. The company went broke shortly thereafter.
But Collins already had his eye on the black soil
west of Indian Creek as just the thing for avocados. So
he bought 1,600 acres from the organizer of the original
coconut -planting company, dug a canal from Biscayne
Bay to the southern tip of Indian Creek, and planted pine
trees all alongside — site of today's Pinetree Drive and
Collins Canal.
When Collins ran out of cash In 1910, he approached
his three sons and -a son -In-law, whom he had set up In
businesses earlier in New Jersey. They listened to their
74 -year-old father's enthusiasm.
Cautiously, they wanted to see before investing. Tak-
ing a boat southward. the brothers explored the "or-
chard." agreed it was good but would be even greater as
a real estate development, and formed a development
company called the Miami Brach improvement Co.
* Be:
BUT THE ONLY one to brave living in the Miami
Beach jungle was Russell's father, Thomas J. Pancoast.
He brought bis wife and three sons to Florida to take
cover the company's management. In fact, he managed all
the Collins -Pancoast interests until his death In 1941.
First order of business was to build a wooden bridge
across Biscayne Bay to get to their land. selling some of
A to another pioneer. Carl Fischer, in order to raise mon-
ey needed to fill in the Pancoast property.
While the elder Pancoast was building a family home
na lake Pnnrnast, he lived with his wife In the flat -com-
pleted garage. Russell and hi.s brothers, Norman and Ar-
thur, camped out In tents.
"Many's the.limr we woke up to find alligators sun-
ning themselves beside us," Russell Pancoast remem-
bered.
Arthur, who erected the famous Pancoast Hotel, now
lives in North Miami Beach. Norman, who was active in
hotel management, Is now retired and lives in Fort Lau-
derdale.
"Even then, we were trying to conquer nature," Rus -
Tinge 5
1
{ussell T. Pancoast
... 'progress drains per!e'
•
o m nc pnv'
.i i m'cc y9 �.� ':
o
> 3 2 4 m
• -":31i.;.4! o.
yg. Corse watism
c
< K q OC .619-
,
•a !t1
T- �S.- S 7u,
* 9 c m o w
m;n
.a �, -
*F.4' ^ .. 7 2-., ET:
a
V 7 < C �h
72. O"" * 651 C j S
!Rh 11;
4;m A>o.'.2I
• —' s
o mu S a
."coo- 1S ''•c"
s
�m s'' ^w'c-� n R F
43P'mnO?5'n$
ct)momt!-ta =-c
n? 133g2� �a i
e o .Ev v -
,7-2.„11-,:.; J -
a o 5:1„,... e ^
e kT'
FOti
ii
mEmAa a
. N- V �`'< vA i •
Bt.; .0xlime
„- i
mac
X� i:g. • g
'f. 0 d 1 tC TRs ' ¢
t ��
;g � M j
5.'V S EIVO. a c. = �' ' 2. e
An Architect
Rules Out
/Continued from Page 1
sell said. admitting to doing the very thing on which he
is taking firm opposition now. eln destroying the man-
grove forests and pumping in land from the bay bottom,
we ruined the ecology of that area. Now that people have
occupied so much of the land, It becomes imperative that
we take another look at the process in order to preserve
at least some of the natural assets that remain."
* * *
RUSSELL EARNED his degree In architecture from
Cornell at age 23, going into partnership first, then set-
ting up his own firm in 1926 now located In. -Coconut
Grove.
With a real sense of responsibility toward civic devel-
opment, Russell Pancoast has served on the Miami Hous -
Ing Board of Appeals; Citizens' Planning Committee of
Miami Beach; Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce board
of governors; South Florida Building Code committee;
and has put in a decade as planner for the City of Planta-
tion.
Pointing to more recent remedial measures In water
conservation, sewage, nature preservation at John Pen-
nekamp Coral Reef Park and the Everglades National
Park, he said, "It is encouraging that we are facing these
problems and making some progress,"
"We should appreciate our natural assets," he em.
phasized. "Quality is real progress — not quantity." He
illustrated this point with the example of a myriad acres
filled with one-story houses ... "the very thought of it
makes my blood run cold."
All over the country, we've reached a fork now, Pan-
coast said. Take Coconut Grove. for example. We must I
kill all the land in the Grove — or taller high -rives with
either have lower buildings all spread out — and this will
land all around. We must use these methods of high-den-
alty housing in order to house our growing population.
"Even in the suburbs," he said.
find the developments more excitingwe would probably
apartments and town houses were Introduced high-rise
ogbreak
the monotony-."
Conquering our communities' ugliness is "just a mat-
ter of education and time," he commented.
* * *
PANCOAST WAS one of the first architects to veer
from the Spanish influence, working along lines that are
a distinctive South Florida style. "People.come here for
natural assets, so they should design to take advantage
of what they find here," he ------
•
Living and building for the area In which he resides.
Pancoast started 10 years ago to think about the home
he wanted for himself. Eight years ago he started to
build it. The result took 11.. years to complete and today
It stands as a tribute to Florida's natural beauty. The
tremendous roof-overharg creates a huge, natural umbrel-
la which keeps the sun and rain off the main "core" of
the long house.
Featured in three different Issues of a national home
magazine, the Pancoast residence won national design
awards. As a final tribute, 1n 1965, It was named one of
the ten best homes bulit in the United Stales In the past
10 years. Paneoast'a pleasure was in knowing that the
judges recognized his motives . "It was Ideally built
for its site and climate," they declared.
Other styles are pleasant in their own surroundings
and their own traditions, Pancoast believes — but not in
Florida. "Florida has no traditional mason for cleaving
to Colonial. Spanish or other European styles," he says
Irrmly. "And for another reason," he adds.
We must build to our present time and climate, he
believes.
As other people did in the past when they created
great architecture, they fit it to the conditions of the :
time. "I have great respect for such things," he said,
"but that is no reason to copy them now and here — I'
then they just become misfit imitations,"
Russell Pancoast is author of "A Guide to the Archi- •
tecture o1 Miami," published in 1963. Married to noted
ceramist, Katherine Pancoast, he has a daughter, Mrs,
Edward G. Grafton, and a •m, Lester G. Pancoast. also
In the architectural firm oe<ranroast Ferendino, Grafton
& Skeels.
T.�
Mai
Zat
anit