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A recent portrait by
£ .
, Y ls'....,,/ / ' •- : 1 ,� ,, , ;; ; Rollin Bogaev, which
Alfred Barton loves and
T - r 4 �
a . 4` '• �� • tai i Q , his friends loathe, is in
L� �s A his Grove home.
' Something about the
open shirt collar, the
'.. , [....,,,,,... `x o° hint of mischief in the
' round blue eyes and
\ z
�f
-.. b '£ quirky mouth, suggests a
Y 9 Y
;‘:.;;;I:
„,. y bratty kid instead of the
x 0.e. ,.,�� . €a .. 4 ;„f .�kt3 princely IIllfage he has
always projected. Barton
9.' says that's why lie likes
3' . if ''.,
it.
—JOE ELBERT/Miami Herald Staff
Barton: Arthur
Alfred
.0
Nov 13 1978
O
it ach
Society s
Camelot Era
dr „pit, ,
By GRACE WING IIOl1NE Alfred has known since Clemmer was a small
' „ = Haraid>i.ti Writer boy.
R �� Looking out the window of his St. l rancis Alfred's silver white hair is carefully
sT 4...�@ h ' s ik,' • Hospital room a moat shining brushed forward in the Style created for him icy
comeh of Inidian,Cree Alfred Barton s , "I've coiffeur J. Baldi. Completely recovered from a
slight stroke in Se tember, he walks several
r .:...'g
' s x As a youth, 70 years ago, he ventured north miles each day, attended a recent art gallery
' k$= r v s on Indian Creek in a boat with his uncle,pioneer opening,and goes to movies.
� � "I'll probably be dancing again,” Alfred says
s :.; Miami real estate man Joseph Horner. It was
night. Uncle Joe, with rifle cocked and ready, Wryly — an in house joke because every fall
�� y g Barton vows he's through with the stereotype
' 4, s was looking for the telltale glint of alligator
eyes in theJungle loom alon the banks. dinner dances at which senior members of the
a, „. Y g g Miami Beach club set entertain each other. At
l { Now, in the bright afternoon sunshine, every season, like an opera diva making one
s ` 4.4,0.t's A.. 4 t . Alfred stared at the spotless battlements of the more farewell tour,he goes.
s, s condominiums,towering along the waterway on
; either side, with the dejected air of a monarch "EVERYBODY ELSE of my vintage is dead,”
-'''';'..,•== ' �" ' ,` whose kingdom has been bartered away by the Alfred comments matter of factly.
�'x� treaty-makers. Not quite. There are many who remember
xV ' However, Barton's true kingdom lay farther
the Surf Club in its heyday, when it was nick-
0 :3,r named "General Motors South" because of the
north. There, among barren sand dunes, hef ide many automotive executives among its mem-
:
em
s' il > tablished the Surf Club in what is now Surfside tiers.
1t in Christmas of 1930.And from the club he ruled There were the spectacular"galas" produced
�z Miami Beach society for 40 years with u socially the Klondike gold fields, to tropical Panama,
' ' minded moms had murmured, "Alfred will from the African veldt to Little Old New York.
a s s know.,,
Authentic party props were imported from
s a a ' actual locations because, as Alfred was well
,a,Z JUST A DANCE with the tall, impeccably el-
x �> s' 1 aware, "Miamians don't appreciate anything un-
; egant vice president and general manager of the
i, less it's flown in."
n debutante onSurf Club was enough to put any dowager or
„„x % .every guest list. Alfred is still the Who can resist asking Alfred which he con-
king. But his realm of grace and pleasure seems
to have glimmered away. siders Surprisingly,
one is a dinnerhis forgreatest onlyparty 18 guestsefforts.which he gave
On Thursday Alfred Barton will be 86. He in a private room at the Surf Club to honor Mar-
On
Barton in 1919 now lives in a small, Spanish-style house in Co- lorie Merriweather Post and her 1958 bride-
in
cdnut Grove he has shared since spring with groom, Herbert May. They dined from Alfred's
. . . rlecbrateu� in w W/ jewelry designer Bill Clemmer, whose family Turn to IEit
ge 3C Col. 1
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• i- There are'few alive now
a'
•
•3 �_ � who remeri'iber back to
•
, i : ',.!..!--,::::,.:,.!...:.',i:,..:1:-:1,, ikiii.:t.,4.,,,.t.,,,;1,;,-:::4,.-,.,;,........::104:: . 1924 when.Alfred Barton
r built this Spanish
� . E
�'` Gothic-styl mansion,
8 ° i . tia � Buen Retiro 'on the
'�Y northwest corner of 18th
a
@ R and Collins (now a
. � �, � : �.;1 -.'4'. gyp..
3 S 7
VO4
condominium site), and
� °" • opened it with a Christmas
tea dance in the walled
fD'IVMt ° , garden. Alfred and his
redoubtable mother, Mrs.
_ J. Hunter. Barton
(Caroline Ilko), left in a
• •} a Worth of Paris gown, set
,; the standards for style in
.....,-.,.--. .•,••.• • early Miami Beach.
START LOSING,�I
•
yam• •
ut mft,14-::!1,,.:•:(.--?•.,:. .,,.. - . ' .fr ith' 41, . ti < , 4,14,4 -f : .4V.,---7,Itkm
• • • • z x
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Barton s a
n fix:
. .. :....... .. •€
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r s
4 R f � tI
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y /y � y/ ��"• 'irc� f <
i
s
+s fMemory . ... . ii„,,,„,„......„,„......,,, ,,,.......,...,....,,,,,...„,.. d sb L ' /.t/ f ,F�ypow 4
II . Bartons' Guests Dance at Buen Retiro Opening in 1924
Cleve Horn, which hung for years 1
FROM PA-GE IC in the Surf Club's Ocean Lounge, For The Finest In Coiffure Design
dinner service and,for di- has been given to the University of
solid
goldMiami's Lowe Art Museum. It
vertissement, the Miami Opera hangs in the Barton Wing where -
Guild staged a one-act opera just for Alfred's distinguished collection of
them. American Indian blankets and art / S/LLO
objects are housed. This spring the
ANOTHER OF Alfred's favor-
ites was the Brittania Ball he put on Lowe published a catalog of the col- o
for British War Relief in 1940. The lection which is often on tour.
' Duke and Duchess of Windsor were A MORE RECENT portrait Miracle Mile • South Miami • Inter-Continental
supposed to attend and a yacht was painted by Ronni Bogaev, which • -
sent to fetch them from The Baha- Alfred loves and his friends loathe, f Y
mas — not without peril, consider- is in the Grove home. There is ' # •
ing the Nazi submarines that kept something about the open shirt col- $. �1 y�
an octopus eye on Gulfstream ship- lar,the hint of mischief in the round . "� t`" t` f
ping blue eyes and quirky mouth, that a '. " "" J'
But the Duke insisted that the suggest a bratty kid instead of the "/....: .....' I
British ambassador come from.. princely image he has always pro- „--
Washington to Miami to meet him jected. Alfred says that's why he
and the Duchess. The ambassador likes it.
wanted no part of it. So the lug} Miami Beach cronies were
went on without the honor guests. • aghast when Alfred announced hisi:.,:," -t W
There are fewer alive who re% pians to settle in the Grove- Miami k M.
i. member back to 1924 when Alfred Shores they could find,but Coconut �, P
Y Grove seemed as remote as Upper p
built his Spanish Gothic-style man- �
sion, Buen Retiro, on the northwest Volta.
corner of 18th and Collins (now a "You'll be lonely,' they cried.
condominium site), and opened it. And he was. Clemmer has been in S u:a �:
with a Christmas tea dance in the Highlands, N. C., where he has a R . ' ,, "' ., Ilas
walled garden. studio, most of the summer. Aside , II''
• from callers, Alfred has depended ` s U
ALFRED AND his redoubtable on Mary Sabo, the white-haired
mother, Mrs. J. Hunter Barton (Ca-• housekeeper who was his mother's 1S
roline Ilko), gave the fledgling re- personal maid,for company.p A 4-j�O '
iu
sort colony plenty to talk about by Where has all the splendor .0 I.L r rS.
having as houseguests Germany's gone? Alfred shrugs. He doesn't
Princess of Thurn and Taxis whom really care as long as he has it 4
they met in the triumphant days of locked• away, untarnished, in his. Wham •
the post-World War I Allied occu- memory. v' left 111 a
• pation. • What magic formula could ever The
Also attending were lictress bring it back the Beach's golden f�is gown, Set
Claire Windsor, who had a deli- a e?
ciously scandalous reputation, the g In the words of another celebri- .is for style ill
Duchess of Vallambrosa, and Irene ty whom he knew, Clark Gable, 1
Castle of cakewalk and short-crop- Alfred says, "Frankly, my dear, I1 Beach.
ped hair fame. Alfred had a Miner- don't give a damn."
va limousine, cultom-built in Paris, • b
to transport his guests around the
town. i ,'tower
Buen Retiro was home to moth- with the
er and son until just before World gdom has 1
War II when it was sold to Sam makers.
Friedland of Food Fair fame. Alfred However, Barton';
installed his mother in an apart- i
ment in the Surf Club where, until "forth. There, among
she died in 1954, Mrs. Barton tablished the Surf Clt
•caned as the acknowledged Queen in Christmas of 1930.
her — gracious, enduring, and •
Miami Beach society 1
an uncanny memory for + ed authority. Three
_
•s and faces. minded
t was also in Buen Retiro days know." moms had
17) that Alfred married fun-lov-l 11UST A DANCE
:•gig Atlanta socialite Sallie Cobb, egant vice president s
from whom he was divorced five Surf Club was enou,
years later. debutante on every I
His•introduction to the world of king. But his realm o
the moneyed and high society came to have glimmered av
f rqm an unusual source:World War On Thursday Alf
I. 1919 now lives in a small,
Able to speak fluent French cdnut Grove he has
from a stint in the French army be- . •d in. WWI jewelry designer Bil
fore the U.S. entered the war, Bar- ,
ton became a personal aide to Gen. • •
Henry T. Allen, commander of the
U.S. Army of Occupation in Germa-
nyrafter the war"o'•..-,.. -,;��.�..._� :.
Barton learned to throw spare- ,
no-expense parties for the royalty
and wealthy who visited army
headquarters and soon he became at
ease among power and wealth.
But the socials gatherings and
way of life that Alfred dominated i
for so long are now nearly gone on
the Beach. "The emphasis on hotels 1
and apartmehts has attracted peo- .
pie of different tastes." he says
with classic understatement.
i
IN THE BEACH'S early days
families in society had their own
homes on the ocean and the bay. ,
"We didn:t offer dinner at the
Surf Club in the early days." Alfred'
• recalls. "People invited guests to
dinner parties at home,where liver-
ied footmen served."
The clubs — the Bath Club l I
opened in 1927, the Surf Club and II '
Indian Creek Country Club in 1930 ,
1 the post-World war 1 Nuieu La..,. memory.
memory.
I • pation. What magic formula could ever
Also attending were fictress bring it back the Beach's golden
' Claire.Windsor, who had a deli- age?
ciously scandalous reputation, the In the words of another celebri-
Duchess of Vallambrosa, and Irene ty whom he knew, Clark Gable,
Castle of cakewalk and short-crop- Alfred says, "Frankly, my dear, I
ped hair fame. Alfred had a Miner- don't give a damn."
• va limousine, cultom-built,in Paris,
•
totransport his guests around
town.
Buen Retiro was home to moth- iit
er and son until just before World' cQP
om
I
War II when it was sold to Sam rs.
Friedland of Food Fair fame. Alfred , B
installed his mother in an apart- Mirth. There, a
mefit in the Surf Club where, until tablished the Si
the died in 1954, Mrs. Barton ta Brae the S
gned as the acknowledged Queen inMiChrami Beach sf
her -- gracious, enduring, and ed authority.
• an uncanny memory for -
minded moms
^s and faces. know."
.t was also in Buen Retiro days
• 37) that Alfred married fun-Iov JUST A D.
:::g Atlanta socialite Sallie Cobb egant vice pre
Irani whom he was divorced five • Surf Club w2
years later. ...,'-'• debutante on.
.1, king. But his
•
His introduction to the world of to glimn
the moneyed and high society came have glimn
from an unusual source:World War 1.\ 919 now lives in
Pairs
1� cdnut Grove
- Able to speak fluent French desi
from a stint in the French army be- ell, in. WWI jewelry
fore the U.S. entered the war, Bar- •
ton became a personal aide to Gen. •
Henry T. Allen, commander of the
U.S. Army of Occupation in Germa_- I
yyafter th6•waresc:_'z '.-..,.
• Barton learned to throw spare-
no-expense parties for the royalty
and wealthy who visited army
headquarters and soon he became at
ease among power and wealth.
•
But the socials gatherings and
way of life that Alfred dominated
for so long are now nearly gone on
the Beach. "The emphasis on hotels
and apartmehts has attracted peo- i
pie of different tastes." he says
with classic understatement.
1
• IN THE BEACH'S early days
families in society had their own
homes on the ocean, and the bay.
"We didn't offedinner at the 1
' Surf Club in the early days," Alfred
recalls. "People invited guests to
dinner parties at home,where liver-
ied footmen served."
The clubs — the Bath Club I
opened in 1927. the Surf Club and
Indian Creek Country Club in 1930 '
— rang with midday merriment. Al'.
fresco buffets were spread beside I
the pool, an orchestra played for
dancing, and women wore floppy-
legged pajamas of velvet and lame
made by';forth and Patou of Paris.
Broad-brimmed hats and broad-,
beamed bathing beauties were in
• style. Cabanas rang 'with happy
laughter and phonograph music.
"Adults actually bathed in the sea," )
Alfred recalls. . I
BARTON'S DESCENT from I
Beach society came in stages. In
1964, he retired as club general
manager and vice president. But
club directors, recognizing the
. • power of his name, retained him as
a consultant and'provided an apart-
ment on the club grounds. In re-
turn, Barton agreed not to work for
any other clubs.
Barton continued living at the
club until' 1973 when club officers I
brusquely informed him the agree-
ment was canceled and he was to
leave. .
Alfred then bought and remod- 1
eled a charming house in Miami
Shores, putting in a"pool •
garden and arranging the art and
antique furnishings he has collected
with a connoisseur's eye through
the years. .
Last fall, when he couldn't find
a live-in servant he could afford,
and conceded it was unsafe at his
age'to be alone, he sold the house
and moved into a home of an old
wend, Bill Clemmer, in Coconut
4. Grove. He is still surrounded by his
treasures, sleeping in the Louis XIII
bed with spiral posts (the famous
mink.bedspread is relegated to a
trunk),and serving dinner guests on
the 18th Century Sevres china.
.,,.h,..,�fr nnrtrait