Florida Historical Markers Programs - Marker Detail

Description: Side One: In the early 20th century, John Bindley (1846-1921), president of the Pittsburgh Steel Company, was among a wave of wealthy northern industrialists who built winter homes along the shore of Biscayne Bay. In 1917, he purchased this property, perched on an ancient ridge of oolitic limestone, for his daughter Adelaide Marie Bindley. Completed in 1919, the nine‐acre estate, El Jardin (The Garden), originally included a gatehouse, conservatory, carriage house, villa, boathouse, and numerous gardens. It was the site of many grand social and charitable functions. Following the Bindleys, real estate investor Albert J. Richey briefly owned the estate, which was later sold to Henry L. Doherty, founder of Cities Service Company (Citgo). In 1961, the Society of the Sacred Heart purchased El Jardin following two key events – an invitation from Bishop Coleman Carroll to open a school in the newly formed Diocese of Miami, and the forced closure of Sacred Heart schools in Cuba in the aftermath of the Cuban Revolution. Originally housed in the villa and carriage house, Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart, an all‐girls, Catholic, independent school, expanded over the years and added new structures to the historic property. Side Two: El Jardin is one of the earliest and best‐preserved examples of Mediterranean Revival architecture in South Florida. Richard Kiehnel (1870‐1944) of the prominent Pittsburgh firm of Kiehnel and Elliot designed El Jardin. He combined Spanish, Italian, and Moorish influences to help establish the Mediterranean Revival style, which would greatly influence the area’s architecture. Together with the fine craftsmanship of contractor John B. Orr (builder of James Deering’s Villa Vizcaya), Kiehnel conceived a home rich in ornamental detail and harmonious with the area’s tropical environment. The firm became a leading practitioner of the Mediterranean Revival style across South Florida. Kiehnel and Elliot’s local landmarks include renowned structures along Main Highway - the Coconut Grove Playhouse; Chabad of the Grove; and Second Church of Christ, Scientist - as well as many legacy buildings in Coral Gables and Miami. Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart is committed to the preservation of El Jardin. Through the adaptive use of its rooms, outbuildings, and grounds, the school has maintained the estate’s architectural beauty. El Jardin was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.