Ransom School "Pagoda", Historic school building in Coconut Grove, Miami, United States
The Ransom School Pagoda is a school building from the early 1900s in Coconut Grove with distinctive Asian architectural features. The structure was built from local pine wood with brick and limestone elements, and sits on more than 30 piers made of natural oolitic limestone.
Paul Ransom founded a school camp here in 1896, which was later transformed into America's first boarding school that operated across two seasons. The school model used this location during both years, which was innovative for the time.
The name "Pagoda" comes from the building's Asian-inspired roof, which one observer said looked "about as Chinese as a hamburger." The school itself was first called Pine Knot Camp, then Adirondack-Florida School, then Ransom School, and finally Ransom Everglades after a 1974 merger with The Everglades School for Girls.
The Pagoda stands at 3575 Main Highway in Coconut Grove, Miami, on the grounds of Ransom Everglades School. The building now holds mostly offices, though classes and meetings are occasionally held in it. It is a school building rather than a public museum, so visits are best arranged with the school.
The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 and now serves as the head administrator's office and event venue. This second purpose has preserved the structure while keeping it active in the community.
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