Bingham-Blossom House

The Bingham-Blossom House was a residence built in the Shingle style with wooden shingles covering the exterior and deep covered porches for ventilation. The surrounding property featured rare tropical trees that botanist David Grandison Fairchild had collected from around the world.

Architect George Lainhart designed and built the house in 1893 for Charles and Mary Payne Bingham, a family from Cleveland. The building stood for roughly 80 years before it was destroyed by fire in 1974.

The house reflected the tastes of wealthy families from the North who built winter homes in Florida during the late 1800s. It shows how these visitors brought their love of distinctive architecture and exotic plants to their southern retreats.

The grounds were planted with palmettos and rare trees from tropical regions around the world. Visitors interested in understanding the site's history should pay attention to how the original architecture and garden layout worked together.

The house stayed cool without air conditioning thanks to its wide roof overhangs and strategically positioned windows. This passive ventilation design allowed the deep porches to pull air through the entire structure and keep it comfortable.