Tea Chest/ Ralph Munroe

Side One: The Tea Chest tea room was built by Ralph “Commodore” Munroe and his son, Wirth, circa 1920 for Munroe’s daughter, Patty (1900-1991), and her friend, Alice Ayars. Located across Main Highway from Munroe’s Barnacle estate, the pair operated this one-room cottage as a restaurant. Tucked into a leafy corner, the sturdy cement-block building was a favorite with tourists and residents alike.

It offered afternoon teas and light fare. Ladies sipped tea and ate sandwiches with the crust sliced off. In addition, Patty and Alice also sold items from all over the country and abroad that were provided on consignment by friends. The tea room hosted distinguished visitors, including writer Mabel Loomis Todd, Cornelius Vanderbilt Jr, and his wife, Rachel.

Alice later left Coconut Grove for a job in Ohio, and Patty briefly ran the Tea Chest by herself before selling it in 1927. The name changed to La Casita. It was sold again in 1969, and became the Taurus Restaurant. Considered among Miami’s oldest and most venerated establishments, it attracted artists, actors, and the typical bohemian locals.

In 2006, as part of a major development, the owners restored the building to its original one-room design, and it reopened in 2009. Side Two: Ralph Middleton Munroe (1851-1933) grew up in Staten Island, New York. He studied drafting at Columbia University, but his passion was boating. He spent his spare time sailing, including summers in New England.

In 1877, Munroe visited Florida and fell in love with Biscayne Bay's lush vegetation. He returned to New York in 1879 and married Eva Hewitt. When she became sick with tuberculosis in 1881, he knew exactly where they could live in the warm sun. Their daughter, Edith, stayed in New York with her grandmother.

Tragically, both Eva and Edith died in 1882. In 1886, he bought 40 waterfront acres from John Frow for $400. In 1889, he designed and built a boat house, the Biscayne Bay Yacht Club, and his home, the Barnacle, in 1891. As early as 1890, he lobbied the federal and state governments to study the ecology of Biscayne Bay.

His photographs of landscapes and pioneer life were widely published. Munroe married Jessie Wirth in 1894, and the couple had two children, Patty and Wirth. Munroe became a vocal opponent of Henry Flagler’s new railroad and the development taking place in 1920s. He fought for septic regulations and stopped a series of bridges that would have connected some of the islands off Key Biscayne.