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A Resolution authorizing funds in the amount of $75,000 to be used to complete the rehabilitation of two homes (129 Frow Avenue, 110 Oak Avenue) within the MacFarlane Homestead Subdivision Historic District as affordable housing for low- and moderate-income households, to supplement grant funding from the Building Better Communities General Obligation Bond Program (BBC GOB).
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The MacFarlane Homestead Subdivision Historic District was locally designated by the City of Coral Gables in 1989, and its boundaries were expanded and contributing and non-contributing properties updated in 1998. The Historic District was listed in the National Register of Historic Places (National Register) in 1994 for its significance in the areas of Architecture, Community Planning and Development, and Ethnic Heritage. It is the only historic district listed in the National Register within the City of Coral Gables.
Many of the original residents of the MacFarlane Homestead Subdivision were Bahamians who worked in service-related occupations. The properties within the MacFarlane Homestead Subdivision, most of which were built during the late 1920s and 1930s were, in most cases, built by their owners without the assistance of an architect. They are considered a “vernacular” architectural type, meaning that they do not reflect the influence of any particular architectural style but rather reflect local building trend. These one-story frame or concrete block bungalows and a one-story “shotgun” homes are unique in the building fabric of the City of Coral Gables. Many of these homes are occupied by descendants of the original builders.
In 2003, the LBW Homeowners’ Foundation of Coral Gables Inc. identified structures within the MacFarlane Homestead Subdivision Historic District in need of restoration. Subsequently two phases of rehabilitation projects were planned utilizing Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds. The work was managed by the County in conjunctio...
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