Historic Miami cabin in peril again

Troeger House
Troeger House

For decades, the Troeger House, a one-room wooden cabin, has been at the center of a battle with developers. Now, it is once again facing county bulldozers.

A developer hopes to level the 65-year-old home, east of South Dixie Highway and 156th Street in Palmetto Bay, to make way for a two-story suburban house, according to the Miami Herald.

Backed by the county’s historic preservation board, the developer claims that the little wooden home is unsafe.

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“The property is in such bad condition, poor care and in a bad state that it is an unattractive nuisance,” said Guillermo Alvarez of Turquino Development Group, which purchased the property in July for about $77,000.

But to some locals, bulldozing the 795-square foot cabin, which was designated as historic in 1999, would be like erasing a slice of history.

“Destroying the cabin is destroying something that represents ecology, history, a man’s attempt to live with nature. That should be respected,” Rick Ferrer, who used to sit on the county preservation board and studies historic structures, told the newspaper. “Such a unique man, such a unique story, and we’re going to get rid of it because it doesn’t look like everything else around here.” [Miami Herald] – Christopher Cameron