Self Guided Tour: Richmond Cottage

THE CUTLER ERA
Originally built in 1896, the Richmond Cottage is the last surviving structure of the historic town of Cutler. At the end of the nineteenth century, Cutler (established at the site of the Seminole Hunting Grounds) was one of the best settlements in Dade County. Its beachfront location and three fishing wharves made it a hub for transporting freight and passengers south of Miami, and in its heyday, a post office, school, saw mill and two general stores serviced a growing pioneer community.

“Cutler is located in a most beautiful spot, overlooking Biscayne Bay…The water is pure and sweet and the climate everything that could be desired.”  -- Director of the City of Miami and Nearby Towns, 1904

In 1900, Dr. Samuel Richmond and his wife, Edith, added a three-story addition to their modest family home at Cutler and opened the Richmond Cottage – the first hotel between Coconut Grove and Key West.

When the Florida East Coast Railway bypassed the town in 1904, businesses and residents moved to the nearby railroad labor camp that would soon become the City of Perrine. Soon, few families remained in Cutler.

The closing of the Richmond Cottage in 1915 officially brought an end to the Cutler Era.