Gautier Funeral Home in 1925
The short history of a funeral parlor which opened on March 16, 1925, in Miami's Riverside neighborhood.
The Gautier Funeral Home opened on Monday, March 16, 1925, when Robert Allen Gautier and his mother, Mary Louise Gautier, established the business at 514 West Flagler Street in Miami’s Riverside neighborhood. In the 1930s, Robert’s younger brother, John Gautier, joined the family enterprise.
The Gautier family had deep roots in Miami’s early civic life. Robert and John’s father, William J. Gautier, was the son of Thomas N. Gautier, who served as Miami’s first tax collector. Within about a decade of opening, the funeral home relocated from its original site at 514 West Flagler Street to a larger location at 779 West Flagler Street, further west along the same thoroughfare.
In 1951, the Gautier family sold the business to Henry Reed, and the establishment was subsequently renamed the Reed-Gautier Funeral Home. After the sale, John Gautier pursued public service, following the path of his grandfather. He served as Dade County’s chief tax official from 1953 to 1961.
Today, the building that once housed the funeral home at 779 West Flagler Street has been demolished, and the site is now vacant. However, the original structure at 514 West Flagler Street appears to have survived. Although its appearance has been altered over time, Miami-Dade property records indicate that the residential-style building shown in the cover photograph is still standing as of today.
Resources:
Miami Herald: “Gautier Funeral Chapel to Open”, March 15, 1925.
Miami News: “Gautier Builds Model Funeral Home in Miami”, March 23, 1925.
Miami Herald: “Henry Lafayette Reed Obituary”, August 29, 1984.
Miami Herald: “John Gautier Obituary”, November 11, 1991.