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Building 'A Dream Come True'

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By LENORA LAKE

Tribune correspondent

Published: June 14, 2008

TAMPA - A father-and-son volunteer project resulted in a "dream come true" for the University of South Florida Botanical Gardens.

Dennis Lindeman, 58, and his son Hank, 19, recently built a Seminole Indian-style chickee hut: a wood-framed pavilion with a palm frond-thatched roof.

Kim Hutton, the gardens' coordinator for volunteers and special events, said: "This is like a dream come true. I have been wanting this for 11 years and have approached various groups, but no one came through before now."

The 16-by-20-foot hut's grand opening will be 11 a.m. today as part of the 10th annual Butterfly, Herb & Native Plant Fair, which continues through Sunday.

Hutton said the hut will be used "as a teaching facility for talking about native plants and how they were used by native people."

Dennis Lindeman said he became involved with the gardens after wanting to find a volunteer opportunity with his son, who graduated from Jesuit High in 2007.

When they went to the gardens' volunteer training, Hutton mentioned that the gardens would like to have a chickee hut.

Dennis Lindeman spoke with Hutton, conducted research on the Internet and based his design on a sketch of a hut built in 1887. The project would require rough cypress, palm fronds, fasteners and a lot of labor.

"Once I knew I could find the materials, I knew I could build it - and being my friend made you a worker," said Lindeman, who grew up in South Tampa and still lives there.

A lumber company, R.J. Nathe & Son, donated the lumber and delivered it; neighbor Martin Koch of Southwestern Supply provided more than 3,000 nails; and friends Richard Daniel, Peter Keiffer and Lewis Hill cut and hauled 1,100 cabbage palm fronds.

"You don't realize how much work it is to cut, gather and transport them," said Lindeman, who is a senior vice president for investments at Raymond James.

The financial company made a monetary contribution.

"They encourage us to do community work; they helped me get some of the tools I didn't have." Lindeman said.

It took about eight weeks in the spring to build the hut. The Lindemans erected the poles first, putting them three feet into the ground. The frame was next and then the thatched roof.

"Hank helped me build out the frame, and then he did almost all the work on top," Lindeman said, estimating it would have cost $15,000 to $20,000 in materials and labor if the gardens hired builders.

In addition to the opening of the hut, the festival will feature vendors selling plants, a children's activities area, a butterfly house and presentations with topics about starting or expanding butterfly gardens, creating a backyard habitat and landscaping with native plants.

Animals and educational displays from the Nature's Classroom environmental center will be on display, and artist Debra Carey will show her works that feature plants and animals.

About 4,000 visitors are expected, Hutton said.

The Lindemans and others who worked on the hut plan to attend.

Dennis Lindeman said he had never visited the gardens before he went to the orientation; the Lindemans had found the gardens on a list of possible volunteer locations.

Now, they are helping with sales and other activities.

"Once there, it's a Garden of Eden right on the edge of town," Lindeman said.

Tribune correspondent Lenora Lake can be reached

at llake@tampatrib.com or

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Butterfly, Herb & Native Plant Fair

WHEN: From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday

WHERE: University of South Florida Botanical Gardens, 12210 USF Pine Drive, Tampa

HOW MUCH: $4 for ages 12 and older, free for ages 11 and younger and USF Botanical Gardens members

INFORMATION: Call (813) 974-2329 or visit www.cas.usf.edu/garden.

(813) 865-4851.

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