The Villages of Coral Gables are a series of themed developments in Coral Gables, Florida, by city founder George E. Merrick.
The Villages of Coral Gables are a series of themed developments in Coral Gables, Florida, by city founder George E. Merrick.
Within his development of Coral Gables, Florida, a planned city, George E. Merrick decided that he would design small communities, or villages, within Coral Gables with different international influences. The urban planning initiative was called "The Village Project." [1] While the predominant architectural style in Coral Gables in Mediterranean Revival, some of the villages would become rare exceptions intended to add more architectural diversity to the new city it, such with as the Chinese and the Dutch South African Villages. [2] The original plan, devised in collaboration with banker and former Ohio governor Myers Y. Cooper, called for 14 villages at a cost of $75 million, with financing by the American Building Corporation of Cincinnati. [3]
The Villages were developed during the foundational real estate boom of the 1920s, and subsequently came to a halt by the end of the decade due to a cascading series of factors in its later half that included the 1926 Miami Hurricane, the 1928 Okeechobee Hurricane, the arrival of the Mediterranean fruit fly, and the onset of the Great Depression with the Wall Street Crash of 1929. In all, fewer than 80 of Merrick's intended 1,000 planned village homes were completed before development slowed. [4] The unrealized villages included: Japanese, Italian Country, Neopolitan Baroque, Mexican Hacienda, African Bazaar, Persian Canal, and Tangier villages. [5] Another, far larger-scale unrealized project was the materialization of a Spanish Village. Merrick would later refer his planned Spanish Village as his "unfinished symphony" and was unable to continue his village project before his death due to his financial losses in the Depression. [6]
Nearly a century after its premature completion, noted Coral Gables developer Ralph Sanchez and his Ponce Circle Developers firm announced the "Old Spanish Village" development project in the mid-2000s, an intended fulfillment of Merrick's original concept for a Spanish Village. Sanchez was directly inspired by Merrick's "The Village Project" of the early 1920s, which had converted nearly 10,000 acres of the Merrick family's grapefruit plantation into the original architecturally-themed village communities. [7] Sanchez himself spent much of the preceding decade assembling the 7.2 acres of land that would form the core of the new project. [8] The proposed $500 million, 900,000-square-foot project was located in downtown Coral Gables by Ponce Circle and blocks from Miracle Mile. Though large, the mostly residential complex was scaled to retain the localized charm of the Village Project and prominently implemented several elements to support the original spirit and vision of Merrick's plans. Old Spanish Village was designed in the classic Spanish Revival (with some broader elements of Mediterranean Revival) style that is prevalent in much of Coral Gables, including cobblestone walkways, open balconies, lush garden landscaping, swimming pools, and private courtyards. The architecture team composed of a high-profile collaboration between Ignacio Permuy's (son of Jesús Permuy) Coral Gables-based TERRA Architecture firm (now Permuy Architecture) and University of Miami professor Jorge Hernandez, who was responsible for the urban planning aspects. [9] [10]
Sanchez and the architecture team went to signifiancant lengths to ensure the project upheld Coral Gables' historic heritage, especially with respect to the original Village Project. They centrally incorporated and renovated a 1926 Merrick-era three-story art center building located at 2901 Ponce de Leon Boulevard. The renovation, costing over $1.5 million, was intended to serve as a visible and cohesive bridge between the historic elements and the new. [11] Additionally, leading historian and author Arva Moore Parks was hired to join the Old Spanish Village team. In the lead-up to the initial drafting of plans for Old Spanish Village in 2005, they would search extensively through newspaper archives, public documents, and photos relating to the city and the site's history as well as Merrick's plans and achievements. [12] Describing how George Merrick inspired the project, Sanchez said: "He was an incredible visionary and did things that had never been done before," and "He is a hero in this town and this project continues his vision." [13]
The project broke ground in November 2007 and Sanchez invested $128 million into the first phase of Old Spanish Village. This included three-story villas with rooftop terraces, private elevator access, two-car garages, and the Las Porres complex with 50 luxury units in two residential towers with private elevator access. As with the original Village Project, however, Old Spanish Village was slowed substantially by the global economy, in this case the global recession, which marred the incomplete development into the early 2010s. Sanchez' death also impacted the competition as he was the main force driving the project conceptually and financially. The project was later renamed "Mediterranean Village" and continued to be plagued with increasing issues, until it was finally bought by the Jose Cuervo Spirits-linked Agave Holdings Development firm. Agave demolished the completed portions of Sanchez' Old Spanish Village and used its consolidated foundation to develop a new, substantially expanded and modern high-end commercial project called "The Plaza Coral Gables", which would grow to encompass 2.25 million square feet.
Describing the concept of the Village Project, Moore Parks stated: “George [Merrick] believed that beauty was for everyone, [...] He was a visionary man who believed you didn’t have to be rich to live in a beautiful setting. He set out to bring that level of beauty to the middle class" and "[...] create a place where people felt special when they were there.” [14]
Following the suspension of the original Village Project, their architectural styles would go on to inspire and influence the housing designs of Cincinnati from the 1930-50s with the return of Myers Cooper and the American Building Corporation of Cincinnati. [15] During this period, the French Normandy Village was sold to the University of Miami in 1935 and by the early 1940s would house five fraternities. [16] The remaining six historical villages, most of which were completed by 1927, have been designated "Landmark Homes" by the City of Coral Gables. [17]
The Village of Merrick Park, a shopping mall and park built in 2002, despite its name, is unrelated to these architecturally-themed communities.
The still existing villages are: [18]
Coral Gables is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The city is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida and is located 7 miles (11 km) southwest of Downtown Miami. As of the 2020 U.S. census, it had a population of 49,248.
The City Beautiful movement was a reform philosophy of North American architecture and urban planning that flourished during the 1890s and 1900s with the intent of introducing beautification and monumental grandeur in cities. It was a part of the progressive social reform movement in North America under the leadership of the upper-middle class, which was concerned with poor living conditions in all major cities. The movement, which was originally associated mainly with Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Kansas City and Washington, D.C., promoted beauty not only for its own sake, but also to create moral and civic virtue among urban populations.
The Miami Biltmore Hotel, commonly called TheBiltmore Hotel or The Biltmore, is a luxury hotel in Coral Gables, Florida. The hotel was designed by Schultze and Weaver and built in 1926 by John McEntee Bowman and George Merrick as part of the Biltmore hotel chain. The hotel's tower is inspired by the Giralda, the medieval tower of the cathedral of Seville.
George Edgar Merrick was a real estate developer who is best known as the planner and builder of the city of Coral Gables, Florida in the 1920s, one of the first major planned communities in the United States.
State Road 953, locally known as Le Jeune Road, is a 11.735 miles (18.886 km) long north–south street in Miami-Dade County, Florida running a few miles west of central Miami from U.S. Route 1 in Coral Gables to State Road 916 in Opa-locka. It is also known as West 42nd Avenue on the greater Miami grid plan and East 8th Avenue in the Hialeah grid plan.
Miracle Mile is a 0.503-mile-long (0.810 km) section of Coral Way between LeJeune Road and Douglas Road in Coral Gables, Florida. It is the main east-west road through the city's downtown central business district, consisting of many shops, financial institutions, restaurants and arts institution. The LeJeune Road end of Miracle Mile is anchored by the Coral Gables City Hall.
The Coral Gables Congregational Church is a historic Congregational church in Coral Gables, Florida, United States. The church was designed by the architect Richard Kiehnel of Kiehnel and Elliott in 1923 and is regarded as a fine example of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture. It is located at 3010 DeSoto Boulevard. On October 10, 1978, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
Coral Gables Preparatory Academy, formerly Coral Gables Elementary School, is a public K-8 school in Coral Gables, Florida. A part of the Miami-Dade County Public Schools, it has its elementary school classes in the Lower Academy, in the former Coral Gables Elementary building, while the middle school classes are in the Upper Academy at the Merrick Educational Center. The school was given its current name in 2010.
The Coral Gables City Hall is a historic site in Coral Gables, Florida. It is located at 405 Biltmore Way. On July 24, 1974, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
Schultze & Weaver was an architecture firm established in New York City in 1921. The partners were Leonard Schultze and S. Fullerton Weaver.
Coral Way is a neighborhood within Miami, Florida that is defined by Coral Way, a road established by Coral Gables founder George E. Merrick during the 1920s. It is located in Miami-Dade County, Florida.
Mott Brooshovft Schmidt was an American architect best known for his buildings in the American Georgian Classical style.
Arva Moore Parks McCabe was a historian, author and preservationist in Miami, Florida.
Walter C. De Garmo (1876–1951) was a prominent architect in Miami, Florida and its surrounding communities. His buildings include the Woman's Club of Coconut Grove and the 1907 Miami City Hall. He is known for his residential work in South Florida, especially large luxury residences in the Mission Revival and Mediterranean Revival styles.
Jesús A. Permuy is a Cuban-American architect, urban planner, human rights activist, art collector, and businessman. He is known for an extensive career of community projects and initiatives in Florida, Washington, D.C., and Latin America.
Rafael Agustin Sánchez, better known as Ralph Sanchez, was a prominent Cuban-American autoracing figure, developer, and businessman.
Baruj Salinas is a Cuban-American contemporary visual artist and architect. He is recognized as a central figure in the establishment of the modern Latin American art market in South Florida.
Miguel Jorge (1928–1984), also known as “Micky” Jorge, was a Cuban artist who was influential in the establishment of South Florida's early Latin American art market in the Greater Miami area from the 1960s through the 1980s.
Alfred F. Schimek (1897-1980) was an architect active in Illinois and South Florida during the early and mid-20th century. He was responsible for notable projects in each region over the course of his career spanning five decades and is known primarily for his residential architecture work. His designs are associated mostly with updated interpretations of traditional European styles, such as Mediterranean Revival, though he also designed in the contemporary Bauhaus-influenced Modernist Art Deco style. Schimek also served in the board leadership of organizations in each region including the Illinois Society of Architects and the Greater Miami Civic Theater. As an inventor Schimek filed US patents for spring suspension systems and original door mounting designs.
Marta Cazañas Permuy was a Cuban-American fine art patron, art collector, curator, art dealer, and promoter based in Coral Gables, Florida. She was an influential figure in the establishment of the Latin American art market of South Florida. She managed and co-founded Permuy Gallery, one of the first venues dedicated to Cuban art in the United States. She also hosted a long-running art salon where South Florida art, literary, business, and political figures would gather to discuss art and culture.
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