The Gables’ Northern Gateway

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Good Things Come to Those Who Wait, Even If It Takes a Century

BY Karelia Martinez Carbonell

100-YEAR-OLD CORAL GABLES is home to over 1,200 historically designated properties and 20 historic districts that include seven architecturally themed villages. Some historic districts, which derive their importance from being a unified entity, are better known than others. And one district is nationally recognized. Recently, one lesser-known district, The Campina Court Historic District within the Flagler Street Section, has received some well-deserved attention, and in due time, the City of Coral Gables will finish what was promised 100 years ago.

THE FLAGLER STREET SECTION

The Flagler Section – the last northern tip of the city, where Ponce de Leon Boulevard swerves from 8th Street to Flagler Street – was acquired by the Coral Gables Corporation sometime between 1924 and 1925. That acquisition greatly facilitated the trolley system; the existing median on Ponce is where the tracks were laid. While there was some building activity in the mid-1920s, with some particularly distinctive apartments erected, the subdivision was not built out until the 1940s and ’50s.

An advertisement published in 1924 announces that the Flagler Street Section is “one of the most advanced steps Coral Gables [has taken] in its remarkable development.” The advertisement also mentions “the building of a fine coral rock entrance near Douglas Road and Flagler Street… designed by Denman Fink, the well-known artist in charge of design and construction of all of Coral Gables’ entrances and plazas. It will be built of coral rock and stucco and will cover an expanse of approximately 200-feet on Flagler Street.”

Left: 1924 Miami Daily News ad depicting a “fine coral rock entrance.”
Right: Campina Court 41, designed by architect H. George Fink

CAMPINA COURT HISTORIC DISTRICT

Constructed in the early 1940s, Campina Court comprises a small local historic district at the very northern tip of the Flagler Street Section, with residences that reflect the transition to the modern age. These represent a shift from the small Mediterranean-style bungalows constructed during the early days in the City’s development to the Minimal Transitional designs of affordable housing built to Federal Housing Authority specifications during World War II. With much fanfare, developer Earl G. Folsom began construction of 20 houses in the Flagler Section, all built on Campina Court, with many designed by H. George Fink.

Sadly, the “fine coral rock entrance” mentioned in the 1924 advertisement was never built, due to a number of unforeseen circumstances such as the 1926 hurricane, the real estate bust, and the Great Depression. However, after 100 years, residents of the Campina Court Historic District may finally get their entrance. In 2022, the area originally intended for the coral rock entrance was purchased by the City of Coral Gables, making it possible to bring to fruition the intended 1920s entrance feature. George Merrick’s vision of a gateway to the Flagler Street Section and the Campina Court District is presently in the design stage.

Karelia Martinez Carbonell is the president of the Historic Preservation Association of Coral Gables.