Grand Entrances
FROM MAJESTIC TO DISCREET, DOORWAYS ALONG ALHAMBRA CIRCLE CAPTURE THE STYLISTIC DIVERSITY OF THE CITY
George Merrick’s attention to detail is said to have been both prodigious and persuasive. In planning the new South Florida community that he named Coral Gables in the early 1920s, Merrick took great care to avoid duplication of building designs – at the same time establishing overall guidelines to maintain the city’s “brand identity.” Details mattered in attracting visitors and especially residents to America’s 27th state, which joined the Union in 1845.
Practical considerations like wall colors, roof lines, ceiling heights, window openings, and points of entry got his attention. This was especially true for front doors, which consistently had pride of place in all his buildings. Often embellished with custom carvings or elaborate wrought-iron grillwork (the better to distinguish one building from another), front doors made a statement – about protection to be sure, but also about individuality and status. Even the color of a door sent a message.
Today, as the city opens its doors in celebration of its centennial, we can open our eyes to the skill with which early 20th-century architects and artisans chose to portray our built environment. Traditional or modern, then as now, a front door wasn’t just an opening. It was a beginning.












THROUGHOUT HISTORY, DOORS HAVE REPRESENTED A POWERFUL VISUAL SYMBOL, DEFINING SPACES AND DETERMINING WHO CROSSES THE THRESHOLD…AND WHO DOESN’T.