Rock On!
Coral Gables had its rock stars back in the day. Some of them survived and are still standing strong.
‘If, as Goethe famously proclaimed, “architecture is frozen music,” perhaps we can refer to our signature coral rock buildings as “frozen rock music.” Frozen, but still able to melt the hearts of design enthusiasts whose embrace of this foundational architectural genre is both passionate and enduring.
Constructed between 1906 and 1938, our coral rock structures“contain elements of design, detail, materials, or craftsmanship… which represent a significant innovation or adaptation to the South Florida environment” – this according to a pivotal 2007 resolution put forth by the Coral Gables Historic Preservation Board designating the subject properties (in toto) as a Local Historic Landmark District. This decision to formally recognize the cumulative significance of these properties also focused attention on their most salient feature: the external walls of native oolitic limestone originally sculpted and installed by local Bahamian artisans.
So what is oolitic limestone and where did Merrick’s team find and ultimately unearth it? Interestingly, right in our own backyard. Which is to say, in a rock pit in the residential heart of the fledgling community – not exactly a desirable amenity for the nearby upscale houses that were simultaneously being erected. That is until the team finally re-purposed the site as the Venetian Casino – today known as the Venetian Pool, the largest freshwater pool in America.
From the outset, coral rock was one of George Merrick’s go-to building materials for homes, civic and cultural centers, and even the city’s famed entrances. It was distinctive, readily available, and seemingly impenetrable. In an era of “irrational exuberance” (it was the Jazz Age after all), coral rock conveyed an image of strength and permanence. A little rough around the edges, but solid…as a rock
907 Coral Way (1899-1907)
Built for Rev. Solomon Merrick and his family (including George), this home was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 and was acquired by the city in 1976.
760 Anastasia Avenue (1938)
This former home of Denman and Betsy Fink was designed by Marion Manley, the first female architect registered in South Florida.
Granada Boulevard and SW 8th Street (1922)
The 40-foot-high Granada entrance was a collaborative effort by Denman Fink and landscape architect Frank Button.
937 Coral Way (1916)
The “Honeymoon Cottage” of George and Eunice Merrick was designed by Martin Luther Hampton, who, in 1924, created the original design for the Biltmore Hotel, later completed by Shultze & Weaver (1926).
1510 Madrid Street (1927)
The “Coral Rock Village” was designed by E. Dean Parmelee as a series of cottages on the former Zinsmaster estate.
2709 Columbus Boulevard (1925)
E. Dean Parmelee’s design exemplifies the horizontality and overall restraint of the typical one-story coral rock home.
2701 De Soto Boulevard (1924)
Designed by Phineas Paist and Denman Fink, the Venetian Pool is a public recreation site listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Story written by Bruce Fitzgerald and Karelia Martinez Carbonell, president of the Historic Preservation Association of Coral Gables. Photos courtesy of Vicki Cerda