In March 1923, when Coral Gables' first Boy Scout troop was chartered, George Merrick had his architect design a special log cabin for the boys to be built in a wooded area on the country club golf course. This old photo shows the Troop 7 Boy Scouts inside the cabin by the chimney. The cabin burned down in 1971 but the old chimney is still standing, marked by a State of Florida Historic Marker and a brick patio in the foot print of the log cabin. Troop 7 still meets on the Granada Golf Course.
– Robin Burr
On July 27, 1926, one hundred individuals signed a charter establishing what would become the First United Methodist Church of Coral Gables. The members met at a home on 1206 Capri Street where they started gathering resources to construct a house of worship at 536 Coral Way. Despite the Great Depression, the congregation completed the first permanent worship building in 1933. Over the years, the Mediterranean-inspired church campus has expanded to include the Sanctuary, The Growing Place School, an educational building, a historic and intimate chapel, and a gathering hall. The First United Methodist Church has served as a place to worship God, learn, celebrate weddings, enjoy concerts, gather for memorial services, and minister to the community.
– Michelle Marcos
"Historic preservation efforts took off in 1966 when a group of like-minded women (men are now members) banded together to save Coral Gables’ iconic Douglas Entrance, slated to be demolished. In those days, much of the cleanup and restoration work was literally hands-on. Capitalizing on their early success, The Villagers worked to restore many endangered Gables’ sites. The oldest preservation group in Miami-Dade is still going strong, awarding nearly 250 grants and 200+ university scholarships.
– The Villagers
" Coral Gables citizen, architect since 1984. Miami resident since 1962, born in Havana, Cuba. My wife and I always admired Coral Gables. So we bought our first house here before we even got married, remodeled, doubled the square footage to raise our two children thanks to Little Flower School along with the Coral Gables Youth Center. Working with the city, remodeled the Historic Venetian Pool, replacing broken tiles used for the doorways and throughout the pool that are still made in present day Spain."
– Pedro Benavides, Coral Gables resident
"713 Biltmore Way is a quintessential Coral Gables building. The building was originally erected in 1925 just as the City of Coral Gables was being established. It was built by Patrick Bennett from a George Fink 'Venetian Palace' design, using George Merrick's Coral Gables Construction and Supply Company. It had been used as a haberdashery, a liquor store, a restaurant, and a hotel before the Junior League of Miami purchased the property from the Sons of the American Revolution in 1995. Junior League members lovingly renovated and restored it to use as our headquarters, and today we proudly use it to host leadership trainings, volunteer events, socials, and meetings."
–Ava Habif, President of the Junior League of Miami
The Venetian Aquatic Club was formed in 1959 by a group of women who were concerned with the safety of their children due to the proximity of the ocean and the many waterways, lakes, rockpits and pools in the area. These women started a water safety organization, based on the principles of the American Red Cross Learn to Swim program, that to this day, remains a purely volunteer-based organization focused on teaching water safety and swim lessons to children and adults at the historic Venetian Pool in Coral Gables.
John McEntee Bowman and George Merrick at the Biltmore Hotel in 1926. Recognizing the importance of having a luxury resort hotel in the city, George Merrick turned to Bowman, President of the Biltmore Hotel chain as a partner. The New York firm of Leonard Schultz and S. Fullerton Weaver was selected by Bowman to design the hotel and ground was broken in 1925. At a cost of $10 million, the Miami-Biltmore Hotel and Country Club, boasting a golf course and 350 rooms, officially opened on January 15, 1926.
The Coral Gables Hospital was founded and started servicing the Coral Gables community in July of 1926. The location is on the same exact property as it was back then.
Since 2011 Bike Walk Coral Gables (BWCG) has led bike tours with partner organizations such as the city, the Coral Gables Museum, Dade Heritage Trust, etc., to improve the quality of life for residents and visitors walking and biking in Coral Gables. The most popular tour is a police-escorted bicycle ride to Matheson Hammock Park for a barbecue with food and drinks, games, and live music. Over 200 people attended the Annual “Bike & BBQ” event in 2024.
The original Rathskeller at the University of Miami first opened its doors in 1973 under President Henry Stanford, and it quickly became a gathering spot for students seeking a break from their studies, a place to watch the latest Hurricanes game with a beer in hand or a stage for live entertainment.
In its place now stands the Donna E. Shalala Student Center, named for the University’s fifth president, which opened its doors in 2013. The building is now the University’s hub for students to study, socialize, and engage in student life and for department offices.
In 1967, the James M. Cox, Jr. Science Building opened its doors on the University of Miami Coral Gables campus. Science classes had previously been held in the Anastasia Building. From its early days to now, this building has been at the heart of scientific discovery and education at the U.
The Memorial Classroom building was the first permanent academic building to be opened on the University of Miami’s Coral Gables campus following WWII. The building was originally named the Memorial Classroom Building because each classroom in the building was planned to be dedicated to various University benefactors.
The building was later renamed and dedicated in honor of Oscar E. Dooly. Dooly was a University of Miami trustee from 1944-1970, and one of the first trustees to support and recommend the George Merrick land in Coral Gables as the permanent new home for the University of Miami.
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Coral Gables City Hall
405 Biltmore Way
Coral Gables, FL 33134
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Tel: 305-446-6800​