George Merrick, inspired by the City Beautiful Movement, conceived of Coral Gables as an idyllic, picturesque community reminiscent of Spain with a gorgeous Mediterranean Revival Architecture style. He intended to create an urban environment adorned with tree-canopied streets, aesthetically pleasing roundabouts and grand architectural structures to achieve the stately ambience he desired. He designed downtown Coral Gables with its main intersecting thoroughfares, Miracle Mile and Ponce de Leon, to be a cosmopolitan center where residents could conduct important business, dine on sumptuous cuisine, and shop at the finest boutiques within a few pedestrian-friendly blocks. George Merrick’s vision has grown into a rich, diverse international business community home to more than 155 multinational corporations and numerous foreign government consulates complete with world-renowned restaurants, prestigious shops, splendid art galleries, luxurious hotels, and one of the nation’s most prestigious private research universities in the nation, the University of Miami. Residents of Coral Gables are proud to call themselves Miami Hurricanes!
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No visit to the “City Beautiful” is complete without a refreshing swim in the coral-rock carved Venetian Pool, a tour of the fabulous Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden and a picnic at Matheson Hammock beneath the Spanish moss-covered canopy. For the golfer, Coral Gables offers challenging well-manicured golf courses, such as the Biltmore or Granada Golf Course. The history buff will bask in the nostalgia of the Coral Gables Merrick House, the ancestral home of George Merrick listed on the National Register of Historical Places. In addition to a visit to the Lowe Art Museum located at the University of Miami, the art-enthusiast will delight in the abundance of gorgeous art galleries to visit during Gables Gallery Nights. Of course, the beguilingly beautiful Biscayne Bay with its many boating and water sports opportunities beckons you…
If it’s sublime shopping that you crave, visit the Village of Merrick Park, the premier shopping and dining destination where you can find Tiffany’s, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Gucci, as well as designer boutiques and specialty stores.
Today, preserving Coral Gables architectural integrity and provenance as well as its upscale environment is vital to the citizens and businesses that call the “City Beautiful” home.
