I would like to start a new thread based on architectural treasures found all over the beautiful city of Coral Gables.

The following are the ones I re-discovered which are based on the original Disneyesque international villages as planned by George Merrick in the 1920s. Fewer than 80 of the 1,000 planned residences were built, but many of them are still standing.

French City Village. This is one of seven international villages that were built to add variety to the mostly Mediterranean-style city.

http://home.comcast.net/~fpenagos/wsb/media/689008/site1025.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~fpenagos/wsb/media/689008/site1026.jpg

Dutch South African Village. One of my favorites. It is on Le Jeune Road at Maya Avenue.

http://home.comcast.net/~fpenagos/wsb/media/689008/site1027.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~fpenagos/wsb/media/689008/site1028.jpg

French Country Village. Located on Hardee Road at San Vicente Street.

http://home.comcast.net/~fpenagos/wsb/media/689008/site1029.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~fpenagos/wsb/media/689008/site1030.jpg

Chinese Village. An 8 unit village that stands out colorfully from behind a gated wall on Riviera Drive, just South of US 1. A modern day group called The Villagers currently has a project in the works to restore these historic homesites.

http://home.comcast.net/~fpenagos/wsb/media/689008/site1031.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~fpenagos/wsb/media/689008/site1032.jpg

Colonial Village. Also known as the Florida Pioneer village (Southern Colonial) stands today on Santa Maria Street bordering the Riviera Country Club golf course.

http://home.comcast.net/~fpenagos/wsb/media/689008/site1033.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~fpenagos/wsb/media/689008/site1034.jpg

French Normandy Village. Located on LeJeune and Viscaya.

http://home.comcast.net/~fpenagos/wsb/media/689008/site1035.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~fpenagos/wsb/media/689008/site1036.jpg

Also standing are the Italian Village, which is spread throughout an area located just south of Bird Road between Granada Boulevard and Riviera Drive.

WOW...spectacular pics!...More Please....these are immaculate houses.! I absolutely love Coral Gables!

wow amazing pics

i love the normandy and most of the other ones except the chinese,nice pics

Whats interesting to note here is that many of these styles have caught on in other parts of Florida, and this is where they where they were introduced I believe. Palm Beach has similar styles, and of course any other affluent neighborhoods.

DON PACHO :) , GREAT PICS, Bro, WELCOME to the Florida Forum !!!, Make Sure your VOTE Your Favorite CITY :) in the Bottom VOTE Thread, and Thanks Again for those Fantastic PICS :) , WELCOME AGAIN. :cheers:

Whats interesting to note here is that many of these styles have caught on in other parts of Florida, and this is where they where they were introduced I believe. Palm Beach has similar styles, and of course any other affluent neighborhoods.

Yes you're right. Palm Beach and Boca Raton, for instance, have fantastic architectural pieces by Addison Mizner about the same era as Coral Gables. Maybe we should start a thread on this topic :)

Yes you're right. Palm Beach and Boca Raton, for instance, have fantastic architectural pieces by Addison Mizner about the same era as Coral Gables. Maybe we should start a thread on this topic :)
DON PACHO :) , BOCA RATON is Part of the West Palm Beach METRO Area which is a THREAD for those Cities in the STICKY AREA, the MIAMI METRO Area is already HUGE :) with Ft,Lauderdale-Hialeah-Coral-Gables-Kendall-Sunny Isles Beach-Aventura-Hollywood-North beach-North Bay Village-South Beach-Miami Beach-Uptown-Watson Island-Fisher Island-Key Biscayne-South Miami-North Miami-Miami Airport-West Miami-Dade County-Broward County in GENERAL, LOL. :cheers:

Chuck I belive he was refering to the architectural legacy of these cities as similar to coral gables as opposed to P/C lists. You could just add them on here instead of making a new thread. That would actually be very interesting.

AH TRUE SKY :) , I see Your POINT, I'm blind getting that 50 Blur, lol. Very Interesting. :cheers:

We need pics of delightful areas in Broward and West Palm Peach Counties, they don't get mentioned enough here!

I've already posted pics of Hollywood in another thread! We need more (from other places as well)!

There are many wonderful older neighborhoods throughout SE Florida like Victoria Park near downtown Ft. Lauderdale or the areas surrounding Las Olas boulevard.
Any one here familiar with these?

nice job, don. i think most people who aren't that familiar with miami would'nt expect to see houses like these down here. definitely one of miami's better kept secrets.

nice to know that there's a group of people who are actively trying to preserve these homes. i didn't know that.

bobdreamz, i'm not familiar with those areas, although i haven't spent that much time up in ft. lauderdale. anyone have pics of these neighborhoods?

im just a dade county kinda guy, i live in south miami and really never go north of 8th street for anything, cept downtown or the beaches, and maybe a few times to visit a friend i got in north miami... the metro miami area is just so huge, that theres alotta sub areas, where alotta people just dont move out of alot

Yep, definitely rich in architecture, far far from being a regular suburb!

I've found these comments on the Florida Michelin Travel Guide:

"Beginning in 1925, several small thematic villages designed to reflect the architecture of China, Italy, South Africa, France and the antebellum South added an exotic theatrical touch to Merrick's fantasy city. To maintain quality and uniformity of design, all new construction, including paint color, was subject to a review board"

French City Village

http://home.comcast.net/~fpenagos/wsb/media/689008/site1046.jpg

Another French City Village home

http://home.comcast.net/~fpenagos/wsb/media/689008/site1047.jpg

Dutch South African Village

There are only 3 or 4 houses left from this village, if there were more. Their architectural elements are among the most interesting to observe.

This house was difficult to photograph because of the trees but I captured this amazing window. Typical South African architecture in the middle of Coral Gables.

http://home.comcast.net/~fpenagos/wsb/media/689008/site1048.jpg

Beautiful, well designed entrance.

http://home.comcast.net/~fpenagos/wsb/media/689008/site1049.jpg

This wall has incredible architectural elements.

http://home.comcast.net/~fpenagos/wsb/media/689008/site1050.jpg

Another amazing wall of one of the houses of this village.

http://home.comcast.net/~fpenagos/wsb/media/689008/site1051.jpg

French Normandy Village

This is the only village located on a major city street. These houses face LeJeune Road.

http://home.comcast.net/~fpenagos/wsb/media/689008/site1052.jpg

Another house of this beautiful village.

http://home.comcast.net/~fpenagos/wsb/media/689008/site1053.jpg

and another one...

http://home.comcast.net/~fpenagos/wsb/media/689008/site1054.jpg

DON PACHO :) < again You Did Great, Nice PICS, I love Coral Gables ,too, its My Third Best city in Miami-Dade County, Miami ,1st, Sunny Isles Second, SUPER Nice Homes are in the Gables, George Merrick, The Founder, was Proud of Living in Coral Gables. :cheers:

This folly, built in 1925, was the work of Denman Fink who was George Merrick's artistic advisor.

http://img104.exs.cx/img104/310/e1-AlhambraWaterTowe.jpg

http://img104.exs.cx/img104/546/0d-AlhambraWaterTowe.jpg

Wow...don Pancho...spectacular pics, spectacular city...please post more...pleeez!!:)

The Granada Entrance
is a copy of the gate to Granada in Spain

http://img68.exs.cx/img68/4932/r4hgranadaentrance02.jpg

http://img68.exs.cx/img68/7969/i9fgranadaentrance03.jpg


Country Club Prado Entrance
complete with ornamental pillars, is the most elegant of the grand entrances

http://img68.exs.cx/img68/4894/p0scountryclubpradoe.jpg

http://img68.exs.cx/img68/8007/z8hcountryclubpradoe.jpg

http://img68.exs.cx/img68/8908/y3lcountryclubpradoe.jpg


Douglas Entrance

http://img68.exs.cx/img68/2069/b8hdouglasentrance01.jpg

http://img68.exs.cx/img68/1350/x1idouglasentrance02.jpg

http://img68.exs.cx/img68/467/p0idouglasentrance06.jpg

*Spectacular*...such a unique city!!:)

Only if all subdivisions in Florida were required to build this way...it would be a different place altogether.

One of the most stunning hotels in the country, the Biltmore has been beautifully restored to its 1920s grandeur :)

http://img143.exs.cx/img143/6499/biltmorehotel007a2qu.jpg


Detail of the tower top

http://img143.exs.cx/img143/1337/biltmorehotel003a4qg.jpg


Main entrance

http://img143.exs.cx/img143/8480/biltmorehotel005a7pl.jpg


Detail of top rooms

http://img143.exs.cx/img143/5413/biltmorehotel006a0dj.jpg


Swimming pool

http://img143.exs.cx/img143/3131/biltmorehotel010a7gz.jpg


Back of building facing the golf course

http://img143.exs.cx/img143/2677/biltmorehotel022s5ad.jpg

http://img143.exs.cx/img143/3199/biltmorehotel024s8al.jpg

one of miami's jewels... you showed it beautifully... nice goin don

Wow........Don Pancho + Camera = Greatness x 3..........:):):)

True Street :)