Coral Gables, Florida, USA.

Coral Gables is known as one of the expensive and elegant areas of Miami. This image was formed by the architectural requirements of the builder George Merrick. These requirements apply even today.

 The name "Coral Gables" is based on a misunderstanding of the forefathers of the architect. When he built his house he realized that the building materials he used included fossils and therefore he believed that it was coral rock.

The districts of Coral Gables architecture is modeled after European villages. The styles of the house which have been constructed there are international inspired by French and Chinese.

The streets are overshadowed by large oaks and Banyan trees. The street names such as Grenada Boulevard or Catalonia Avenue are unusual for America and reminds to the connection of Europe. The street names are marked on the white stones which lay in the short-cut grass at the edges of the roads.

The most visited buildings in the district of Coral Gables are the Biltmore Hotel, Venetian Pool and Miracle Mile.

The Miracle Mile is a small shopping street in which many exclusive boutiques are established.  The old police and fire station of the district are also very famous. They attract visitors as well as the Colonaden Building.

The circular hall of the Colonaden Building was once the center for the sales of real estates of the Architects Merrick. Today this circular hall is the lobby of the Colonaden Hotel.

The Venetian Pool is an old coral stone quarry and was built in 1923. Pink stucco towers, Venetian loggias and columns surround the pool. In the 1920s this was one of the most popular meeting places in Coral Gables. The many photos of that time documents this to the visitors.

The Biltmore Hotel is the most famous buildings in Coral Gables. It was built in 1926 and was “the Nobel hotel” for the rich and famous such as Al Capone and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.

The most important part of the hotel is the Tower. It is a replica of the cathedral tower in Seville, Spain. Another identical replica of this tower is the Freedom Tower in Downtown Miami.
The Biltmore hotel has the largest swimming pool in the United States in which already Weissmuller Johnny the Olympic Games athlete and later Tarzan actor exercised his training.

During the 1930s the hotel lost it interest as a Nobel hotel. In the 2nd World War the hotel was used as a hospital. Until 1968 the Biltmore hotel was a Veterans Hospital and remained then temporarily empty. The renovation and reopening as a hotel in its former glory was made the 1986. After a bankruptcy in 1992 the luxury hotel started another attempt in the hotel business which is successful till today.

If you do not reside there you can use a weekly guided tour through the hotel or enjoy your afternoon tea when you make a reservation.

 

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