This podcast episode explores the story of Coral Gables’ theme villages, conceived at the height of the 1920s building boom. In the spring of 1925, George Merrick hired the American Building Corporation to construct 1,000 residences over ten years. The plan called for as many as 16 theme villages, each reflecting different cultural and architectural traditions.
Led by Myers Cooper of the American Building Corporation, the project got off to a strong start. Construction moved ahead of schedule, and several villages were already underway within the first year. But the South Florida land boom collapsed in the fall of 1926, bringing the rapid pace of development to a halt. By the time the boom ended, homes had been completed in 7 of the 16 planned villages, leaving Coral Gables with a distinctive and varied architectural heritage.
Tune into this week’s podcast episode to hear more about the theme villages. You can download this episode on your favorite podcast platform (iTunes, Stitcher, Soundcloud, Spotify) or listen directly on the Miami-History website. Please remember to click on the subscribe button and to provide a rating and comment on any of the platforms where this podcast episode is available.
Correction:
At the 1:29 mark of the podcast episode, Solomon Merrick was represented as a “Presbyterian minister”, but the more accurate representation is that Solomon was a “Congregational minister.” Thank you to the listener who pointed out this distinction.
Resources:
Video: “Coral Gables Unique Villages”, Hank Tester, CBS Miami.
Miami History Podcast Episode: “George Merrick & Coral Gables”.
