University of Miami Cornerstone Dedication in 1926

Cover: George Merrick speaking at the Cornerstone Dedication

More than seven thousand people converged on the site selected for the University of Miami in Coral Gables to witness the cornerstone laying ceremony on Thursday, February 4, 1926. The pomp and circumstance surrounding this event represented a seminal moment in the founding story of this educational institution.

Some of the most influential South Florida residents during the roaring twenties were involved in both the founding of the university and the dedication ceremonies. The school’s most generous benefactor, George Merrick, shared his thoughts on how that day was the proudest moment for him and the biggest day in Coral Gables history. He pledged his support through the donation of land and money in memory of his late father, Reverend Solomon Merrick, who died fifteen years earlier in 1911. In many ways, the cornerstone dedication ceremony was George’s opportunity to memorialize his father.