Coral Gables Congregational Church

Directly across the street from the Biltmore Hotel lies the Congregational Church of Coral Gables. Started by George Merrick in 1923, the building of a church was a priority as he happened to be the son of a Congregational minister. This building stands as a grand memorial of sorts to his father. Designed by the architect Richard Kiehnel,...

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The Biltmore Hotel

Located in Coral Gables, a historic neighborhood within Miami, the Biltmore Hotel has become a famous luxury hotel after years of neglect. When the hotel was opened in January 1926 by George Merrick, the original developer of Coral Gables, it was to combine a luxury hotel with world class outdoor amenities such as a golf course and swimming...

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New York, New York

I'm back from a fun filled weekend spent in New York with the highlight being a visit to my favorite museum, The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Admittedly, I'm not there for the art. I adore the period rooms and have seen them literally hundereds of times (but can never get enough).My favorite has always been the moody Venetian bedroom, seen...

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Florida sunshine

DC has had unseasonably warm weather and it has me missing the 80 degree, sunny days we had in Florida this week (the Biltmore hotel in Coral Gables seen here). Here's hoping you've all taken advantage of this teaser of spring we've experienced. Have a great President's Day weeke...

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Coral Gables City Hall

As I mentioned, Coral Gables was a planned community at the latter end of the city beautiful movement. The last piece of George Merrick's master plan to be built in 1927 was the city hall, which is the end piece of the miracle mile.Merrick again brought in Phineas Paist to design the building which sits on an awkward site. The 'front' of...

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