Page 298 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - USA

296  FL ORID A

9 Coral Gables
Map A4. Lowe Art Museum: Tel (305)
284-3535. £ Metrorail (University).
@ 24, 42, 56. Open 10am–4pm Tue–
Sat, noon–4pm Sun. Closed major
public hols. & 7 Miracle Mile: £
Metrorail (Douglas Rd), then bus 42.
Aptly named the City Beautiful,
Coral Gables is a separate city
within Greater Miami. In the South view of the Biltmore Hotel, Coral Gables’ most famous landmark
1920s, George Merrick planned
this aesthetic wonderland with 0 Biltmore Hotel q Venetian Pool
Denman Fink as artistic advisor,
Frank Button as landscaper, and Map A4. 1200 Anastasia Ave. Tel (855) Map A4. 2701 De Soto Blvd. Tel (305)
Phineas Paist as architectural 311-6903. £ Metrorail (Douglas Rd), 460-5306. £ Metrorail (Douglas Rd),
director. Regulations guarantee then bus 42. 7 8 Sun free. then bus 42. Open Apr–May & Sep–
that new buildings follow the ∑ biltmorehotel.com Oct: 11am–5:30pm; mid-Jun– mid-
Aug: 11am–7:30pm Mon–Fri;
same part-Italian, part-Spanish Nov–Mar: 10am–4:30pm; all year:
style advocated by Merrick. During its heyday in the 1920s, 10am–4:30pm Sat & Sun. Closed Mon
Major landmarks here include this hotel hosted figures such in Sep–May, Jan 1, Thanksgiving,
the Spanish Baroque Coral as Al Capone, Judy Garland, and Dec 24 & 25. & 7
Gables Congregational the Duke and Duchess of ∑ coralgables.com
Church, the district’s first Windsor. During World War II, it
church, the Spanish served as a military hospital and Perhaps the most beautiful
Renaissance Coral Gables City remained a veterans’ hospital swimming pool in the world,
Hall, and the Lowe Art until 1968. After a $55-million the Venetian Pool was
Museum, the first art restoration in 1986, it went bank- ingeniously fashioned from a
museum in South rupt in 1990 but reopened coral rock quarry in 1923 by
Florida, located in two years later. The Denman Fink and Phineas
the University of Biltmore’s most Paist. Pink stucco towers and
Miami’s campus. striking feature vine-covered loggias, candy-
Its main shopping is a 315-ft (96-m) cane Venetian poles, a
street was named near replica of cobblestone bridge, fountains,
Miracle Mile (the Seville Cathedral’s waterfalls, and numerous
walk along one side La Giralda, also the caves surround crystal-clear,
and down the other Coral Gables Congregational model for Miami’s spring-fed waters, which are
being the mile in Church Freedom Tower great for swimming. The pool
question) by a (see p295). Inside is was once one of the most
developer in 1940. The a grand lobby, lined with fashionable social spots in
Colonnade Hotel was built Herculean pillars. The Biltmore Coral Gables – in the lobby
in 1926 by Merrick as the has one of the largest hotel are a series of photographs
headquarters for his real estate swimming pools in the US, where of beauty pageants staged
business. Nearby, at Salzedo its famous instructor, Johnny here during the 1920s. This
Street and Aragon Avenue, is Weissmuller – known for his beautiful public swimming
the Old Police Station Building, role as Tarzan – set a world pool is definitely worth a visit,
built in 1939. record in the 1930s. for a swim or just a look.

Venetian Pool, ingeniously created in the 1920s out of an old coral rock quarry
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp326–8 and pp329–31

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Eyewitness Travel LAYERS PRINTED:
Catalogue template “UK” LAYER
(Source v2.6)
Date 12th July 2013
Size 125mm x 217mm