Merrick House

Merrick House at 907 Coral Way in Coral Gables is the boyhood home of George Merrick, the developer who planned and founded the city of Coral Gables in the 1920s. The Merrick family arrived in South Florida from Massachusetts in 1899, when George's father, the Rev. Solomon Merrick, bought land and built a frame house on the site. The family farmed the land, growing citrus and vegetables, and the property took its name from the coral rock used in the house. Over the following years the family expanded the house, and a coral rock exterior was added in the 1920s, giving it its present look. George Merrick inherited the family land and used it, together with adjacent purchases, to develop the Mediterranean-style planned community that opened in 1925. The house is a rare surviving structure from the pioneer period, and its modest scale contrasts sharply with the ornate city that grew around it. The City of Coral Gables acquired the property in the 1970s and restored it as a museum. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Rooms are furnished with period furniture, family photographs and household items that show daily life on a South Florida farm in the early 20th century. Visits are generally by guided tour with limited weekly hours, and interpretation is chronological, tracing the family's move south, the farm years and the founding of the city. The house is a good first stop for visitors who want to learn about Coral Gables before seeing the Biltmore Hotel, the Venetian Pool and the Miracle Mile, and it is in a residential area where parking is easy. The small scale of the house makes the story personal, showing the family origins behind one of the best-known planned cities in the United States. Visitors are advised to confirm current opening hours, admission prices and any guided-tour schedules directly with the venue before traveling, since these details change seasonally and with special events in Miami, Florida.