"Just how I came to utilize the Spanish type in Coral Gables, I can hardly say, except that it always seemed to me to be the only way houses should be built down there in those tropical surroundings. I made a trip to Mexico and Central America and was more convinced than ever of the possibilities offered by the adaptation of the Spanish and Moorish type of architecture. The gleaming white coral rock, the palm trees, tropical flowers and verdure seemed to me to provide a natural setting with which Spanish architecture alone would harmonize."
George E. Merrick, New York Times,
March 15, 1924
The style popular in South Florida in the 1920′s is now called "Mediterranean Revival" which was influenced by the architecture of the countries bordering the Mediterranean coast, namely Spain, France, Italy and North Africa. Historic architecture in Miami Dade County is comprised of mostly Mediterranean Revival homes. This style of architecture can be seen in historic districts like Morningside, Coral Gables, Miami Springs, Historic Bayside and Coconut Grove.
The exterior identifying features of these fabulous old houses are: Historic Cuban Clay Barrel Tile, Cornice Details, Lime Based Paint, arched windows, decorative columns, wood casement windows, balustrated balconies, decorative or structural ornamental brackets, decorative ventilation grids, rough textured stucco walls, low pitched multiple gabled roofs, chimney, and awnings. Interior floor plans are mostly informal and asymmetrical in arrangement. Arched openings separate main rooms or areas. Ceilings have exposed beams and rafters, some carved, and
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