History buffs and anyone who loves elegant architecture may want to visit the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables.
Free walking tours of the historic National Landmark are conducted on Sundays in June at 1:30 and 2:30 p.m. by volunteers of the Dade Heritage Trust, the organization that leads efforts to save buildings in the county that have historic significance.
The hotel was designed by Schultze and Weaver and was built in 1926 by John McEntee Bowman and George Merrick as part of the Biltmore hotel chain and when completed was the tallest building in Florida at 315 feet.
The one hour free guided tours highlight the architecture, history and culture of the beautiful hotel, as well as background of the city of Coral Gables and some surprising facts that are not widely known. Tour groups meet the guide and begin the tour in the hotel’s main lobby on the second level.
During the first tour on June 4, volunteer Judy Pruitt recounted the history of the building to a group of about 30 visitors, explaining how the hotel was constructed in one year on a parcel of 160 acres bought by George Merrick’s father, the Reverend Solomon Merrick, for $1,100 from a couple who had homesteaded the property.
From its heyday to the present the building served as a luxury hotel, a hospital during World War II and as a VA Hospital and campus of the University of Miami medical school until 1968. It became a hotel again in 1987.
“When the V.A. wanted to move to a larger building, the federal government gave the property to the City of Coral Gables,” Pruitt said. “At first, the commission wanted to tear down the building, but historian Arva Moore Parks led a movement to save it and raised private funds to restore it. It’s now operated by a management group.”
Tour visitors not only can see the lavish dining halls and large swimming pool where Johnny Weismuller taught classes before becoming
Tarzan in the movies, they also can learn about the legendary ghost and the connection with famed racketeer Al Capone.
Guide Judy Pruitt is happy in her volunteer role.
“This is such a beautiful place,” she said. “I enjoy doing this. I live in the Gables not far from here.”
The Biltmore Hotel is located at 1200 Anastasia Ave. in Coral Gables. For information about the tour visit www.dadeheritagetrust.org or call 305-358-9572.
