To the Editor:
Before it was known as La Salle, the 1923 building stood as the birthplace of Coral Gables. It was the first office of the Coral Gables Construction Company — George Merrick’s company — responsible for building vast portions of the city in the 1920s. This building precedes Coral Gables City Hall. This place matters.
It is a sad day anywhere when a place’s cultural patrimony is erased. The recent demolition of the iconic La Salle property in Coral Gables brings the sadness home. The loss of La Salle can only be called a travesty to history; a snub to George Merrick’s legacy. Although it took many months to actually raze the building, its fate was sealed back in 2018 when the Coral Gables Historic Preservation Board disregarded the recommendation of the city’s Historic Resources Department and rejected designation.
Equally significant in this case is that the “La Salle Building” met all four designation criteria (only one criterion is needed to warrant designation) under the city’s preservation ordinance. And, according to the designation report, alterations to the building were 100 percent reversible. If any building should have been designated historic, it was this one.
La Salle did not matter enough.
It also is ironic that it happened in a city that states that its zoning code is the main document that “preserves the distinctive historic and architectural character of the municipality.” Have the words “preserves” and “historic” become meaningless? Places matter.
Coincidentally, a resolution was passed last year to give Historic Landmark Designation to the Coral Gables Historic City Plan. It is no use writing books about it or claiming saving this or that. It is about preserving the cultural patrimony of a community each and every time it presents itself. Places matter.
Finally, as we enter the month of May, preservationists around the world celebrate Historic Preservation Month with slogans such as “This Place Matters.” Unfortunately, for Coral Gables, La Salle’s historical significance did not matter enough.
Sincerely,
Karelia Martinez Carbonell, DPA
President, Historic Preservation Association of Coral Gables
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