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The Country Club of Coral Gables was the first public building in our city, and it remains one of our most iconic properties. Even before our city was established, George Merrick, our founding father, envisioned this community resource in the 1921 Town Plan. This visionary entrepreneur looked to create a club as a place to meet the need for recreation, relaxation, fitness and as a community gathering place for the City Beautiful he was planning. One hundred years later, there is much debate as to what this facility should be.
“The Way We Were” is a movie from 1973 and we think the title perfectly embodies the idea of how we can recapture what the Country Club should become once again. For generations, the Country Club was as a second home for many in our community. It was the place you gathered to see your children and grandchildren play and grow up and it was a place where you gathered to be with friends and family.
Throughout the years there were many programs available for families, and civic organizations, like the Rotary Club and the Kiwanis, met there on a regular basis. It was affordable and accessible to all residents. While from different eras, we all remember when mothers spent their time at the club with their children, where couples came to dine. This is the place people brought their families for community-inspired activities.
Former Mayor 1985 – 1987, City of Coral Gables
When a fire destroyed much of the then 60-year old club in 1983. including part of the Spanish-style clubhouse that contained the main ballroom, a great many people in our community, as well as community leaders and elected officials, broke down and cried. They cried, not simply because of the damage to the building; they cried because of the memories that smoldered in the rubble.
Unfortunately, like a great many things in our society, the Country Club over the years has lost its way. But it’s not too late to recapture the essence of what the Country Club once was and what it must always be; a place where we come together as a community. A place where we spend not just an hour grabbing a coffee or gelato, but the whole day and evening for events such as Daddy-Daughter dances, family luaus and movie night at the pool, family talent shows, arts and crafts night and family weekend swimming races.
Former Commissioner and Vice Mayor 1995 – 2015, City of Coral Gables
We want a place that is more than just a venue to host weddings and more than just a banquet hall and fitness club. We’d like to see a place where our multi-generational families gather – on an ongoing basis to spend time together. A place where we meet as neighbors and become friends. A place where we can once again come together as one community. A place where memories are made and forever cherished. Something old that is new again. It’s never too late.
WRITTEN BY Kirk R. Menendez, City Commissioner of the City of Coral Gables
Dorothy Thomson, Former Mayor (1985 – 1987) of the City of Coral Gables
William H. Kerdyk, Jr., Former Commissioner and Vice Mayor (1995 – 2015) of the City of Coral Gables
