At the turn of the century, Solomon Merrick and his oldest son, George, came to Florida from Massachusetts to prepare their new home for the arrival of the rest of the Merrick family. Mr. Merrick had bought the 160-acre estate without even seeing it. He was disappointed when he saw that he'd bought rocky, partially cleared acreace with only a few guava trees and a wood cabin. Mr. Merrick and George worked very hard so the rest of their family could join them in January 1900. The following year, Mr. Merrick became minister of Union Chapel, which is now Plymouth Congregational Church. It took five more years of hard work until the grapefruit trees they had planted began to bear fruit. At that time, the present home was built. It was made of native coral rock, also called Miami oolite, which was quarried from what would become Venetian Pool.
After going to college and marrying, George Merrick became a realtor and opened his own real estate office because it was his dream to build the town of Coral Gables. He did so on the original 160-acre homestead described above.
Today, the Merrick house is on the National Register of Histroic Places and has been refurbished to look as it did in the 1920s. It is filled with furniture, photographs, pictures and other things that actually belonged to the Merrick family.
I was born and grew up in Coral Gables and remember seeing this home all the while I grew up. I love this beautiful house and was heartbroken as I watched it deteriorate. I'm so glad it was saved, restored and is in such good condition today.
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Coral Gables Merrick House
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