When George Merrick designed Coral Gables he wanted a series of gates to enter the city. They are reminiscent of the medieval gates in Europe and were meant to show that Coral Gables is separate from the surrounding city. This is the one at the Alhambra entrance. They are made out of native stone and have benches to sit on.All of the Mediterranean style gates to the city were designed by Denman Fink, George Merricks uncle. Denman Fink was an artist and magazine illustrator. In addition to the gates he designed the Venetian Pool and the Alhambra Water Tower. He served as the artistic adviser for the City of Coral Gables. I looked closely at the gate and after I cleared away some weeds as I able to find his seal with a D and G entwined. It was such a cool find to see his mark left on the gate. Since he was not a licensed architect he had architects Phineas Paist and Walter De Garmo do the final sign off.The gate is so beautiful. I loved looking at all of the intricate details in it. Parts of it are covered in bougainvillea. Its easy to imagine a medieval princess sitting on the bench waiting for her prince. The lovely gates are just one of the reasons Coral Gables has the well earned nickname city beautiful.

Pretty, but not worth a long trip deviation