Coral Gables ranch house not historic, board decides. But it’s not quite over yet
With no debate, the Coral Gables historic preservation board on Wednesday narrowly voted down a contentious proposal to designate a 1930s ranch-style house by a leading architect of the day as a historic landmark.
The board voted 5-4 against designating the house at 1208 Asturia Avenue despite a strong recommendation by the city’s preservation office. Barring a successful appeal to the city commission, that means the house will be demolished by its owners for construction of a new home.
The proposed designation was repeatedly deferred since last fall and had procedurally deadlocked the board at a previous hearing in January. It became a flashpoint for questions over the protection of historic homes and buildings in Coral Gables, whose rigorous preservation program is often referred to as the “gold standard” in South Florida.
Thursday’s vote marks the third time preservationists have lost a high-profile battle to save endangered homes and buildings in the city in the past two years. The proposed ranch-home designation, though not the first in the city, prompted an unusual letter from Mayor Raul Valdes-Fauli arguing that preservation in the city had gone too far and was hurting development and real estate interests.
A report by the Coral Gables preservation office concluded the 1937 house, designed by Russell Pancoast, was significant enough to be saved because it was among the first to break away from the Mediterranean-inspired architecture of the suburb’s early years, setting a template for new modern style of home design what would later proliferate across the city.
“This was a very early, trendsetting example example of Modern architecture,” Gables interim preservation chief Kara Kautz told the board during Thursday’s hearing. She called Pancoast’s design, which retains touches of his trademark Art Deco style, “innovative, groundbreaking and stylish” and an exemplar of “sophisticated simplicity” that stands out from the thousands of bland ranch homes that followed.
But an attorney for the homeowners, members of the Valls family that operates the Versailles and La Carreta restaurant empire, said the city report “fell short” of establishing the degree of significance necessary for landmark protection in spite of what he described as an “exceptional effort” by city preservation staff.
The later ranch homes that spread across the Gables and the rest of the country didn’t come until a decade later, and there is little evidence that those were inspired by Pancoast’s design, attorney Mario Garcia-Serra said. He also argued the ranch home type is not closely associated with Coral Gables.
“Mr. Pancoast was a great architect,” Garcia-Serra said. “In this case, he designed a good home, not a historic landmark.”
It’s impossible to say, however, which part of the competing arguments board members found persuasive. Unusually, not one board member spoke in favor or against, though a couple asked factual questions.
After the hearing, Karelia Carbonell, president of the Historic Preservation Association of Coral Gables, which supported the designation, said she found the vote and the board’s lack of debate “disappointing.”
Garcia-Serra and Valls family members said they were relieved but cautioned they must still wait to see if anyone appeals the board vote. Property owners within 1,000 feet of the house can appeal under city ordinances within 10 days. A measure recently approved by the city commission also allows the city preservation officer to file an appeal.
Preservationists have said the tussle over the Pancoast house and other recent losses, including the demolition of one of the last standing 1920s commercial buildings from Gables founder George Merrick’s original downtown, call into question the city’s commitment to historic preservation amid intense development pressures.
