Coral Gables Police and Fire Station
About this property
The Coral Gables Police and Fire Station (also known as the City of Coral Gables Public Safety Building) is a historic site in Coral Gables, Florida. Completed in 1939 as a Works Progress Administration project, it was designed by Phineas Paist. In 2003, steps were taken to preserve the building and its legacy and by 2011, it was reopened to the public as the Coral Gables Museum. Designed by Phineas Paist of the firm Paist and Steward, the building was built by the Works Progress Administration from 1938 to 1939 and includes a number of distinctive examples of Depression Modern sculpture. Paist was significant as the first registered architect in Miami and as the principal architect for the planned community of-Coral-Gables-. The structure is one of two W.P.A. municipal buildings in Coral Gables and survives in a relatively unaltered state. Completed in 1939, the Old Coral Gables Police and Fire Station replaced a smaller interim facility located on the southwest corner of Salzedo and Alcazar. As a W.P.A. project, the City of Coral Gables provided the land and the Federal government the labor and 71.7% of the construction cost. The Police and Fire Station is of architectural distinction through its use of native keystone (oolitic or coral rock) in contrast to the concrete block construction of the Public Service Building. The architect of the building was responsible for some of the most distinguished buildings in Coral Gables, including the Douglas Entrance, City Hall, Christian Science Church and the Granada Plaza Fountains. For the exterior sculpture of the building, the W.P.A. commissioned Jon Keller (professional name, Theresa Keller maiden name). Keller was also responsible for works of Stephen Foster at the North Florida Memorial, a bust of John Gorrie (inventor of refrigeration) and two 13-foot statues at the Doral Beach Hotel on Miami Beach. In 1975, the Police and Fire Departments vacated the building, although it has remained in the ownership of the City of Coral Gables. In the mid-1990s Coral Gables Commissioner Wayne "Chip" Withers began conversations regarding the possibility of integrating a new museum into the City of Coral Gables. From initial living room chats with a group of artists, architects and cultural insiders, a dream began to take shape as Withers found that there was substantial interest in the idea. The Coral Gables Community Foundation volunteered as the fiscal agent for initial funds that were pledged for the museum. Eventually the city government as a whole became involved and a plan was formulated to house the museum in the historic 1939 Police and Fire Station. After the police and fire departments vacating the building and moving to their new location in the 1970s, the building was used for city offices that were to be re-located, and the beautiful old structure, deeply in need of restoration, seemed to be the perfect location for the cultural facility.
Location
Categories
Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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Questions about this property
When was Coral Gables Police and Fire Station listed on the National Register?
Coral Gables Police and Fire Station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 6, 1984.
What type of historic resource is Coral Gables Police and Fire Station?
Coral Gables Police and Fire Station is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Coral Gables Police and Fire Station?
The period of significance for Coral Gables Police and Fire Station is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near Coral Gables Police and Fire Station?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Coral Gables Police and Fire Station will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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