George Merrick, Son of the South Wind

About this book

South Florida historian Arva Moore Parks recounts George Merrick's quest to distinguish himself from the legions of developers who sought only profit. Helping to create the land boom of the 1920s, Merrick transformed his family's citrus grove just outside of Miami into one of the finest planned communities: the 'master suburb' of Coral Gables. Hailed in national publications as a visionary, Merrick was green before green, a New Urbanist before the movement even had a name. But the Great Depression ravaged Miami, and Merrick's idealism cost him his fortune. With unprecedented access to the Merrick family and mining Merrick's personal letters, documents, speeches, and manuscripts, Parks presents the story of George Merrick and the development of one of the nation's most iconic planned cities.