Ethereum

Highrise #177

Collection

Highrises

Description

**Biltmore Hotel** **Art by:** Chris Hytha **Story by:** Mark Houser The top presidential suite in this stately hotel is named for George Merrick, who founded a Mediterranean-themed planned community on a family citrus grove that his father had named after the locally abundant construction material he used to build their house there. Merrick teamed with the expanding Biltmore chain to build a luxury golf course and resort property as an anchor for his suburban development. Its central tower was modeled on the Giralda, a famed Spanish cathedral belfry that had its origins as the minaret of a grand mosque. While his hotel was under construction, Merrick also donated land and money to found the University of Miami. The school's football team would soon take its name from the devastating hurricane that struck in 1926, turning the months-old luxury hotel into a temporary shelter for homeless Coral Gables residents. The storm also squashed a south Florida land boom and cost Merrick most of his fortune. The Army took over the property during World War II, and it was used as a veteran's hospital for nearly three decades. Long ago restored to its original purpose, the hotel features a magnificent blue vaulted lobby where tropical finches in elaborate birdcages tweet for the guests checking in.

Traits

Style

Spanish Baroque

City

Coral Gables

Region

South