Coral Gables board designates 2716 Granada Boulevard as local historic landmark and approves related design work

Coral Gables — The City of Coral Gables Historic Preservation Board voted May 21 to designate the single-family residence at 2716 Granada Boulevard as a local historic landmark and to approve an accelerated Certificate of Appropriateness for proposed additions and restoration work.

Melissa Ewing, the city’s historic preservation coordinator, told the board the 5,900-square-foot home on DeSoto Plaza was constructed in 1923, is recorded as permit number 32, and demonstrates the Mediterranean Revival style associated with founder George Merrick’s early development of Coral Gables. “The property at 2716 Granada Boulevard is before you for consideration for designation as a local historic landmark,” Ewing said during staff’s presentation and recommended approval under Article 8, Section 8-103 of the Coral Gables zoning code.

After staff’s presentation the board voted unanimously to designate the property as a local historic landmark. The board then considered the applicant’s request for an accelerated Certificate of Appropriateness for additions, alterations and site work — including a small rear addition of less than 300 square feet and a package of restorative changes intended to bring later alterations closer to the house’s original 1923 character.

Callum Gibb, the project architect, described the goal as returning several altered elevations to period-appropriate proportions while making modest new additions and improving insulation and drainage. “The main goal of the work we’re proposing is to sort of blend those a little closer to the original uh style of the house,” Gibb said, describing plans to remove a later mansard overhang, reinstate porch fenestration, and lower a privacy courtyard wall.

Board discussion focused on how to treat window openings in the original 1923 portion versus the 1968 addition. Several members urged retaining or restoring original openings or working with staff to insert a sympathetic third window to preserve the historic rhythm. After questions and debate, the board approved the COA with the staff conditions as amended; the motion passed 6–3.

The COA requires the applicant to work with city staff on window and door configurations and other details intended to protect the integrity of the original 1923 structure while allowing the owner to proceed with modest interior renovations and the small rear addition. The board’s approval makes the project eligible to move forward toward permitting under the conditions set at the hearing.

The board’s action preserves the property’s stated historical, cultural and architectural significance while enabling an applicant-led program of restorative work that staff and several board members described as sympathetic to the home’s Mediterranean Revival character. The board did not take up other, unrelated items at the site such as off‑agenda maintenance matters.

Next procedural step: the applicant will work with staff on the COA conditions and submit final drawings reflecting the agreed window and door details before issuance of building permits.