Javier Baños
Baños is the Editor of Gables Insider
Recent renovations at Coral Gables’ iconic Biltmore Hotel have ignited concern among preservationists and local officials who fear that the changes compromise the historic character of the building. The renovations, which include the removal of original clay tiles, the painting over of rafters, and the installation of modern design elements, were outlined in a detailed email sent to the Coral Gables Commission on October 26, 2024, by Jose Gelabert-Navia, a prominent figure in architectural preservation.
In his email, Gelabert-Navia, who has served as a member of the Board of Architects, the Historic Boards of both the City of Miami and Miami Beach, and currently acts as a Special Master for Coral Gables, expressed his deep concern over what he described as a “travesty” at the National Historic Landmark. According to him, these renovations—particularly the trendy, contemporary design choices—clash with the Biltmore’s original Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, which had been meticulously restored in previous efforts.
“I can tell you that when I sat on the Board, this trendy, Miami Beach wannabe interior design would have never been approved,” Gelabert-Navia wrote, criticizing the decision to replace historic features with elements he described as “kitschy.” He also expressed doubts that these changes had received approval at the national level, as is required for all alterations to National Historic Landmarks. The changes he mentions include the installation of mirrors and chandeliers that detract from the historic character of the space, as well as the removal of important original architectural elements that defined the hotel’s interior.
The Biltmore Hotel, a jewel of Coral Gables, was originally designed by the renowned architectural firm of Schultze and Weaver, which also designed other landmarks like the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City. Opened in 1926, the Biltmore became synonymous with luxury, attracting celebrities, dignitaries, and even serving as a military hospital during World War II.
In recognition of its architectural and cultural significance, the Biltmore was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1996. This designation is the highest level of recognition offered by the U.S. government for properties that hold national significance in American history, architecture, archeology, and culture. Properties that carry this designation must adhere to strict standards for any modifications, renovations, or repairs to ensure that their historical integrity is preserved.
For a property to be listed as a National Historic Landmark, it must meet criteria set forth by the National Park Service (NPS), which include demonstrating exceptional value or quality in illustrating or interpreting the heritage of the United States. The process requires thorough documentation, research, and a nomination that is reviewed by the NPS Advisory Board before receiving final approval from the Secretary of the Interior.
Once designated, properties like the Biltmore are expected to maintain their historical authenticity. Any major changes or renovations must be reviewed and approved by the NPS to ensure that they do not compromise the historic character of the building. This is a rigorous process, involving input from historians, architects, and preservationists, designed to ensure that national treasures like the Biltmore are preserved for future generations.
The City of Coral Gables owns the Biltmore Hotel, but the property is managed by an independent contractor, Biltmore Hotel Limited Partnership, which is led by Gene T. Prescott. Prescott has been associated with the management of the Biltmore for decades, and under his leadership, the hotel has become a symbol of luxury in South Florida, hosting dignitaries, celebrities, and significant events. The lease agreement between the City and Prescott’s team entrusts the management of the hotel to this private entity, including responsibility for its operations, maintenance, and any renovations.
However, the lease also stipulates that all renovations must respect the historic integrity of the building, given its National Historic Landmark status. Gelabert-Navia’s email specifically calls attention to this arrangement, urging city officials to hold the management accountable for ensuring that renovations adhere to the original spirit and architectural character of the property. “Most important,” he writes, “I am addressing our local Administration who should be the ultimate stewards of our heritage and whom I cannot believe are callous to its defacement.”
He emphasized that past renovations, including those guided by the late historian Arva Moore Parks, followed strict preservation standards that honored the original designs by Schultze and Weaver. The current renovations, however, appear to have deviated from these historical precedents, leaving preservationists like Gelabert-Navia alarmed about the future of the hotel’s authentic architectural identity.
Gelabert-Navia’s letter was copied to various figures in the preservation community, including Andres Viglucci, an architectural critic for the Miami Herald, and former Coral Gables Mayor Don Slesnick, whose daughter serves on the State of Florida Historic Preservation Board. He is also researching the appropriate federal officials who might review the alterations for compliance with national preservation standards.
The email raises serious questions about how the renovations were approved and whether they received the necessary permissions from the National Park Service, as required for National Historic Landmarks. Given the hotel’s significance as both a local and national treasure, the stakes are high. If found to be non-compliant, these renovations could not only jeopardize the Biltmore’s landmark status but also diminish its standing as a key piece of Coral Gables’ identity.
Gables Insider Reaches Out for the Hotel’s Perspective
(See below response from Prescott)
In an effort to obtain the hotel management’s perspective, Gables Insider contacted Matthias Kammerer, the Managing Director of the Biltmore Hotel. As of this publication, Kammerer has not returned any calls, leaving the administration’s viewpoint on these controversial renovations still unclear.
Gelabert-Navia’s call for action suggests that the administration of Coral Gables has a duty to intervene and ensure that the Biltmore is returned to its historically accurate state. Given the hotel’s stature and its place in both local and national history, the preservation of its authentic character remains a critical concern for many in the community.
For now, the conversation continues, and many are watching closely to see if the Biltmore’s historic integrity will be preserved for future generations.
Gene T. Prescott Responds to Renovation Concerns
Following the publication of this article, Gables Insider received a call from Gene T. Prescott, the long-time operator of the Biltmore Hotel. Prescott sought to address the concerns raised about the recent renovations to the hotel’s lower lobby. In a conciliatory tone, he admitted that while he did not specifically receive approval from the City of Coral Gables for these renovations, his understanding was that his only legal requirement for a permit pertained to the moving of chandeliers and electrical outlets. He acknowledged this oversight as to the chandeliers only and expressed a willingness to correct it.
Prescott emphasized that his intention was never to detract from the building’s historical value. He explained that much of the lower lobby restauration was not original to the Biltmore but had been restored over time to reflect the spirit of the hotel’s original design. He believes that the recent enhancements made, aside from the floor, were allegorical to the color palettes and design elements of the main lobby, and he genuinely did not think they would harm the overall aesthetic of the building.
Furthermore, Prescott stated that he does not believe the renovations will jeopardize the Biltmore’s National Historic Landmark status or any other special designations. He stressed that he sees himself as a steward of the property and its history and that these renovations were meant to be enhancements, consistent with the remainder of the building.
While acknowledging that the work was not a strict restoration, Prescott admitted that a more careful approach may have been warranted. He expressed a desire to open a dialogue with the city and any concerned stakeholders to discuss potential modifications that could bring the renovations closer to the prior state of the lower lobby. He affirmed that the City of Coral Gables has been actively attentive to the matter since the original email was issued, and he welcomes further conversations to resolve the concerns.
Response from the City of Coral Gables:
““The City of Coral Gables values its historic landmarks, especially nationally designated sites like the Biltmore Hotel, which holds a treasured place in our community. We are committed to preserving the integrity of our historic properties and ensuring any updates to them are conducted thoughtfully and in full compliance with all applicable regulations.
During a recent review, several modifications at the Biltmore Hotel were identified as having been completed by the lessee without the necessary permits and approvals, as required by our lease, the Florida Building Code, and local ordinances. Areas of unpermitted work included alterations to mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems, modifications to historic features, as well as remodeling work in the Cellar Club bar, lower lobby restrooms, and wine room. Additional unpermitted activities involved exterior work, including fascia and gutter repairs, soffit and rafter work, painting, and removal of keystone elements.
We are working with the Biltmore Hotel management team to address these matters and ensure that all necessary permits and approvals are obtained. We approach this in the spirit of collaboration, recognizing our ongoing relationship and the importance of preserving the Biltmore’s historic legacy for generations to come.”
Every entity and person responsible for this disaster must be penalized in the strongest possible way.
I don’t even live in Coral Gables and am appalled that this could even happen. The mayor , city manager , and commissioners didn’t know? ??? Someone is not doing their job! Now the building has to restore the damage done? Well, correct me if I’m wrong but making things look how they were before doesn’t really restore the historical value after that value has been ruined. People of Coral Gables, it’s time for new leadership.
There should be no question about the historic significance of the property. No carving out nor separating one area of the historic hotel from another area. A renowned documentarian, preservationist, and author observed, “historical significance and subsequent preservation efforts must extend to the interior spaces and finishes, as well.” The entire hotel is a designated national landmark. All areas “are historic” Inside, outside, lower, upper, and even the interior furnishings, tilework, stenciled ceilings, etc etc.
Any “enhancements” must follow national preservation guidelines and complement the design philosophy of the 1920s hotel. It can be said, the Biltmore Hotel is a living museum.
Back in the 1980s, Project Manager Joseph Herndon, who oversaw the 1980s renovations of the iconic hotel, observed, “We plan to redevelop a landmark, whose guests could believe that this was one fine Gatsby-era hotel that had been maintained in pristine condition and true to the intent of its original designers since its inception,” [The Biltmore Hotel, p. 140 see image below] Mr. Herndon went through great lengths to return the grande hotel to its design origins. And in the same book, there is a section on page 173 about the Seaway Corporation’s intended stewardship of the landmark hotel which states, “Respecting the Biltmore’s age and landmark status, Seaway understands the new must look as if it belongs to the old…as though George Merrick could have planned them.”
The “latest enhancements” at the hotel totally disregard Seaway’s original intentions which were made at the time the company was awarded its long-term lease in 1992. These “latest enhancements” were done without permits and in violation of Sec. 11.3 of the City of Coral Gables lease agreement.
I understand from the community-at-large that the best remedy is for Seaway Corp. to restore the lower lobby to its historically-significant look [returning the tiles, stenciled ceilings, paneled walls, etc ] “as if it belongs to the old”; “true to the intent to its original designers”; sympathetic to the character and authenticity of the 1926 “Gatsby-era” hotel — a national landmark.
The hotel’s national landmark status is in jeopardy and so is its local reputation.
A lot of institutional knowledge has fled Coral Gables City Government in the last few years. I suspect the people who cared don’t work there anymore. I’ll leave you to investigate the reasons why. Coral Gables is not what it used to be and, the stewardship of City Government has been gutted. The citizens need to a lot more engaged.
How could this possibly have happened right under the nose of our highly compensated “public servants”. What an outrage. A homeowner is crucified when code enforcement finds some small transgression. And yet a historical building owned by the taxpayers of CG has been ruined by a tenant over a period of months with major renovations and no one noticed at the City? Very sick of the arrogant people in City Hall.
I sewer line running under the bridge on the 17 hole attached to the bottom of the bridge is hanging and about to break loose and spill sewage into the water way it should be attended to
Disgusting.
Mayor Lago knew about this and took a nice donation to turn a blind eye
As a former tour guide of the Biltmore Hotel on Sunday tours, I was shocked to read about the changes rendered without the city’s approval! I also was a member of the Historic Preservation Board
under Donna Spain, a city employee. The board heard various Coral Gables citizens explain possible changes to their properties. Our board then voted yes or no to the changes.
I cannot imagine that Gene Prescott would be unaware of his responsibilities in regard to the historic property!
Wow! I live in a Historical House and have to go before two boards to paint my house white.
Shame!
Feels like a cheesy, flashy South Beach hotel/nightclub! I heard that Prescott is dating (married?) a younger woman and she had her hand in this. Who knows … but it does NOT fit the decor of the lovely Biltmore. Redo!
Holy crap this is the ugliest shi* I’ve ever seen. Everybody responsible should be fired/voted out. I’ve never been involved with gables politics but now I will be. Somebody needs to pay. This is a new low for the gables.
I appreciated your article. But your pictures/article would be much more effective if they were accompanied by a caption describing what they are photos of.
All City personnel who approved this renovation should be fired immediately! The City Attorney should file a Complaint to require removal of the mirrors and marble floors and restoration of the Biltmore premises. This Biltmore travesty is just a continuation of the example set by the City Commission and Mayor Lago when it disregarded the historic preservation of Miracle Mile by removing 79 diagonal parking spaces and installing an expensive, historically inappropriate, widened cobblestone sidewalk. The cobblestones on Miracle Mile have no historic basis and are as out of character as the new marble floors floors and wall mirrors at the Biltmore.
Once again final blame is on the City government. Who approved this?
I was very saddened to see this “ renovation “ recently. Thank you Mr. Gelabert-Navia and Karelia Carbonell and all the other educated, architects and historians for your comments!
We are NOT South Beach. Coral Gables has its own special character and charm. I would appreciate it if we all remember that. (I include Miracle Mile). Let all try to respect Coral Gables and not to COPY other communities. Our community environs and architecture is special. Let’s please respect and revere that.
This is a travesty! Our historic treasure should be treated with respect for its past, not according to the latest trend.
This should come as no surprise to anyone based on other recent renovations. Did anyone notice when the hotel removed the lovely striped awning from the front entrance last year and replaced it with something more suited to a car wash? No one said anything when the hotel removed the original historic lamp posts from the main driveway and parking lot and replaced them with overly bright migraine-inducing led lamp posts 2 years ago. This lobby renovation is just par for the course.
I agree there should be an open dialogue… to get the operators that committed this awful unauthorized remodel out of the building. The tenants also tried to charge for parking in the open lot, again without permission.
The Biltmore Hotel is a National Historic Landmark, a designation afforded to only 3% of the properties on the National Register of Historic Places. It is a city-owned historic resource. Prescotts do not own the Biltmore Hotel, They are the lessee on a 90-year lease [signed in 1992] and must abide by the lease agreement that stipulates that all changes to the historic property must be approved by the city. The hotel may be in violation of its lease agreement if work was done unpermitted.
Thank you to Jose Gelabert-Navia for bringing attention to the Biltmore and the disrespectful way it treated historical stewardship. Mr. Gelabert-Navia makes an excellent case for upholding national historic standards. He made an important observation: “I realize that the tile that has been removed, and the colors that have been painted over were part of an earlier renovation. That being said the earlier renovation was done with the support of our most important local historian Arva Moore Parks who researched the original photos (some which have been removed) and ALL of the plans by Schultze and Weaver of which the City of Coral Gables has copies and whose originals are in the Wolfsonian Museum’s Collection in Miami Beach.”
If we don’t care about our past we can’t have very much hope for our future. Next year marks the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Biltmore Hotel. George Edgar Merrick is rolling in his grave.
From my own personal experience working with Mr. Prescott on behalf of the City of Coral Gables, he has a bit of a disdain when it comes to working well with others……
Wow, this is really sad. This should be remediated immediately. The Biltmore Hotel is a jewel box and should be treated as such. Renovations are long overdue, but strictly adhering to the original design principals that are beyond spectacular is an absolute must.
I say “shame on the City” that they never supervised these renovations.
With all the heartaches and difficulties private home owners have to go through to abide by the City’s strict rules for any renovation, that inspectors have to approve every step of a renovation, now to see that the largest historical building in the City Beautiful got away with it, I say it again “shame on all the City’s officials”.
Americans pay bundles of money to visit countries with historical structures, Coral Gables has ONE such building and yet the operator is allowed to do as he pleases.
Is this another example that “money talks…”
The operator MUST make repairs and return the lobby to its original look.
Take a look at the original interior of the Biltmore in the 1920s. The floors and columns are completely different now.
https://www.floridamemory.com/fpc/fishbaugh/phf035.jpg
https://www.floridamemory.com/find?keywords=Biltmore+hotel+interior+Coral+Gables
Shame on you Mr. Prescott. You know better than to allow this debacle of a renovation.
In the community of design we all know that when you have a great architectural building like the Biltmore Hotel you go with what is there. If you want a modern, clean design than you should build that somewhere else.
The Biltmore Hotel is one of the anchors of Coral Gables. There is nothing wrong with refreshing a building but one has to remember an eye on the future but a nod to the past! The new cold white and grey look doesn’t do that.
What a travesty!
It’s pretty clear that this was either done on purpose, which is really stupid, or someone was too incompetent to ask the right questions, which is very hard to believe. If the hotel loses its historical register status, the management contract should be terminated and damages should be pursued, including compensation to redesign the space to comply with the historical requirements. This is insanely dumb or arrogant or both.
As a local Architect /Interior Designer and member of the ICAA (Insitute of Classical Art and Architecture),- and organization which created the manual for Mediterranean Architecture with the City of Coral Gables, I am very disappointed with the news in this article and are in full support with Gelabert-Navia’s concerns and comments. The manual offers a rich repository of local precedents (The Biltmore is included), that best represent Merrick aesthetic vision for our city and he City Beautiful Movement.
The key to all this is: Who approved the new renovations and under whose authority? If found that some yahoo in the CG City Administration, that individual or those responsible should be terminated on the spot. This also means that if anyone of the commissiones approved this, they should step down from their positions and the other commisioner select someone temporarily to serve unti the elections next year.
Coral gables has always been too rigid about renovations and addition as to historic properties. Just imagine how tough it is for a family to get a reno or addition done if this is the kind of scrutiny over some clay tiles at a place as powerful as the biltmore hotel
My gosh what happened to the old glamour.. it simply doesn’t match the look of the buildling..this is not South Beach..
The new renovations look atrocious, and the architectural integrity has been lost to modernism. What a shame to have such a beautiful hotel become just like any other one. Who ever approved this should lose their job.
As a member of the Biltmore who is there almost daily, I appreciate the renovations. I love the new look!
Thank you! I have been going to the Biltmore for years, and the recent renovations are shockingly bad. Beyond paying no attention to the distinct and valued architectural style that defines the Biltmore, the renovations are simply poor in quality. Just last week the fitness center bathroom door handles had to be replaced *again (just 1 year after new ones were installed) because the locks didn’t function properly. Bottom line: the Biltmore’s renovations are as cheap as they look and if we continue down this path, what is special about the Biltmore will be lost.
The property was just recently renovated. Why are they doing such terrible things now?