Research material from noted author and historian, Arva Moore Parks McCabe (1939-2020). Born in Miami, Florida, Arva had written countless books on Florida's eclectic history, including The Forgotten Frontier: Florida through the Lens of Ralph Middleton Munroe, Miami, the Magic City, and George Merrick, Son of the South Wind: Visionary Creator of Coral Gables. She also served as chief curator, interim director, and chair of the Coral Gables Museum.
This collection focuses heavily on George E. Merrick, Coral Gables, and other research topics used in her writings. It also features a large assortment of archival material: booklets, books, magazines, posters, photographs, negatives, pamphlets, postcards, maps, ephemera, newspapers, and guides about Miami and other notable cities and famous people related to South Florida.
Originally conceived and organized in 1925, the Coral Gables Garden Club has served the local city of Coral Gables in its planning by helping create and nurture its many gardens and beautiful landscapes. The club was founded by Eunice Peacock Merrick and Althea Merrick out of a shared love of horticulture and has grown considerably since then and maintained their commitment to civic improvement through gardening. Today, the club is composed of 150 community members who actively contribute to Coral Gables' local institutions and businesses, including providing scholarships and educational programs, as well as assisting youth-oriented gardening clubs.
Their records contain scrapbooks, meeting minutes, president papers, yearbooks, guestbooks, photographs, programs, pamphlets, news clippings, awards, ephemera, administrative documents, and other archival materials, all pertaining to the club and its various events and initiatives over the years.
“In his adopted home of South Florida he imaged a cuisine that would wed the raw and rustic powers of the diverse immigrant cultures that comprise the population there to the classic techniques of gastronomy that have survived the test of time and trends. The revolution for a new style of cooking was born and Norman christened it a 'New World Cuisine.'” - Norman Van Aken, Correspondence, 1993 December 2.
A 2016 MenuMasters Hall of Fame Inductee, noted restauranteur, and the first chef to use the term "fusion cuisine" in its modern definition, Norman Van Aken (1951- ) is a celebrity chef primarily known for his "New World" fusion cuisine. Drawing from the flavors and culinary traditions of Latin America, the Caribbean, North America, Asia, and Africa, his impact on the culinary arts has been internationally recognized since the start of his career. His culinary influences on Florida's own local cuisine and restaurant culture are still observable to this day, especially to those who dine nightly at his Orlando restaurant.
This collection serves as a meaningful look into his career as a chef and culinary expert, and his personal life as a man with a deep interest in his family's past and present. The Norman Van Aken papers include documents, correspondence, photographs, manuscript drafts, menus, ephemera, recipes, and more, which showcase the personal life and professional career of one of South Florida's most celebrated chefs. Researchers with an interest in gastronomy, the history of South Florida's restaurant and food culture during the 1990s-2000s, or interpersonal relationships between celebrity chefs, may find this collection useful in their studies.
Photographs, negatives, sides, sketches, drawings, etchings, watercolor and oil works, correspondence, clippings, exhibition programs and catalogs, and other related materials created and collected by artist Richard Merrick (1903-1986) and the Merrick family.
The records of the Save the Alhambra Water Tower Committee document the successful mission of a local historic preservation organization to protect the Alhambra Water Tower, a Coral Gables landmark. The collection includes scrapbooks, committee records, financial documents, photographs, and minutes of meetings.
The Alhambra Water Tower, once a functional part of the Coral Gables water system, has survived time and weathering to remain an architectural symbol of the community. The Save the Alhambra Water Tower Committee raised money and awareness to contribute to the refurbishment and preservation of the historic structure.
