The Coral Gables Museum celebrates the 1920’s planned community of Coral Gables and presents exhibits and programs that examine the built environment.
Coral Gables Museum Corp. is a publicly funded, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. It provides equal access and equal opportunity in employment and services, and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex, pregnancy, age, disability, marital status, familial status, sexual orientation or physical ability, in accordance with Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; the Age Discrimination Act of 1975; Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 as amended (42 U.S.C. 2000d et seq.); the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; and Miami-Dade County ordinances No. 97-170, § 1, 2-25-97 and No. 98-17, § 1, 12-1-98. The Museum’s main facility located at 285 Aragon Avenue, Coral Gables, Florida is fully accessible to the public as are all programs housed in or originating from this location.
The Museum’s mission is to celebrate, investigate and explore the civic arts of architecture and urban and environmental design, including fostering an appreciation for the history, vision, and cultural landscape of Coral Gables; promoting beauty and planning as well as historic and environmental preservation for a broad audience, including children, families, and community members, as well as local, regional, national and international visitors. The museum optimizes its mission by cultivating effective partnerships, and providing programming that includes exhibitions, collections, educational offerings, lectures, tours, publications and special events.
Gallery Night with Free Admission, every First Friday of each month.
Hours of Operation
Museum Hours
Monday: Closed
Tuesday – Friday & Sunday: 11 AM- 5 PM
Saturday: 10 AM – 6 PM
Gallery Night (First Fridays) 6 PM – 9 PM
Family Day (Second Saturdays) 10 AM – 6 PM
Visitor Center Hours
Monday: Closed
Tuesday – Friday & Sunday: 9 AM- 5 PM
Saturday: 9 AM – 6 PM
Get in Touch
- 285 Aragon Avenue, Coral Gables, FL 33134
- (305) 603-8067
GUIDED TOURS
The Coral Gables Museum (CGM) is the official Visitor Center for the City of Coral Gables, a planned community of the 1920s featuring Mediterranean style historic buildings, fountains, plazas and grand entrances surrounded by lush landscaping and Miami-Dade’s most majestic tree canopy, earning it the nickname the City Beautiful.
CGM offers exhibit, walking, cycling and canoe tours. A self guided, cell phone audio tour is also available in both English and Spanish.
To book a group tour of the exhibits or city, call 305.603.8067.
History
In 2003, the non-profit Coral Gables Museum Corp. was formed under the leadership of the City of Coral Gables to direct and operate a museum in the Old Police and Fire Station. In 2008, work began in earnest on the restoration, renovation and expansion of the 1939 WPA building, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The architect Jorge Hernandez together with Dooley Mack Constructors led the historic preservation project. On October 10, 2010 (10-10-10), Museum staff occupied the building and reopened it to the public. In November 2011, the Coral Gables Museum unveiled the inaugural exhibits and began its first year of full operation. In 2013, the Coral Gables Museum became the Official Visitor Center for the City Beautiful.
The Museum is a true public/private partnership between the City of Coral Gables and the Coral Gables Museum Corp., a private, not for profit 501.c.3 corporation operating an educational cultural institution within a City owned facility. The Museum raises its own operating budget to fund the exhibitions and educational programs it provides, through memberships, private and government grants, admissions, earned income and, most importantly, with contributions from community members who believe in our mission.
The Museum Complex
Coral Gables Museum’s facility consists of the historic site of the Old Police and Fire Station, and additional galleries and outdoor spaces that were constructed in the 2010. New spaces include the 3,000 square foot Carole A. Fewell Gallery, a beautiful 5,000 square foot Museum Plaza and Courtyard off of the main lobby.
Visitors can explore the building’s history as the Old Police and Fire Station by viewing the photography exhibit in the lobby area, or scheduling a guided tour. Inside the building, visitors can see the former jail cells, courtroom and apparatus bay/fire engine room. The building’s exterior features WPA artworks, including firefighter busts, that add striking decorative features to the building’s architecture, which is a blending of “Depression-Moderne” and Mediterranean Revival.
The Museum is LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified, having been restored and constructed utilizing best environmental practices and materials. Additions to the existing building and new construction are sympathetic to the original design.
