The Times

Architects who prepare sketches of this ilk will find them termed "too contemporary" by the city's Board of Architects. Plans rejected by the three men who comprise the board will forestall the issuing of a building permit.

Modern look in architecture rejected by city board

From Page 1 approved ... too contemporary ... restudy for compatability with area." Neither Sierra nor Solares care much for the third house drawing - the one that was finally approved by the Board of Architects last week. "Now it is just another house in Coral Gables," Sierra said, pointing to a drawing of a boxy house with a front wing and none of the angles and decoration of the first two designs. "I can't tell my architect to do it again," Solares said. "There is a matter of time and money. I was happy with the first house. This one, well, I am just content. But that is all I can build on my land." "How can I ask my ellent to keep paying more fees," Sierra said. "These houses (the first two blueprints) didn't violate the building or zoning codes. It was just a matter of taste." Sierra hadn't designed a house in Coral Gables before. "My friends told me it was a tough board," he said. "But I thought they would be flexible if I came in with a good idea. "The only guideline you get is that the City Commission doesn't want any more contemporary houses. That puts the Board of Architects in a difficult position. They don't have anything to tell you, though (Wray) Succop and (Richard) Skrip gave me some suggestions. "The most distressing thing," Sierra said, "is that it is all related to style and taste. I find this very arbitrary." Until last week, the three members of the Board of Architects were chairman William Merriam, Richard Skrip and Wray Succop. Because one of the member's 18-month term expires each six months, Skrip was replaced last week by Stanley Glasgow. Merriam didn't remember Sierra's drawing and wouldn't make a specific comment, but he explained, "The City Commission has instructed us to hold the line, to hold Coral Gables original architecture. "The commission gave us carte blanche authority to hold the line against contemporary design, most of which is coming from the new breed of Cuban architects. It's just too contemporary. " Merriam said architects are told to get the feeling of the neighborhood they are designing for and to emphasize compatability with that area in their designs. "We meet resistance from many architects," he said. "We tell them they can go over our head to the Zoning Board and the commission." He admitted that the Board of Architects is working "on a matter of opinion. Design is hard to define in set terms. We just want to curb drastic ideas and find things amenable to Coral Gables. "Lots of times we can tell in a glance that something is too contemporary for Coral Gables, but if there's any question, we go to the site and see how the design will fit in," Merriam said. Because the Board of Architects meets every Thursday morning and spends occasional Thursday afternoons visiting sites, Merriam calls serving on the Board "a labor of love. We want to preserve the integrity of the community. A lot of our work is just to educate these architects." Succop also admitted that the Board often is working from opinion but said, "It's not that we don't want contemporary design, we just don't want it in traditional neighborhoods. "There is nothing in the code that says what is too contemporary," Succop said. "Our decisions vary site by site. It depends on what surrounds a house." Meanwhile, Jose Sierra, looking at the third and approved drawing, picked up three legal sheets given out by the city's building department as guidelines for designing a home in Coral Gables. "These are very loose, very open to interpretation," he said. "Why should I do what they did 20 years ago. I came up with a good idea and it was compatible with the neighborhood. "Why not build something in our own era that will stand the test of time?"

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