Venetian Pool
Mediterranean-style lagoon pool carved from a coral rock quarry, with caves, a waterfall and aquifer-fed water drained nightly.
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to the Venetian Pool in Coral Gables traces how a coral rock quarry, dynamited daily to supply George Merrick's new suburb, sat tapped out and ugly by 1921 until Merrick handed it to his uncle, artist Denman Fink, and architect Phineas Paist to transform. It follows the 1924 opening as the Venetian Casino, the aquifer water that still drains and refills nightly, and stars like Johnny Weissmuller and Esther Williams who once drew crowds here. Listen for the lightning siren too.
This audio guide was created using AI.
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