“After almost twenty-five years,” said Karelia Martinez Carbonell, the organization’s newly elected president, “it was time for us expand our horizons, develop a consistent marketing identity, and engage more fully in new media outreach.”

The campaign, while embracing digital initiatives, nevertheless takes its visual cue from one of the signature decorative components of 1920s architecture — the handmade tiles that graced the walls, floors, doorways, stairways and fountains of Mediterranean Revival-style homes in Florida, especially Coral Gables and Palm Beach.

“At HPACG” (the Association’s branded acronym), “the past is always present,” according to Bruce Fitzgerald, the marketing consultant responsible for the new look. “It is part of our mission to protect and preserve the buildings and monuments in Coral Gables that best exemplify our collective history.”

This dedication to historic preservation was nowhere more apparent than at a recent party at the 1926 historically-designated Italian Village home of Ernie Coscia and Tom Reardon, where the campaign was introduced to close to 100 guests. Noted historic preservationist and founding board member Ellen Uguccioni addressed the gathering on the importance of both individual historic homes and the neighborhoods in which the homes are located.

“George Merrick was not only the founder of Coral Gables,” noted Uguccioni, “but also a visionary who pioneered the concept of ‘themed villages’ within the overall context of a modern, master-planned American community. The Historic Preservation Association of Coral Gables is all about recognizing that achievement and applying it to the way we live now.”

Guests welcomed the rebranding campaign as they mingled throughout the award-winning gardens and home designed by architect A.L. Klingbeil. They also enjoyed the spirits donated by the Zamora Group and the Italian fare, (including butternut squash) donated by recently opened La Tagliatella located on Miracle Mile. As another highlight of the evening, event organizer and immediate past president, Ann Goodman, was honored for her service with a beautifully designed glass sculpture.

Media

Gables News January 29, 2014