City Hall may soon be vacated again.
During a June 12 meeting of the Coral Gables Historic Preservation Board, City Manager Peter Iglesias announced that the City Commission and several municipal departments are likely to relocate next year to allow for a full-scale renovation of the city’s historic municipal headquarters. The project is expected to cost between $25 million and $30 million, representing one of the most significant investments in the structure ever.
“The plan is to potentially move out of City Hall next year and get the job done,” Iglesias said. “The idea is to come in and get City Hall done and give it a major upgrade.”
Although initial plans had placed the commission, city manager, city attorney, and city clerk in the Public Safety Building on Minorca Avenue during the renovation, that space is no longer fully available. The Miami-Dade County Tax Collector’s Office recently entered into a lease agreement with the city for offices in the Public Safety Building. A permanent branch offering services such as driver’s licenses and property tax payments is expected to open in the coming months. Because of that change, only the City Commission will relocate to Minorca. Other departments will instead move to leased offices on Ponce de Leon Boulevard, according to Iglesias.
This would mark the second major relocation of City Hall functions in less than two years. In November 2023, concerns about the building’s structural integrity led the commission and administrative offices to temporarily vacate the building. At the time, Mayor Vince Lago dismissed the move as “political theater.” After regaining majority support on the commission following this year’s municipal election, Lago led the effort to return the city’s legislative body to its traditional seat in the historic Mediterranean-style building on Biltmore Way.
Now, a more comprehensive renovation appears likely, and the conversation has shifted to long-term preservation and modernization.
Windows at center of debate
The June 12 meeting focused not only on logistics but on the character of the building itself—specifically its original wood-framed windows. Iglesias, reinstated as city manager after being dismissed earlier in 2024, advocated for replacing the historic wood windows with modern, hurricane-rated steel frames. He cited functionality and storm protection as key reasons for the proposed change.
“The problem with this kind of window is that it just leaks and leaks and leaks,” Iglesias said.
His comments met resistance from the board.
“Of course we can [preserve them],” said Board Chair Michael Maxwell. “We would seal it. I’ve restored lots of buildings.”
Former Coral Gables Historic Preservation Officer Dona Spain echoed that view, urging the city to reconsider. “We highly encourage you to look very seriously at preserving the windows,” Spain said. “This is one of the very few buildings that has that.”
Spain appealed directly to Iglesias’s background in engineering. “I think you are clever enough to figure it out. I have faith in you,” she said. “It’s an interesting problem for you to try and tackle before you spend $3 million. Just look into it.”
She also raised concerns about whether the window decision had already been influenced by elected officials. “It sounds like you have marching orders from the commission. I don’t know if you do or not,” she said.
Iglesias denied that the matter had been decided. “I want to give the commission all the options,” he said. “But I wanted to come to the board first. I don’t want to do an assessment that is not necessary.”
Board Member Xavier Durana advised the city manager to bring the board’s recommendation to the City Commission and allow them to weigh competing priorities.
“I don’t think a hybrid of steel and wood will work,” Durana said, referring to a possible compromise. “But let the commission decide once they have all the facts.”
Maxwell and Spain urged the city to price out multiple alternatives and return with a clearer assessment of costs, preservation value, and storm protection.
In the end, the board adopted a formal recommendation to present three priorities to the City Commission:
- Preserve the building for the next 100 years, as a key architectural and civic landmark.
- Retain the existing wood windows, which are integral to the structure’s historic character.
- Collaborate with an architectural consultant to explore solutions that support both preservation and functionality.
No timeline has been finalized for when the city will vacate or when the renovation will begin. However, the 2026 target signals Coral Gables’ intent to address long-standing infrastructure needs while preserving the civic identity tied to one of its most iconic buildings.
This Post Has 6 Comments
Incompetence by Vince Lago et al.
1. Contradicts himself on appointment of Amos Rojas as City Manager without a nationwide search, which Lago made a major Election issue, by appointing Peter Iglesias, who covered up dangerous City Hall structural defects from the public for years, as City Manager without a nationwide search.
2. Lago also Election bashed Ariel Fernandez and Amos Rojas for relocating out of City Hall due to structural defects. But now tacitly admits Fernandez and Rojas were right.
More non-democratic DISHONEST GOVERNMENT IN SECRET BY LAGO AND IGLESIAS.
Sincerely,
Jackson Rip Holmes
The City Beautiful should be speaking and proceeding in terms of RESTORATION, not RENOVATION. One does not “renovate” an historic structure, one restores it, honoring its original integrity as best possible. It’s just that simple. Will it cost more? Usually. Will it take longer? Probably. Dona Spain understands these facets implicitly. Regrettably respecting and honoring our local historic architecture has been falling short in recent years, and some in office (largely men I’ve noticed) favor new over old, expediency over preservation, revenue over sentiment.
There are Dade County Approved Hurricane Impact wood windows. The only issue is that wood requires maintenance, which this city has never been very good at.
On behalf of the Historic Preservation Association of Coral Gables, please accept this letter in support for the original windows at City Hall and the annex/cottage to be restored and preserved NOT replaced with steel windows.
The City Hall windows are original and have withstood every storm since the 1920s, including the 1926 Hurricane, which devastated the area and more recently Andrew and Wilma.
This recommendation from HPACG is consistent with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and the recommendations of the current and former Coral Gables Historic Preservation Officers.
City Hall is one of the most significant structures in the City. It was also the last major structure in the City with which George Merrick was directly involved. A star in the downtown area, City Hall was designed by premier architects Paist & Steward and is one of the few buildings included in the City’s official Mediterranean handbook. Furthermore, this is one of the few buildings in the City that is both locally and nationally designated. Simply put, City Hall is one of the most recognized and iconic buildings in Coral Gables. On top of this, City Hall is one of the few buildings in the City that retains its original fenestration.
The Secretary of the Interior notes: “As one of the few parts of a building serving as both an interior and exterior feature, windows are nearly always an important part of the historic character of a building. In most buildings, windows also comprise a considerable amount of the historic fabric of the wall plane and thus are deserving of special consideration in a rehabilitation project.”
There should be no debate regarding a complete restoration of the original windows. Replacing City Hall original windows with steel is tantamount to a lack of understanding of the importance of historic resources and their preservation. Now celebrating its 100th milestone, the City must embrace its unique architectural heritage not change it.
Other issues:
The proposed new windows are made of steel, and we all know that steel rusts! Also, restoration will cost a fraction of the $5 million estimated to replace 105 windows. And finally, the one window model on display at City Hall is a complete design change.
Amen!
The Circus continues and the blood suckers are back in their seats