Coral Gables upholds historic designation for Alfred Browning Parker home
The home at 2 Casuarina Concourse in Gables Estates, aka the Landon House, designed by the prominent architect Alfred Browning Parker, has received a temporary stay from the wrecking ball.
The city commission unanimously voted Tuesday (Feb. 5) to reject the owner’s contention that keeping the home intact was an “undue economic hardship.’’ The owner wanted to set aside the city’s historic designation of the property so the 11,183-square-foot home, set on two acres backing up to Biscayne Bay in the gated community, could be razed.
The home, built in 1966 for well-known art collectors and philanthropists, Robert Kirk Landon and his then wife, B. Landon, is listed for sale at $12.5 million.
In February 2012, the city’s Historic Preservation Board voted unanimously to designate the property as historic, “based on its historical, cultural and architectural significance and its exceptional importance.” The City Commission upheld that designation in March 2012. If the city declares a structure historic, it cannot be demolished.
“I’m confident in our position, as it stands here, through our historic preservation code,” Vice Mayor Bill Kerdyk Jr., said Tuesday, before the vote.
