When you think of Miami, you imagine South Beach's art deco architecture and the white buildings around Design District. There is a neighborhood in Miami like no other located in Coral Gables. The French Normandy Village is the most picturesque place in Miami with European vibes. This hidden neighborhood looks like a fairytale and it was built with the purpose to attract more northerners. The village was completed in 1926 and it imitates 15th-century French villages. These villages have served its purpose through the decades. It used to be dorms for University of Miami students and a living facility for camp soldiers during WW2. George Merrick was the man behind this idea and he also built 7 other villages that represented other cultures such as the Dutch South African Village and Italian Village. View this post on Instagram Happy Sunday!🏈Day #6 of 7, and we're ending the French Villages with a bang.💥 This unique group of town homes is located right off Lejeune & Bird rd. (42nd ave & 40th st.) Have you guys seen them before?? It's the "French Normandy Village". _🏘️🌳_ These 2-story homes are by far the eldest of the 7 village designs, resembling a 15th century French Village. They feature half timbering, shingled gabled roofs, projecting second-story sections, dark trimmings, unique plaster patterns, and vines growing on the fences and walls. Gotta love those bougainvilleas! ______________________________ #frenchnormandyvillage #frenchhomes #townhomes #towhhome #lejeune #normandy #Village #treelined #Village #Coralgables #History #Architecture #Coralgableshome #realestate #miami #miamirealestate #home #GeorgeMerrick #miraclemile #househunting #miamirealtor #style #curbappeal #landscaping #biltmore #Coralgableshighschool #youthcenter #cghs A post shared by JONATHAN QUINTANA, P.A. (@realtorjonny) on Sep 11, 2016 at 11:44am PDT If you have driven around Coral Gables you have probably noticed the Mediterranean style of the streets and houses. This place can serve as a cute location to do a photo shoot and give your Instagram feed a new look. The French Normandy Village is now home to many people and locals in that area. The area is very peaceful and you definitely feel like you just arrived in a little town in Northern France. View this post on Instagram Good morning #coralgables #thecitybeautiful #lovecoralgables #coralgableslife #miami #miamilife #frenchnormandyvillage #ivyplants #mini #minicooper A post shared by Livia (@livitaruiz) on Dec 20, 2015 at 5:10am PST View this post on Instagram Founder of Coral Gables, George Merrick, decided the city needed more variety in architecture to attract Northerners. Coral Gables was (& still is) predominantly Spanish & Mediterranean style, so he set out to build villages inspired by other countries. 7 were completed. Built in 1926, the French Normandy Village imitates 15th century French villages. Since then, it's housed many different people. In the 1930's, UMiami used them as male dorms & later as frat row (say what?). During WW2, soldiers lived here. Now they're single-fam homes & so pretty! I saw one had a kitchen style garden. Felt like I was in Europe for a sec. Then I got in the car & heard Pitbull. #BeyondSoBe 🏘🌷 A post shared by Beyond South Beach (@beyondsouthbeach) on May 9, 2016 at 3:26pm PDT If you want to locate the village and do an outdoor tour of the location you need to put in the GPS 400 Alesio Avenue. The village is located in SW 42nd Avenue between Viscaya Avenue and Alesio Avenue.
