In 1948, the University completed a group of 29 buildings for married veterans attending the university after World War II. The buildings were designed by Marion Manley, Florida’s first woman architect, and represented the first International Style buildings designed by an American architect. They were also boldly articulated, with open stairways and red trim. (Marion Manley, along with Robert Law Weed, had also designed the University’s master plan.)
Part of the University’s rapid growth in the post-war years, the structures were styled in a modem and highly efficient manner emblematic of the International Style. As an example of the International Style of twentieth century architecture, the distinguishing characteristics of these buildings include minimalism and scarcity of ornamentation, mixture of stucco and brick surfaces, flat roofs, metal-framed windows, and pipe railings.
Four of these buildings currently remain on the Coral Gables campus and have been designated historic landmarks by the City of Coral Gables. The School of Architecture currently occupies three of these buildings - Buildings 48 and 49, and La Gorce house - and the fourth is occupied by administrative uses.
