University of Miami - The Ibis Yearbook

“Donation pledges had been made and Flori- da ' s economy was ex- panding so rapidly that no one doubted the pledges would be paid in full. Sorority teas were frequent and well-attended during UM ' s early years, c. 1947. ation pledges had been made, and Florida ' s economy was expanding so rapidly that no one doubted the pledges would be paid in full. The single most important donation came in the form of a gift of land. The area that the campus now occupies was fur- nished by George Merrick. At the time, the land was nothing but uncleared woods. Money was soon raised to construct the University of Miami ' s first structure - an administration building. Sitting amidst acres of forest, the cornerstone was laid on February 4, 1926. The event was widely noted in the small community and a throng of 7000 attended that initial ceremony - the first public function of the University of Miami. The three-story, 50 x 600 foot structure was projected to open for business on October 15 the first day of University operation. But financial complications and a failure to raise needed capital due to the bad rep- utation of the Florida land business forced the Board of Regents to plan an alternative. There was no way for the Merrick Building to be completed on time. On June 11, the incompleted Anastasia Hotel, a large triangular structure in Coral Gables, was taken over by the Univer- sity. Planned as a temporary building, ”