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Many people believe that Florida’s history only goes back a hundred years.
Fort Lauderdale’s history dates to the first aboriginals and their arrival more than 4,000 years ago.
There is not an endless supply of information on them, but artifacts point to their presence.
The Tequesta, dating from the 3rd century B.C., were living in the southeastern area of Florida.
Their main village was along the Miami River. There were other smaller communities as far north as today’s Palm Beach County. They were definitely along Biscayne Bay and the fresh water rivers flowing from the Everglades. Most of their diet came from the sea.
They had good relations with the Jaega tribe to the north, today’s Palm Beach, and Martin counties.
On the west coast, the larger Calusa tribes, reaching from Charlotte Harbor to the keys, had more power.
The Tequesta would last 2000 years until European settlers began arriving, bringing disease and guns.
Maps from the 1600 – 1700s list South Florida as “Tekestra” or similar.
Excavations on Palm Beach island uncover a Jaega burial mound and several unmarked Native American cemeteries.
Less Ancient.
Juan Ponce de León, the Spanish explorer from Cuba, would be the first European to write about Florida circa 1513. Setting out from the Caribbean, they would name the verdant landscape “La Pascua Florida,” the Festival of Flowers.
South Florida remains the land of the local natives, according to them. According to Spanish maps, it belongs to Spain. But Spain stays away, so the argument rarely comes up.
After the 1763 French and Indian War, Great Britain was in control of the Spanish colony of La Florida. Thus, the last few Tequesta move to Cuba when the Spanish depart.
Finally, in the early 1800s, European occupation spread out from Northern Florida, requiring more land. Enter a new player.
White and native groups moving south from Georgia push the Seminoles further south. They arrive in southeast Florida circa 1788.
The Seminole Wars.
The War of 1812 (between the United States and its allies and the United Kingdom and Indian allies) ends. This battle for land leaves both England and Spain weak. U.S. troops following General Andrew Jackson waste no time claiming West Florida and East Florida.
The First Seminole War ends circa 1819 with Spain ceding Florida to the U.S. The Treaty of Moultrie Creek dictates the Seminoles must live on a large reservation in the Florida peninsula.
The Second Seminole War.
Not happy with Northern Florida, the U.S. begins the Second Seminole War circa 1835 to take the rest of the state.
Beginning with the Dade battle in December 1835, the Seminoles hiding in the Everglades and using guerrilla warfare do well.
By 1836, General Thomas Jesup changes tactics. He begins building forts along the waterways and destroying the Seminole crops.
Major William Lauderdale, a neighbor of Andrew Jackson in Hartsville, Tennessee, is one of the now-presidents inner circle. Jackson gives him his own command. Starting in Jupiter, he pushes 63 miles south along the east coast. As there are no roads, he organizes a slash-and-burn program to make a road. They call it Military Trail, and it reaches south, where he builds a stockade circa 1837 on the Middle River. They call it Fort Lauderdale or “New River Settlement.”
Military Trail
Military Trail still exists, reaching from Indiantown Road in Jupiter to downtown Fort Lauderdale. There is no concrete evidence of a permanent fort in the Palm Beach area. Temporary settlements while building the trail are more plausible. Fort Pierce to the north and Fort Lauderdale to the south are the only known permanent forts in the area.
The Battle of Loxahatchee takes place circa January of 1838 in the swamps west of Jupiter. There were actually two battles, with the locals winning the first one. A few weeks later, with many more men, the U.S. Army claims victory.
Circa 1842, the Second Seminole War comes to an end. Most of the Seminoles in southeast Florida are dead from battle, starvation, or disease. The U.S. army departs their forts. To honor Major General Worth, they name the body of water between the mainland and the barrier island Lake Worth.
The Third Seminole War.
This war takes place mostly on the Gulf Coast. The Military Trail grows over, and southeast Florida goes back to the wilderness.
By 1872, there are a few settlers in the Palm Beach area. The first homestead claim on record is for Hiram Hammon on the shores of Lake Worth in 1873. There is only a record of approximately 10 people in the area from this time.
Each year there are a few more, and by 1877, there are enough to warrant a post office. The Tustenegee Post Office opens somewhere in modern-day Palm Beach, becoming the area’s first post office. Unfortunately, it only lasts a few years, and documents about it do not include its postal address. It is the only post office between St. Lucie to the north and Miami to the south. A new post office in Lake Worth opens circa 1880.
Going Coconuts.
Circa 1878, the Providencia, a Spanish brigantine sailing from Cuba to Spain, runs aground off Lake Worth Country. Several accounts mention the crew and the shipment of rum onboard as possible reasons. Among the supplies onboard are more than 20,000 coconuts from Trinidad. After selling them to the locals, they throw out (plant?) the other 19,000. Today, Palm Beach island has some of the tallest coconut palms in the U.S.A. even though they are not native.
Two years later, “Cap” Dimick converts his house into a hotel. Thanks to all the new trees sprouting everywhere, he calls it the Cocoanut Grove House. Records indicate it is the only hotel between Titusville and Key West on the east coast at that time.
Settlers continue to arrive between the Lake Worth post office and Miami, approximately 68 miles to the south. Postal trucks are still far off in the future. By 1885, mail carriers are delivering mail via boat and foot. They call the area the Star Route. In many places, the mailman has to wade through water earning the nickname the Barefoot Mailman.
The first schoolhouse in southeast Florida begins classes circa 1886. The “Little Red Schoolhouse‘ is now in a park south of Palm Beach.
By 1888, the area they are calling Palm City is big enough for a post office.
However, when they register the name, they discover a settlement 40 miles further north already has the name. So they settle on Palm Beach.
Henry Flagler and Palm Beach.
With the success of his hotels and the East Coast Railroad from Jacksonville to St Augustine, Flagler was considering expansion.
The state of Florida would offer him 3,840 acres per mile of a track he lays going south.
Flagler visits Palm Beach in 1893 and likes what he sees. He can duplicate his St. Augustine success here. He hires George Potter to plot a 48 block ‘factory town’ for his railroad and hotel construction workers. Later, it would be housing for his hotel staff. They call it West Palm Beach. It is on the mainland.
The six-story, Georgian-style Royal Poinciana Hotel, opens before the end of the 1894 winter season. Before the next season hits, he finishes his rail line, including a spur to the hotel. Guests can arrive in their private train cars and stay the season. Even though he doubles the size of the hotel (twice), he cannot keep ahead of the demand. The Royal Poinciana will eventually become the largest wooden structure in the world. It requires 1,700 employees to take care of its 2,000 guests. The hallways stretch more than three miles, and bellhops would use bicycles to deliver messages.
The hotel will be the winter address in Florida for the wealthy northerners. Unfortunately, by the early 1920s, Victorian hotels are falling from favor. A 1928 hurricane severely damages the hotel. The following year, the market freefalls. The hotel tries to downsize, but by 1934 it closes its door. A year later, the building was gone.
The Breakers.
Flagler builds a second wooden hotel on the resort’s Atlantic coast to the east. He names the hotel the Palm Beach Inn. The hotel is smaller than the Royal Poinciana, and guests can see and hear the waves hitting the breakers (rocks.) When he doubles the size of this hotel circa 1901, he changes the name to The Breakers. In the same year, he moves into his new all-stone ‘cottage’ Whitehall, which is the size of a small hotel. It is a wedding gift to his 3rd wife, 38 years his junior.
While doubling the size of the hotel for the 1903 season, it catches fire and burns down.
Flagler builds The Breakers II and opens in time for most of the 1904 season. The four-story, colonial-style building contains 425 rooms, many of them suites. The entire structure is wood. (Don’t get ahead of me.) The guest registry includes Rockefellers, Vanderbilts, Carnegies, Morgans, as well as European nobility.
Circa 1925, the Breakers II follows its predecessors as it goes up in smoke. However, the Florida East Coast Hotel Company says it will have a new hotel for the 1926 season.
In time for New Year’s Eve, in December 1926, the new seven-story hotel opens. It takes more than 1,200 construction workers working three shifts and 7 million dollars to complete. It quickly becomes the most famous palatial winter resort to be built, and possibly the last. Oh, it’s not built out of wood. The 1926 hotel is the structure you see today.
Palm Beach County.
Telephone service reaches Palm Beach by 1908. The Florida Legislature votes to divide Dade County a year later, making the northern part Palm Beach County. At the time, it includes today’s Broward, Palm, parts of Martin County, and all of Lake Okeechobee.
By 1912, Flagler’s railroad reaches Key West. Henry Flagler dies the following year. South Florida begins growing, and by 1915, they break Broward county off of Palm Beach County. Two years later, the creation of Okeechobee County takes part of Palm Beach counties west border. The new Martin County will decrease the county’s northern border in 1925. The final redefining of Palm Beach County comes in 1965 when it loses 75% of Lake Okeechobee to other counties.
Palm Beach Independence.
Circa 1911, a rumor starts saying West Palm Beach intends to annex Palm Beach island in the next legislative session. The island’s residents hire a Miami attorney to incorporate the island. By April of that year, the 31 male property owners of Palm Beach succeed. “Cap” Dimick becomes the first mayor. After building the Royal Park Bridge, he charges a toll of 25 cents per vehicle and 5 cents for pedestrians.
Palm Beach Style.
Trying to keep up with the Flagler’s, many wealthy northerners begin building winter ‘cottages.’ Many hire American resort architect Addison Mizner to design them. By 1924 Mizner will be responsible for 67 structures in Palm Beach. 38 of them are residents. The Mizner style is his personal spin on the Mediterranean and Spanish styles.
His buildings are generally one room deep to allow cross-ventilation. The world will not see window air conditioners for another 20 years, let alone central air. His designs would include kitchens in separate wings and downwind from the rest of the house. They include courtyards, loggias, colonnades, arches, French doors, and decorative ironwork.
He will build El Solano for himself on South Ocean Drive. He sells the 14000-square-foot estate a few years later to Harold Vanderbilt.
Palm Beach Grows.
The Port of Palm Beach opens in 1920.
Sugar production increases west of town with the additional option of shipping by boat. Frederick Edward Bryant merges his small sugar company with others to become the Southern Sugar Company. He builds the company town of Azucar (sugar) for his workers, primarily African Americans. They will rename it “Bryant” in 1946 after the founder’s death. Bryant had provided decent housing and recreation areas, believing their comfort made for better workers.
In 1924, the first road, Conners Highway opens connecting West Palm Beach and Glades, now Belle Glade. It will become part of highway 80, the first cross-state highway.
The Palm Beach Town Hall opens in 1925. They still use the building for town council meetings.
In the same year, the Seaboard Air Line Railroad gives Flagler’s East Coast Railroad some competition. First, it builds a connection to West Palm Beach from its main route between Tampa and the north. The Florida toll road will follow a similar path years later. Then, in the same year, they build a direct line between Tampa and West Palm Beach completing the triangle. After that, Flagler’s monopoly is over.
Two years later, the 543 room Alba Hotel opens looking suspiciously similar to the Breakers. But, within six months, it has a new owner and is the Ambassador Hotel. The Florida land boom is in full swing.
The Winds Change.
The 1928 Okeechobee hurricane damages more than the Royal Poinciana Hotel. Coming ashore over Palm Beach, with winds of 145 mph, it does more than 10 million dollars in damage. ($150 million in today’s dollar). It destroys more than 1700 homes and businesses and kills more than 500 people.
Lake Okeechobee breaks through its dike, flooding hundreds of square miles and killing approximately 2500 people. Some say the wave of water close to 20 feet high sweeps away houses and buildings southeast of the lake. At the time, it is the second deadliest disaster in U.S. history. It does an additional $15 million in damage here.
The market crash of 1929 effects West Palm Beach. Within a year, 12 local banks will fail.
It will not be until the end of the 1930s before West Palm Beach recovers.
Across the bridge, the hotels and clubs have some of their most profitable years.
The owners of the Biltmore Hotel in Miami buy the Ambassador Hotel and rename it the Biltmore.
Palm Beach County is just as wet as most Florida counties during Prohibition.
Palm Beach County and Civil Rights.
All is not sunshine in the sunshine state. Florida, like much of the south, is not a good loser after the Civil War.
Part of their success is due to the Ku Klux Klan, a white supremacist hate group. Their goal is to overthrow Republican state governments in the south. They use voter intimidation and violence to achieve this.
After World War I, Florida sees a rise in racial violence against blacks in the state. Florida is not the only place, but it leads the nation in lynchings per capita from 1900–1930. Palm Beach County will be home to two of them.
World War II.
Florida’s long coastline is hard to protect, making it vulnerable to attack. Despite black-out conditions, German U-boats will sink merchant ships and oil tankers just off the coast.
The U.S. Army Air Corps establishes an Air Transport Command post at West Palm’s Morrison Field. They build barracks, hangars, and other buildings necessary to support the 3,000 soldiers. In addition, more than 45,000 pilots will train here before heading into combat—a large number before the Normandy invasion.
The Army converts The Breakers Hotel into a general Army Hospital. In addition, the Navy will use the Palm Beach Biltmore Hotel as a U.S. Naval Special Hospital. It also becomes a training school for SPARS, the Coast Guard Women’s Reserve.
Palm Beach Post World War.
Almost a decade after the Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, many Florida public schools are still not integrating.
African Americans were facing arrest eating at public lunch counters, and the Ku Klux Klan was escalating violence.
Starting just after WWII, Palm Beach County’s black residents began requesting access to public beaches. At that time, only Juno Beach in northern Palm Beach County had a small section for the Black population.
These civil right activist will lead wade-ins at many Florida beaches in the early 1960s. This would lead to the desegregation of the county’s beaches.
Palm Beach Junior College and Lake Worth High School accepts their first African American students in 1961.
It will not be until 1964, in St Augustine, when more changes take place. When the Klan attacks blacks and whites on national television, Congress finally passes the Civil Rights Act.
A year later, Palm Beach Junior College makes Roosevelt Junior College for African Americans a branch of its system.
1960s Palm Beach County.
In 1961 John Kennedy becomes president of the United States. He will use the family compound in Palm Beach as his ‘Winter White House.”
The Professional Golfer’s Association (PGA) opens its national headquarters in Palm Beach Gardens circa 1965.
The same year, the first section of Interstate 95 in Palm Beach County opens. By 1969 it will stretch the length of the county.
Circa 1967, the first drive-through safari in the United States, opens at Lion Country Safari. It is 15 miles west of West Palm Beach.
Palm Beach Today.
Today, there are around 9,500 residents of Palm Beach, although many are seasonal.
On the mainland, West Palm Beach has just over 110,000 in the metro area. Palm Beach County has over 1.5 million residents in total.
Currently, real estate and construction continue to be the largest industry in Palm Beach County. Agriculture comes in a strong second. Other industries include aerospace engineering, financial services, and marine technology. Tourism also plays a big part.
Only around 500 Palm Beach Island residents work in Palm Beach. The majority of these are in finance, insurance, real estate, or other professional fields. The largest employers are hospitality and retail, but the majority of their workforce lives elsewhere.
What is in Palm Beach for me?
See & Hear.
You can stroll the Royal Poinciana Way Historic District or Worth Avenue, window shopping, and people-watching. Or visit the clock tower and listen to the waves and sea birds.
Taste & Smell.
Palm Beach has plenty of local seafood. West Palm Beach has numerous new restaurants and cafes opening. Palm Beach has many that have survived the test of time. Shrimp, stone crabs (seasonally), and fresh fish appear on many menus.
A table by the water, bay or ocean, may give you a whiff of salt air.
Feel.
There is an energy about Palm Beach. Drive past opulent mansions, admire autos with six-digit price tags, or sip wine in a historic hotel. You are bound to feel it.
Whether on a rooftop in West Palm or in old-world elegance overlooking the ocean, enjoy brunch. Sip a mimosa and take in all of Palm Beach County.
There may be better ways to spend a Sunday afternoon, but this one doesn’t suck.
Should See in Palm Beach.
Downtown.
Worth Avenue Clock Tower.
Where Worth Avenue meets the Atlantic Ocean, this 2010 structure marks the location of the Palm Beach Pier. The pier is a victim of a 1930 hurricane. This is an Instagram spot and a good place to start exploring.
Worth Avenue.
Stretching from Lake Worth to the Atlantic Ocean, these four blocks date from 1913. The street takes its name from General William Jenkins Worth, a hero in the Second Seminole War. In 1918, when the landlords along fashionable Lake Trail begin raising rents, several shops relocate near the new Everglades Club. Addison Mizner and Paris Singer (sewing machines) are the original developers.
The Colony Hotel.
Walking west on Worth from the clock, take a detour at the first left, S County Road. At the end of the block is this pink paradise from 1947. When you walk inside, you are in 1940s Palm Beach. Unfortunately, the Royal Room no longer hosts Broadway stars in a cabaret setting. And the Polo Lounge has a different name. Still, it is a lovely place for a drink or lunch poolside.
Via Mizner and Via Parigi.
These 1925 almost hidden alleys lead to secret courtyards off Worth Avenue. On either side of 340-342 Worth, Addison Mizner designs them for shops. An apartment for his best friend Paris Singer was accessed through Via Parigi.
The Everglades Club.
Circa 1918, Paris Singer hires Mizner to design the Touchstone Convalescent Club, a hospital for WWI wounded. Unfortunately, the war ends before they can finish it, so they make it a social and golf club.
Chesterfield Hotel.
Dating from 1925, the hotel opens as the Lido-Venice. Three years later, they rename it the Venita. It will have several owners over the next 40 years, each one adding to the hotel. In 1980 it becomes a condominium building. That lasts five years. Since 1989, it has been a hotel under one management company. Locals and guests sip afternoon tea, enjoy breakfast in the Courtyard or drinks and music in the Leopard Lounge. The hotel is three short blocks north of the Everglades Club.
The Brazilian Court Hotel.
Across the street and one block east of the Chesterfield Hotel is this Mediterranian hotel dating from 1926. Today, the hotel is on the National Trust for Historic Preservation and is popular with locals and guests.
Palm Beach Town Hall.
A five-minute walk east of the Brazilian Court is this listing on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Dating from 1925, the city would eventually outgrow the building. However, they still use it for meetings. Check out the Palm Beach Memorial Fountain on the north side of the building. From here, it is a four-minute walk south to Worth Avenue.
South of Downtown.
Villa Tranquilla.
Just five blocks south of Worth Avenue on S. Ocean Blvd. is one of Addison Mizner’s fabulous designs. Dating from 1923, the private home still retains many original aspects. It is on the corner of S. Ocean (Billionaire Row) and El Brillo Way. There is no parking on S. Ocean, and stopping to look is also frowned upon.
El Solano.
At 720 South Ocean Blvd. is a historic Mizner house so great, he actually calls it home. Dating from 1919, Mizner will sell it to Harold Vanderbilt in the early 1920s. In January of 1980, John Lennon and his wife Yoko buy the house and stay for a few months. Unfortunately, he will not see their plans for a renovation due to his death in December of that year. Instead, Yoko will oversee their renovation and sell the house in 1986. It is still a private residence, last selling for more than 23 million dollars.
Casa Nana.
Just to the south of El Solano is this historic Mizner estate dating from 1926. The original owner, George Rasmussen, was the founder of the National Tea Company. His wife was Nana. Woolworth Donahue (yes, that Woolworth family) buys it in the 1960s for his wife Mary Hartline, a Chicago television celebrity. After his 1972 death, she will sell it in 1980.
Mar-a-Lago.
This National Historic Landmark at 1100 S Ocean Blvd. is not the work of Mizner. Marjorie Merriweather Post (of Post Cereal fame) builds the house for her husband, E. F. Hutton. Costing $7 million in 1924 ($104 million in today’s dollars), it has 126-rooms, 58 of which are bedrooms. The 62,500-square-foot “cottage” sits on 7 acres and stretches from the ocean (Mar) to the lake (lago). In her 1973 will, Post gives the property to the city of Palm Beach. She hopes it can be a winter “White House.”
Neither Nixon nor Carter uses the house, and it goes back to the Post foundation in 1981. They try to sell it, but it sits empty until 1985. Finally, businessman Donald Trump buys the property for his family. In 1994 he opens the Mar-a-Lago Club, a hotel and club for dues-paying members.
Little Red Schoolhouse.
Dating from 1886, it is the first schoolhouse in southeast Florida. Originally, the one-room building was north of the current Royal Poinciana Bridge. It would operate as a school until 1901. For the next 59 years, it is a tool shed on John S. Phipp’s Casa Bendita estate. Then, circa 1960, with the demolition of the mansion, the city moves and restores the school to Phipps Ocean Park. The park is a 10-minute drive south of Mar-a-Lago.
North of Royal Palm Way.
The Society of the Four Arts.
At the corner of Royal Palm Way and Cocoanut Row is this non-profit cultural organization dating from 1936. They hope to inspire young people by presenting music, art, drama, and literature through concerts, shows, and events. In addition, the Esther B. O’Keeffe Building by Addison Mizner has an ever-changing art exhibit.
Royal Poinciana Chapel.
Dating from 1898, Henry Flagler would finance the construction so his hotel guests would have a place to pray. In 1973, they move the chapel to its current location.
Seagull Cottage.
Land developer R.R. McCormick builds this ‘cottage” on Lake Worth in 1886. Henry Flagler will buy it and the land for his hotel in 1893. Instead of tearing it down, he lives in it until he can build Whitehall. Then, circa 1984, they move it to its current position on the chapel grounds.
Henry Flagler’s Whitehall.
Behind the chapel is the diamond in Flagler’s Crown. What better place to learn about the man, his railroad, and Palm Beach’s Gilded Age than at his house? Flagler builds this 75-room, 100,000-square-foot Gilded ‘cottage’ as a wedding present for his third wife, Mary Lily Kenan. The couple will winter here from 1902 until Henry’s death in 1913. His private rail car No. 91 is part of the museum. Paris Singer and a group of investors purchase the mansion after Mary Lily’s death four years later. First, they build a 10-story, 250 room hotel on the lakeside. Then, in 1963 they tear all but the hotel’s lobby down to restore the house as a museum.
Royal Poinciana Hotel Marker.
Nothing remains of the grand hotel. Some condos from the 1950s sit on the main hotel’s location. Just to the north of their entrance at 44 Cocoanut Row is the marker.
Slat House.
A minute north of Whitehall is this historic structure that dates from circa 1890. Originally serving as a greenhouse and conservancy for Flagler’s Hotel Royal Poinciana, it houses cafes and shops today. It is the southernmost building in the Royal Poinciana Plaza.
Palm Beach Biltmore Hotel.
A two-minute drive north of Slat House is this pastel historic architectural landmark. Opening as the Alba Hotel in 1926, it would rival the Breakers at that time. Later becoming the Biltmore Hotel. In the 1970s, the 543 hotel rooms will become 128 luxury condos.
William Gray Warden House.
A three-minute drive east from the Biltmore is another Mizner property on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. It dates from 1922 and is In his Mediterranean Revival-Spanish Colonial Revival style. Today it is a private six condominium complex. A drive along N Ocean Blvd. is worth your time.
St. Edward Roman Catholic Church.
Two minutes south of Warden house is this Catholic church dating from 1926. Whereas the Royal Poinciana Chapel for a non-denominational place for all, this was for the growing Catholic congregation.
Palm Beach Hotel Building.
This structure on the National Register of Historic Places dates from 1926. It is directly behind St Edwards on Sunrise Avenue. The original 320 rooms will become condos in 1981.
Paramount Theatre Building.
Across the intersection of N. Country Road and Sunrise Avenue from St Edwards is this historic theater building from 1926. Joseph Urban, who will also design Mar-a-Lago, designs this in a mix of Moorish Revival and Spanish Colonial Revival. It would serve as a movie palace, theater, and most recently, a church and offices.
US Post Office.
Two blocks south of the Paramount is this 1936 building, a product of the New Deal. Since 2011, it has been a private office.
Royal Poinciana Way Historic District.
The Post Office building sits at the east end of Palm Beach’s original main street. In the district, there are 36 buildings. 26 of these are contributing properties to the area’s historic status. These buildings date from 1915 to 1954. Originally at the west end of Main Street was the 1901 bridge, bringing autos and trains to Palm Beach Island. In 1937, as part of the PWA project, Main street would get a median and wider streets in both directions. It would also get the new name Royal Poinciana Way. The new Flagler Memorial Bridge, also from the WPA, would open a year later.
Breakers Hotel Complex.
The third hotel by that name dates from 1926. Unfortunately, Henry Flagler would not live to see this final masterpiece, one of the last grande Florida Winter Resorts. Besides being home to Florida’s oldest golf course, there are four pools, beach, tennis, spa services, and more. The resort still employs close to 1800 employees.
The Church of Bethesda-By-The Sea.
Along the south edge of the Breaker’s property is this 1889 Episcopal Church. The gothic revival-style church is home to Palm Beach’s oldest existing congregation.
Phipp’s Plaza.
Two minutes drive south of the church is this commercial plaza just off S. County Road. It is a collection of structures.
The Plaza Building.
This 1924 Mizner building creates the north side of the plaza’s entrance. The Spanish-style structure with arcades and a tower would be home to Brooks Brothers, Bonwit Teller, and other shops.
The round drive inside the plaza, originally Plaza Circle, would have cafes, residences, and apartments.
The Carriage House.
The building creating the south side of the plaza entrance is a 1930 Mizner structure. The two-story quarry-keystone office building is the main office of E.F. Hutton’s agencies. Since the 1940s it has been various restaurants.
1000 feet to the south of the Carriage House brings you back to Royal Palm Way.
Should See in West Palm Beach.
Due to a history just over 100 years old, West Palm Beach does not have many historic buildings. However, it more than makes up for that in historic homes and neighborhoods. It has 17. Each district has numerous historical residences, too many to list here.
Downtown.
Seaboard Airline Railroad Station.
Dating from 1924, the station is still in use today for Amtrak. Its pastel architecture is a nod to the styles of Palm Beach.
Kravis Center for the Performing Arts.
Four blocks south of the station is the Kravitz Center hosting Broadway, opera, dance, and concerts.
Rosemary Square (CityPlace.)
Until 2019 this outdoor mall, entertainment, and residential center was City Place. Just east of the Kravis Center, there are numerous ways to eat, drink, and be merry. In the center of the area is the Harriet Himmel Theater, a cultural center dating from 1925. It also changes in 2019, becoming a church.
Grant Van Valkenburg House.
Three blocks north of the Himmel theater is this excellent example of a Craftsman bungalow with Victorian detailing. Dating from 1918, this house is on the National Register of Historic Places. (N.R.H.P.)
Clematis Street Historic Commercial District.
Three blocks north of the Van Valkenburg house is Clematis Street. This is the original ‘downtown’ of West Palm Beach, ranking it as its own historic district. Many of the buildings along the street are now home to cafes, clubs, and shops. The 1925 Comeau Building and 1927 Harvey Building are on the N.R.H.P.
Palm Beach Photographic Centre
This non-profit visual arts organization tries to enrich life through photo exhibits and educational activities. It is in the library building at 415 Clematis St.
St. Anne’s Catholic Church.
Two blocks north of Clematis on N. Olive Ave is this Catholic church dating from 1902. Henry Flagler donated the site to build a Catholic church for the working class.
Richard and Pat Johnson Palm Beach County History Museum.
A block west of St Anne’s is this interesting museum in the historic 1916 Courthouse. The museum’s collection and exhibits cover local history back 12,000 years.
South of Okeechobee Blvd.
Norton Museum of Art.
Dating from 1941, the museum now has a collection of more than 7,000 works. The emphasis of the collection is on American, European, and Chinese art. You can also find some contemporary art and photography.
Mango Promenade Historic District.
The area to the north and south of the Norton is the Mango Promenade. It contains 125 historic buildings.
El Cid Historic District.
Stretching from Dixie Highway to the lake, El Cid is south of Mango Promenade. It has over 280 historic buildings, many in the Mediterranean Revival or Mission Style.
Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens.
Ann’s lovely sculptures in a garden setting are adjacent to the historical Norton House at 253 Barcelona Road. Tours of her studio are also available.
Central Park Historic District.
This small district to the south of El Cid ends at Southern Road. It contains more than 150 historic buildings in frame and masonry vernacular, Mission, Craftsman Bungalow, Monterey, American Foursquare, and more.
The Other Side of the Tracks.
On the west side of the East Coast Railroad tracks are the following neighborhoods starting near Okeechobee Blvd.
Grandview Heights Historic District.
One of the city’s oldest residential neighborhoods, many structures date from 1910 to 1925. It has one of the city’s best assortment of early craftsman-style bungalows and modest, Mediterranean revival-style homes.
Flamingo Park Historic Residential District.
Just south of Grandview is this neighborhood with more than 450 historic structures. There are variations of the Mission and Mediterranean Revival styles. You can also see wood frame vernacular as well as Minimum Traditional houses. Other styles are few and far between.
Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society.
A ten-minute drive south of downtown, this compound is worth the drive. On 23 acres, this non-profit zoological organization houses more than 500 animals, several of them endangered. The South Florida Science and Aquarium Center is behind the zoo in the same park.
North of Banyan Blvd.
I like to head north on Spruce Avenue. Broadway is the western border of several areas, with North Dixie Highway defining the east border.
Old Northwood Historic District.
With more than 300 historic structures, you can be here for a while. Starting at 26th street, the neighborhood runs for 9 blocks north. In a nod to Mizner, you will find many houses with Mediterranean Revival or Mission-style architecture.
Northboro Park Historic District.
Starting at 36th street, this neighborhood continues with many Mediterranean Revival or Mission-style houses.
There are several other historic neighborhoods, but these are some of the more popular. There are enough houses here to keep you busy.
Palm Beach Summary.
Palm Beach is about the recent history, architecture, and lifestyle. West Palm Beach has lower, middle, and upper-middle-class neighborhoods. In Palm Beach, the average price of houses is over 1 million dollars. At last count, Palm Beach had more than 40 billionaires.
Any trip to South Florida should include a day to explore West and Palm Beach.
Spoiler alert, on Palm Beach Island you will see a lot of very high hedges. The sites I mention above are visible (some partially) from the street.