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West
Palm Beach is the most populous city in Palm Beach County and the oldest
incorporated municipality in South Florida. The city had a population of 107,617
in 2006. It has a much larger unincorporated population estimated at upwards of
250,000. The city's urbanized area has an estimated population of
almost 1.3 million. West Palm Beach is one of the principal cities in the South
Florida Metropolitan area and is situated in its northernmost county.
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History:
Founded In 1894,
West Palm Is Oldest City In Palm Beach County
On Nov. 5, 1894, 87 of the town's 500 or so residents, gathered "atop the
calaboose" (the jailhouse) at Poinsettia (now Dixie) and Banyan streets and
voted 77-1 to incorporate "West Palm Beach." The area had originally been called
West palm beach, a single word, then split into three words.
The
historic buildings, structures, and sites within the boundaries of the City are
listed by "neighborhoods." The concept of historic neighborhoods was developed
as a means of organizing areas within the community that have unique
characteristics which set them apart from other areas. The boundaries of
historic neighborhoods were established based on geography, topography, historic
use, and types of buildings within the area.
BELAIR HISTORIC DISTRICT
Developed from 1925 to 1935 as a neighborhood for tradesmen and real estate
salesmen who helped develop Palm Beach County, some of Belair was originally a
pineapple plantation owned by Richard Hone.
Hones's frame vernacular house, built around 1895, still stands at 211 Plymouth
Road.
After Hone was murdered in 1902, his property was sold to George Currie, who
created Currie Development Co. But before it was developed, the land was sold to
William Ohlhaber, who raised coconut palms and ferns.
Eventually, Ohlhaber platted the subdivision and sold off lots. The first house
built in the subdivision was Ohlhaber's mission-style home at 205 Pilgrim.
Ohlhaber's grandson said Ohlhaber bought the tract to provide dockage for his
90-foot yacht, but the yacht ran aground in the Gulf of Mexico and never reached
Lake Worth.
In 1947 Hone's house was bought by Max Brombacher, Henry Flagler's chief
engineer, and it remains in the Brombacher family today.
Belair became West Palm Beach's fourth historic district in August 1993.
CENTRAL PARK HISTORIC DISTRICT
Central Park is a collective name for several subdivisions north of Southern
Boulevard. It originally was part of the Estates of South Palm Beach (which went
from Wenonah Place to Pilgrim Road ease of Dixie Highway).
Like other West Palm Beach neighborhoods, the Estates of South Palm Beach boomed
after Henry Flagler's descent on Palm Beach. In 1884, James W. Copp, a bachelor
in the boating business, borrowed $367.20 from Valentine Jones to buy the land.
The ownership of what is now known as Central Park changed hands many times
before being developed. Around 1919, the tropical wilderness was transformed
into an exclusive neighborhood with curbed roads, sidewalks and a pier (at the
foot of what is now Southern Boulevard).
The neighborhood became part of West Palm Beach in 1926, and was named a city
historic district in December 1993. In 1999 the neighborhood was listed in the
National Register of Historic Places.
CLEMATIS STREET HISTORIC DISTRICT
This Commercial District was named a city historic commercial district in 1997.
In 1998 the district was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
EL CID HISTORIC DISTRICT
Noted for its Mediterranean revival and mission-style homes, El Cid developed in
the height of Florida's real estate boom.
In the late 1800's, most of the land north of Sunset Road was pineapple fields,
but the crop dwindled in the early 1900's. Pittsburgh socialite Jay Phipps
subdivided the old pineapple fields in the 1920's. He named it El Cid, after the
celebrated Spanish hero, Rodrigo Diaz de Bivar, who conquered Valencia in 1094.
He was called "Cid", meaning "lord".
The home of Ralph and Ann Norton (he founded the Norton Gallery of Art) at 253
Barcelona Road is on the National Register of Historic Places.
El Cid became a city historic district in June 1993. In 1995 the neighborhood
was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
FLAMINGO PARK NEIGHBORHOOD
Originally a pineapple plantation, Flamingo Park was established by local
contractors and developers (such as Hansell Hall, James Ebert, Clare Warner and
Edward Roddy), who saw the potential in this area -- one of the highest coastal
ridge sections from downtown West Palm Beach to Miami. Some ridge houses even
had ocean views from upper floors.
Houses cost about $10,000 to $18,000 in the boom era, and many buyers were
owners of shops and businesses on fashionable Dixie Highway nearby. Recently,
residents rallied to have stop signs installed throughout the neighborhood and
have banded together to ward off commercial and industrial zoning. Property
values are rising as residents renovate and restore Spanish-style houses.
Most of the homes in the neighborhood, developed from 1921 to 1930, are mission
style, but nearly every style is represented. There are many Mediterranean
revival-style houses along the high ridge line.
Only two buildings in the historic district are known to have been designed by
architects: 701 Flamingo Drive designed by Harvey and Clarke, and the Armory
Arts Center designed by William Manly King.
The neighborhood became a West Palm Beach historic district in January 1993 and
was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.
GRANDVIEW HEIGHTS
One of the city's oldest neighborhoods still intact, Grandview Heights was built
as an extension of Palm Beach Heights from around 1910 to 1925.
Almost all of Palm Beach Heights and half of Grandview Heights was demolished in
1989 to make way for the proposed Downtown/Uptown project, which remains
undeveloped.
Grandview Heights originally attracted construction workers who helped build the
luxury hotels, ministers and store owners.
In recent years, residents rallied to stop random demolition of neighborhood
homes. And they banded together to chase drug dealers and prostitutes from the
neighborhood. New investors are helping bring back the neighborhood, which has
one of the city's best collection of early craftsman-style bungalows, as well
as
some modest, Mediterranean revival-style homes.
The
neighborhood became a West Palm Beach historic district in 1995 and was listed
in the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.
MANGO PROMENADE HISTORIC DISTRICT
Mango Promenade became a West Palm Beach historic district in 1995 and was
listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.
MELROSE PARK HISTORIC DISTRICT
An expansion of Old Northwood, Northboro Park was mostly custom houses for
upper-middle-class professionals. Most of the houses are Mediterranean revival,
mission and frame vernacular.
Developed from 1923 to 1940, the neighborhood became the city's second historic
district (November 1992) and the historic designation may soon expand north to
45th Street.
The oldest building in the neighborhood is Northboro Elementary School at 36th
Street and Spruce, built in 1925 by DaCamara and Chace. The first home in
Northboro Park is 418 36th St., built in 1923.
Northboro Park became a city historic district in 1992.Northboro Park was placed
on the National Register of Historic Places in February 2007.
NORTHWEST HISTORIC DISTRICT
West Palm Beach's first historic district to be included on the National
Register of Historic Places (February 1992), the Northwest neighborhood was
first settled in 1894, when the black community was moved from the Styx in Palm
Beach to West Palm Beach. It also served as the city's segregated black
community from 1929 to 1960 (along with Pleasant City).
Northwest remains a predominantly black community but according to the city
planning department, most middle- and upper-class blacks moved to other
neighborhoods after desegregation. Tamarind and Rosemary Avenues were the
commercial centers for blacks by 1915, but most commercial buildings have been
demolished or remodeled so the architecture is no longer significant.
There are still good examples of late 19th- and early 20th-century American
bungalow/craftsman-style homes in this neighborhood, which also has mission,
shotgun, Bahamian vernacular and American Foursquare styles.
The Alice Frederick Mickens house, at 801 Fourth St., is listed on the National
Register of Historic Places. Mickens was a philanthropist and humanitarian who
promoted education for black youth.
Another notable house is the Gwen Cherry house at 625 Division Ave. Cherry,
Florida's first black woman legislator and a resident of Miami, inherited the
house from relative Mollie Holt, who built the house in 1926. Now it is the Palm
Beach County Black Historical Society.
The
Northwest neighborhood was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in
1992. The next year the neighborhood became a West Palm Beach historic district
in 1993.
NORTHWOOD HILLS
On August 4th, 2003, the City Commission designated the Northwood
Hills neighborhood as the 13th Historic District in the City of West Palm Beach.
Northwood Hills comprises the area from 29th Street on the South to 39th Court
on the North. The east side of Windsor is the Western boundary, and Greenwood
Avenue is the Eastern boundary. The Neighborhood Association has worked several
years to achieve the distinction of historic designation. The Historic District
will encompass 592 properties, 19 vacant lots, and City-owned Sullivan Park.
This is the first district to be designated since 1996. Northwood Hills has a
number of Mission Revival houses, a significant collection of Post-World War II
architecture, a unique street layout, and one of the highest elevations in the
City. The Northwood Hills neighborhood has also elected to allow the
establishment of Bed and Breakfast establishments within the neighborhood.
OLD NORTHWOOD
Old Northwood was developed from 1920 to 1927 -- the height of the city's real
estate boom. The Pinewood Development Co., whose partners were David F. Dunkle,
Orrin Randolph and G.W. Bingham, platted and developed the area, most of which
had been owed by the Rev. Elbridge Gale.
Gale, a professor of horticulture, settled here in 1884. He grew tasty Haden
mangoes on the property, but later his son converted the land to a poultry farm.
Gale's cabin, built around 1888, was one of the first built on the west side of
Lake Worth, on what is now the middle of 29th Street and Poinsettia Avenue.
Later the cabin was moved, and it is believed the house at 401 29th St. was
built around that cabin, somewhere between 1900 and 1910.
Old Northwood became a neighborhood of what was considered extravagant
Mediterranean revival, mission and frame vernacular houses, at $30,000 to
$36,000. The buyers were professionals, entrepreneurs and tradesmen. Among them
was Dunkle, who was mayor of West Palm Beach.
There are houses here designed by notable architects John Volk (best known for
his Palm Beach houses), William Manly King (who designed Palm Beach High School
and the Armory Arts Center) and Henry Steven Harvey (whose Seaboard Railroad
Passenger Station on Tamarind Avenue is listed in the National Register of
Historic Places).
The neighborhood became a West Palm Beach historic district in 1991 and listed
in the National Register of Historic Places in June 1994.
PROSPECT PARK/SOUTHLAND PARK
Promoted as a high-end neighborhood patterned after the prominent Prospect Park
district in Brooklyn, this area consisted of mostly smaller estates for
prominent businesspeople and northern investors. The neighborhood has a high
concentration of Mediterranean revival and Mission revival houses. It was
developed from 1920 to 1935 and became a city historic district in November
1993.
WEST NORTHWOOD HISTORIC DISTRICT
Cashing in on the real estate boom, developers of West Northwood built
speculative and custom houses for upper-middle-class professionals from 1925 to
'27. Major developers were DaCamara and Chace, H.E. Rise and J.C. Griswell, and
dominant architectural styles are Mediterranean revival and mission.
Although the area was declining, that has reversed in recent years, as more
investors buy and restore the houses. West Northwood became a city historic
district in August 1993.
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