Lavender house, also known as Hermann V. Von Holst House is a private residence on the U.S…read more National Register of Historic Places in the historic old Floresta neighborhood in Boca Raton. It is located on 875 Alamanda Street. The neighborhood the house is in was initially designed by Addison Mizner but he went broke in 1926. Chicago Prairie School architect Hermann V. Von Holst along with partners purchased the development and he finished building the houses. Lavender House was the residence Holst built for himself. He went on to serve on the Boca Raton City Council from 1934 to 1948 and the planning board from 1940 to 1953. Although you can't tour this house it's worth driving through this beautiful historic neighborhood. It looks like the current owners embrace the history of their home as it is beautifully kept. They occasionally post pictures of the interior on their Facebook page dedicated to the home.

This vernacular frame structure is the oldest home in Boynton Beach. The house was built in 1907 by…read moreBert L. Kapp, a Dutchman who moved to Boynton from Michigan. He sold the house to A.E. Parker, Major Nathan S. Boynton's son-in-law. The house then passed into the possession of Charles Lee Andrews, a Confederate Civil War veteran and his 42 year younger wife Katie. When Katie passed away in 1971 she was still collecting her husbands Civil War veteran benefits. She was the last person to collect them in Palm Beach. Katie's son and daughter inherited the house and after her son passed away and his widow moved out it deteriorated. In 1998 Boynton resident Bob Katz bought the house and restored it. He had the house moved to the lot next door. He passed away at the age of 50 leaving the ownership of the house without a resolution. I saw the house during the Pirate and Mermaid Festival. It was decorated for Halloween and singers were performing from the porch. It's such a cute house and an important part of Boynton Beach's history. It would be wonderful if the city could gain ownership of it and open it up for tours.

This clock tower is the centerpiece of the beach across from the two rock columns with Worth Ave…read moreengraved at the top. Plenty of tourists today waiting for their chance to take that memorable picture. The fifteen foot tall tower is made out of coquina and coral stone. The center lower dome of the tower could hold seven people comfortably.

The Worth Ave Clock is directly on the beach with lots of people fighting for a chance to take a…read morepicture. The clock time was actually correct so it's working. There is a faded bronze plaque inside the clock tower that gives info about the Palm Beach pier in 1925. Nice pictures here on the beach.

If you love unusual architecture as I do, then you will enjoy checking out the colorful, historic…read moreWenger Home, a Nautical Moderne private residence. The house was built in 1948 by Ruth and Ray Wenger on Wall Street, an unincorporated area of Palm Beach County between Delray Beach and Boynton Beach. The home is known for its signature flat and curved walls, circular windows, and rectangular framing. The Art Deco eyebrows, flat shelves over the windows that look like a wedding cake are one of the most striking features on the house. The Wenger's built the home room by room with interesting architectural design elements scavenged from salvage yards. The kitchen was built first and the 1,400-square-foot home also has two bathrooms, two bedrooms, a family room, a living room, a Florida room and a converted den. A 400-square-foot garage was Ray Wenger's machine shop while Ruth used a portion of the home for her hair salon. An outdoor circular staircase in the front of the house takes you up to the flat roof where the Wenger's used to hang out to stay cool before they had air conditioning, A low, concrete blue wall with heart cutouts surrounding the house was a Valentine from Ray to his beloved wife Ruth. This was the first private residence ever to be placed on Palm Beach County's Register of Historic Places. Houses have to be older than 50 years to qualify for the list. The Wenger House is a treasure because of the way it combines the architectural styles of Art Deco, Tropical Deco and modernist design. In 2000, Boynton Beach artist Rick Beaulieu helped the current owners compose a rose, apple, yellow and blue color scheme making it even more spectacular. The Wenger Home was features on cable HGTV's What's With That House?, a show about homes that aren't typical to a neighborhood. This house has everything, an endearing love story and compelling architecture. Although off the beaten path, I enjoyed seeing the house in person.

Marina Historic District sits on the intracoastal waterway. The boundary streets of the…read moreneighborhood are East Atlantic Blvd, Marine Way, SE 4th Ave, and SE 7th Ave. Marina was listed as a city historic district in 1988 and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 2, 2014. It is the only historic neighborhood in Delray Beach on the list. In order to qualify for the prestigious list a district must have homes older than 50 years and the area must be of historical significance. Being on the list can improve property values. Marina was the first planned neighborhood in Delray Beach. Homes are from 1924 to 1949. Most of the homes served as winter residences for people from the north and mid west during Florida's land boom years in the 1920's. People who moved to the neighborhood in the 1930's and 1940's made it their year round home. A signature of Marina are the shady streets that are within walking distance of the Delray City Marina. Architectural styles in the neighborhood include Mediterranean and Mission Revival, Monterey, Minimal Traditional, Frame Vernacular and Art Moderne. There are cottages cottages from the 1930s that were built by cartoonist Fontaine Fox. Gustav Maass, Henry Pope, and Samuel Ogren, Sr. who was the first resident architect in Delray Beach and who designed more 250 buildings and homes in town were some of the well known architects who had a hand in designing the neighborhood. The Spady museum in the historic West Settlers district offers a $35 Ride and Remember Bus Tour once a month that travels to all five of Delray Beach's historical districts, including Marina. The tour tells the story of the origins and development of Delray Beach and is a great resource for anyone who is looking to learn more about the area.

This neighborhood was designed by Addison Mizner in a Mediterranean style that you can see…read morethroughout the city of Boca Raton. It is located off of Palmetto Rd behind the Boca Raton Art Museum art school. The houses were designed for the executives of Mizner's company and one was for his brother the Reverend Henry Mizner who retired to Boca Raton. The Robinson Company were contracted to construct 29 homes in the neighborhood but they went bankrupt before they could finish. Architect Herman Von Holst from Chicago who owned the land foreclosed and along with investors he finished designing the subdivision and named it Old Floreresta meaning "a delightful rural place" in Spanish. The houses have certain characteristics in common, barrel tile roofs, wrought iron balconies, and Spanish style architecture. The homes are on narrow tree lines streets. Some of the notable homes in the subdivision are 888 Oleander St owned by Henry Mizner who lived in Acacia, 875 Alamanda St. was the home of Herman Von Holst and he named his home Lavender House. He went on to serve on both the Boca Raton town council and planning boards. The house is now on the National Register of Historic Places as is 801 Hibiscus St, it was owned by film producer and mayor of Boca Raton Fred Aiken. Other well known residents of the neighborhood were Thomas Fleming who founded Florida Atlantic University, Don Estridge who worked on the IMB personal computer, and Nathaniel Weyl who authored the book "Red Star Over Cuba" In 1990 Boca Raton named Old Floresta it's first historic district. The homes in the neighborhood are privately owned so you are not able to tour them. You are free however to drive through the beautiful neighborhood or even better bike it if you are able to do so. Although the homes I mentioned are not for sale a lot of other ones are. I saw quite a few for sale signs in the neighborhood. I am sure they are way out of my price range but it's free to dream.

Imagine my surprise to find a listing for the Old Floresta Historic District in Yelp. Like wow,…read morewhoever wrote this did a great service for helpers who seek out historic areas in Palm Beach county, areas which may be close to where they live or work. And this is OUR neighborhood. It's where we drive into and out of daily. It's where we walk our sato Bori. And where we drive friends around to show them the authentic ORIGINAL Mizner designed homes, as well as those which mimic the Mizner look. The streets are narrow, some cannot accommodate two cars going in either direction without riding up into someone's lawn. The foliage is heavy, very heavy. People who visit us or do work for us always comment that it reminds them of Coral Gables. As a historic district the City monitors carefully all renovations which affect the exterior in any manner at all, as plans must be reviewed by Historic division as well as City Code Compliance. Things like roof materials and colors, driveway design and materials, alterations to windows and doors or subtle things like the removal of a tree and its replacement. And that's all good! I love Old Floresta. I don't love the drivers who try through our area on the way to Boca Regional Hospital or anywhere else and roll through stop signs. I hope they get tickets when police set up traps. Our neighborhood is quiet, well preserved and a place where families walk with their children and their dogs and just chill. While not a gated community it is tucked away off Palmetto Park Road, east of 95 and west of Dixie, on the north side of the street. If you find the old Art School on the north side of Palmetto, you access Old Floresta on either Paloma or Cardinal (NW9). Drive slow when in our community. Or better yet, walk around. Oh by the way, on Halloween the homeowners really go craycray decorating their homes and thousands go trick treating.

I love historic architecture, especially Mediterranean Revival from the 1920's. That is why I was…read moreso excited to find this ornate building on Federal Hwy in Boynton Beach. After looking around I was delighted to find that it contained one of my favorite civic organizations, a woman's club. In the 1920's women's clubs were formed to give back to the community. They became a way for women to get out of the house and assert their independence. They allowed women to get involved in politics and launched the women's rights movement. The Boynton Beach Woman's Club was formed in 1908 when a group of civic minded women met in the school house to form a club to improve the town. The club was formerly organized on October 19, 1909 and incorporated in 1911 when they joined the Florida's Federation of Women's Clubs. The first club building was a structure built from salvaged ship wrecks. The club eventually outgrew their first building and sold it in 1924 for $10,000. At that time the heirs of Major Nathan Smith Boynton offered to give $35,000 towards a new building for the club as a memorial to their father if the club could raise the rest of the money. The Mediterranean Revival building was designed by my favorite architect Addison Mizner who offered to draw the plans for free. The ornate Mediterranean Rival Style was very popular in Florida during it's land boom years in the 1920's. The firm of Heaton and Adams did the construction for a cost of $50,000 and the building was completed in the fall of 1926. On April 16, 1932 the cornerstone of the building was laid and it was dedicated to Nathan Smith Boynton. The building served as the town's first public library until 1961. It also provided meeting space for churches and civic organizations. Shortly after the building was completed it served as a hurricane shelter. During World War II the Red Cross and the USO used the building as a center. In 1979 the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Mizner Foundation repaired the building in time for the Diamond Jubile in 1986. In 2014 the building was added to the Boynton Beach Register of Historic Places in 2014. The Boynton Beach Women's Club continues to occupy this building today. The building can be rented for weddings and private events. The Boynton Woman's Club supports numerous charities, gives scholarships, and holds events which can be found on their online calendar. They continue to do charitable work today in their gorgeous historic clubhouse. Check them out to see their community outreach.