The Chapel of the Holy Spirit is one of the oldest structures in Palm Beach but it is not in it's…read moreoriginal location. It started out as the tea house for the Royal Poinciana Hotel that Henry Flagler built in Palm Beach in 1894 when he extended his railroad. That is the one building I most wish I could see today. It was a 6 story gilded age Georgian hotel that Flagler built as a winter retreat for wealthy northerners. Pictures of it remind of the Grand Floridian, Disney's most expensive hotel. The Grand Floridian was modeled on the Victorian era beach resorts built along Florida's east coast during the late 19th century and early 20th century, just like the Royal Poinciana. When Flagler built the hotel there was nothing in Palm Beach and that hotel is credited for building the City of Palm Beach. The hotel was packed during the social season from mid December to February 23. It had to be enlarged to accommodate the crowds and at one point was the largest wooden structure in the world. Eventually the Florida land boom bust caused by hurricanes and the Great Depression caused the hotel to close and it was torn down in 1935. All that remains is a historical marker where it once stood. I have looked at some of the china and other relics from the Royal Poinciana in Whitehall, Henry Flagler's mansion turned museum in Palm Beach. The Chapel of the Holy Spirit is the only building that I know of left of the hotel. This little building has had quite an adventure since being saved from destruction with the rest of the hotel. Through the years it has been a guest house, part of a gambling casino, artist's studio, a caretaker's cottage, and a gift shop. It first became a chapel in 1967 when it was purchased by former Hypoluxo Mayor James Brown who moved it to a mobile home park and named it the Minerva Chapel after his mother. When the trailer park was sold the chapel was donated to the Holy Spirit Anglican Catholic Church in Palm Springs. In August 2011, it was moved to the Church of the Holy Guardian Angels when they merged with the Church of the Holy Spirit. The building was renamed the Chapel of the Holy Spirit. In 2013 the Church of the Holy Guardian Angels and the Florida Department of State placed a historical marker in front of the chapel. It is now used for services, weddings, and special events. I loved finding this little structure and it looks like it is being lovingly cared for. Hopefully this tangible piece of Palm Beach past is home at last.

I have been staring at the back of this colorful building during the last couple of street painting…read morefestivals. The outside has a stage and a wide lawn for hosting events. It was time to find out what was inside. The building sits on the site of Lake Worth's first school built in 1912. It was torn down in 1916 and replaced with the concrete building that served as a school and city hall that stands here today. The building had to be rebuilt after the hurricane of 1928. In 1989 the building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The building contained city hall until 1973 when it was moved to 7 N. Dixie Hwy. It now houses the city hall annex on the first floor and the Lake Worth Museum on the second floor. The main purpose of my visit was to see the museum. As you go up the stairs you have to pass Miss Helen's desk. She was the best part of my visit. She is a Lake Worth treasure and pioneer by marriage as her husband likes to remind her. She gave me a brief tour and made herself available to answer any questions. The rooms are set up by themes such as World War 2 and Finland, Poland, and Lithuania in tribute to the heritage of the pioneers of Lake Worth. They had a nice display of dresses and I found the photographs of the devastation wrought by the Hurricane of 1928 fascinating. Miss Helen showed me the first census taken in the city in 1912 that listed 876 chickens in the city. Then someone got hungry and there were 875, just kidding. There were only 7 automobiles in the entire city in 1912. Although small I loved my visit to the museum and especially meeting Miss Helen. As I was leaving a firefighter was meeting with her to find historical records and pictures for the firehouse. If you live in the area and have a history question she is the person to see. Admission to the museum is free so make time for a visit the next time you are in the area.

What an interesting find, located right near the park parking lot and fenced city machinery yard…read more It's the first schoolhouse built in Palm Beach County. You can't walk in, but you can walk around it, admiring the garden and redwood structure.

I happened on this by building chance and when I saw the sign on the side of the road and I stopped…read moreto take a look. The schoolhouse was founded in 1886 as the first school house in southeast Florida. The first students were taught by the reverends 16 year old daughter Hattie Gale. It was originally located one mile north of Royal Poinciana Bridge and it served the children of Lake Worth. During the height of it's enrollment in the 1890's 35 students attended at one time. It ceased to operate as a school house in 1901 and was used instead as a tool shed where it fell into disrepair. The Gardener's Society of Palm Beach rehabbed it in 1960 and moved it to where it resides today in Phipps Ocean Park. Today the school house is used as part of a living history program which was started in 1990's. Fourth grade classes in the surrounding counties can come to visit for a free field trip to see what a school day was like at the turn of the century. On the day I came by the schoolhouse was closed and I believe it is only open to school children which I think is a shame because as a teacher I would really like to visit. I wish they would consider opening it to the general public on a weekend once in awhile. There is a screen over the windows making it difficult to see inside but from what I could make out there were desks and displays on the walls. I love history so I enjoyed seeing this building even if i couldn't look inside. I think it is wonderful that this piece of history was preserved for the school kids of today.

This is a segregation era cemetery that is believed to date to the 1950's. In 1957 is was platted…read moreby Brockway, Weber & Brockway, Engineers, of West Palm Beach. The City Commission asked the African-American community for input in naming the cemetery and they chose to name it after Sara Sims (1863-1958), a community activist who helped found the St. John Missionary Baptist Church in 1908. She is buried in this cemetery. The first recorded burial took place in 1958. This cemetery contains a mosiac grave marker which is an example of folk art. It is the only one in the city. The City of Boynton Beach designated this land as a cemetery in the early 1970's. It is a stop on the Historic Cemetery Trail. There is an interpretive sign posted explaining the history of the site. Few grave markers exist because many of the people buried here were indigent residents of Palm Beach County between 1988 and 1994. There aren't complete records of who is buried here. The last burial took place in 2004. When the city redeveloped Sara Sima Park next door in 2010 they also fixed up the cemetery and installed a new fence. It is nice to see that they city took care of this cemetery that is important to this community.

This review is for the building only and the historical site, not the services offered inside. I…read morelove historical buildings and will take the time to read a historical sign whenever I find one. Today while visiting downtown Lake Worth I spotted one I had never seen in front of the town hall. The sign commemorates that the Lake Worth City Hall sits on the site of the first town hall that was built in 1915. The first town hall was school that was converted into a town hall in 1928. It was damaged in the Okeechobee hurricane of 1928 which caused the levee around lake Okeechobee to break. 2,500 people lost their lives and the area was plunged into a severe economic decline during the Great Depression. At first city hall operations were moved to the Lauriston Building at the intersection of Lake Avenue and Dixie Hwy. A new building was designed in a Spanish revival design by architect Floyd Kind at the end of 1928 and the building was completed in 1929. That building was used a city hall until 1973 when operations were transferred to the current city hall between Lake Avenue and Lucerne Ave. It is now used as the Lake worth historical museum. The current town hall once held an auditorium that held 350 people on the third floor. That is why the front of the building still bears the words municipal auditorium. The building is characterized by it's Moorish towers. It was designed by G.Sherman Childs who came to the area in 1913 to work for Addison Mizner until he opened his own firm. It was built to be hurricane resistant to provide shelter since the Great Hurricane of 1928 was still fresh in everyone's memory. The building ran out of money while it was being built due to the economic hardship of the Great Depression. Local businesses pitched in and the building was dedicated on November 28, 1935. The basement and first floor rooms were used for gatherings. During WWII the basement was used to host the Lake Worth USO. In 1953 the Lake Worth Playhouse began performances in the building. It closed in the 1970's. Today the building is still in use and holds all of the city service departments. I love the architectural design of the building. It represents the history of Lake Worth while it steers it's future.

In the 1900's this park was part of a bridge from Palm Beach to the mainland. In the early 1970's…read morethe four lane Robert A. Harris Memorial Bridge was built and sits here today. Pieces from the old 1937 bridge were used as a fishing pier for many years. In 2011 The pier was demolished and sunk off the coast of the Snook Islands as an artificial reef. Improvements were made to the park in September 2017 including a new sea wall, sidewalk, native plant landscaping, and a floating dock that sits in the Lake Worth Lagoon. The park runs from one side of the bridge and goes underneath it to the other side. Now the park is a popular fishing area for the residents and visitors to Lake Worth. There are also benches if you just want to sit and take in the beautiful view. If you are interested in learning more about the park construction project, the Lake Worth Lagoon, or the history of Lake Worth there is an informative display at the edge of the parking lot.

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.

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.

I love a historical architectural tour and there is a great neighborhood on the northeast edge of…read moreLake Worth called The College Park Historic District, also known as College Park Residential Neighborhood. It was one of the first established neighborhoods in Lake Worth. Edgewood Realty Co. of West Palm Beach created the neighborhood in 1924 during Florida's land boom years in the 1920's. This subdivision was created by plats filed between December of 1924 and May of 1925. Within 3 hours 90 percent of the plats were sold. The developer wanted the neighborhood to be upscale so a minimum lot width of 50 feet was required and all new dwellings had to cost at least $5,000. The neighborhood is called College Park because the streets are named after a prominent colleges or universities like Harvard, Duke, and Princeton. Typical architectural styles are Mediterranean Revival and Mission style. The land boom ended in 1928 due to hurricanes and the Great Depression. The neighborhood saw another increase in construction after WWII when vets returned home and sought the warmer climate of Florida. Houses built during this time were single story, slab on grade masonry houses in Masonry Vernacular, International and Ranch architectural styles. John Price who served as county commissioner in Lake Worth was a resident of College Park. He was able to get the state and developers to donate more than 1,000 acres of land in the 1930's and 1940's which became John Prince Park, Palm Beach State College's Lake Worth campus, and the Lantana Airport. College Park was designated a U.S. historic district on February 9, 2001. Ninety historic homes and building reside in the boundaries of Maryland Drive, North Federal Highway, 19th Avenue North, and North Dixie Highway. Spillway Park located on the C-51 Canal is also located in this historic neighborhood.

Honky Tonk of the highest order. It's, funky, dumpy, tiki…read moreand smokie. But come on... where ya gonna get a strong drink @ 9;30 am‍ Great barbacks: real one of a kinds. Cocktails, beers perfect, sometimes live music.... Other wise drink , smoke be happy!

Dive bars are a lot like your favorite old sweatshirt. You generally only have one. The three most…read morefamous, or infamous, all open late, are this place, Sneakers, and Harry's Banana Farm. I give two stars to the fact that they have live music. The perpetually open air use of the windows as gathering points to drink and talk? One small step for watering hole, one giant leap towards a meeting with the first letter of the alphabet, used twice. They serve a lot of beer. And 101 drinks. The bartenders know their locals. And this place is full of locals. This is usually the spot that people who have started at Irish brigade, or Lilo's will gravitate towards after those places close down for the night. It's a short walk, or, stagger over there. With no disrespect intended to the clientele, you pick dive bars for their "vibe." A lot of people are going to love this place. I just don't happen to be one of them. It definitely tops Sneakers. Won't thrill ya. Won't kill ya (hopefully).