431 North L Street: Exciting project at the Historic Resource Preservation Board (HRPB)

This meeting is at City Hall tonight, 6:00, and is the first agenda item. Scroll down for a link to tonight’s agenda. Below is a blog post from last weekend about 431 North L Street:

There were many reasons to begin this blog back in July of 2006. The structure located at 431 North L Street was one of those reasons. Somehow, some way, this building survived. It’s a miracle.

This building is the first agenda item at the HRPB next Wednesday, 6:00, at City Hall. For many years I served the City as a volunteer board member. Many of those years was a member of the HRPB, becoming the Chair in time, and resigned from the board in July 2015. The current Chair and the HRPB get a chance to save an important part of our history—431 North L Street doesn’t look like much now—but it’s times like this wish I was still on the board to be part of all this.

The City took over ownership of this property from a notorious slumlord in 2006. Some may still remember the tenants living at and near 431 North L Street and the “terrorized” Mango Groves neighborhood back then.

Long-time readers of this blog will remember the many posts related to this property. It’s history is a notorious one for many reasons. In order not to be repetitive, below are links to some previous posts related to this property in chronological order: 

• February 2007
• June 2008 
• Another in June 2008
• New Years Day, 2012
• . . . and there were many others too.

Here is how the item appears on the agenda for today’s meeting (click on all images below to enlarge).

The item makes up pages 11 through 66 of the HRPB agenda packet. If you look back at the previous posts above you will discover what makes this property important on multiple levels. First of all, it was built in 1925 by local architect G. Sherman Childs. Childs lived in Lake Worth, worked for Addison Mizner’s studio and designed many important structures in the City.

Childs’ other structures were the original 1922 Casino building, the City Hall Annex and former Municipal Auditorium which is now the current City Hall. He also designed La Florentia and the Lakeside Castle which occupy space on opposite sides of South Lakeside Drive and 5th Avenue South. There is also reason to believe he designed other less significant structures including many of “The Cottages” in Lake Worth. Another structure was designed as a four unit walk-up apartment building: 431 North L Street.

It should be noted that recently doing research preparing for my presentation on “The Cottages of Lake Worth” book discovered that Lake Worth actually turned away visitors from the north during the Winter tourist season. Promotion of Lake Worth, Florida, as a vacation spot to escape the frigid north was so successful there wasn’t room to accommodate all the people arriving by train and the newly, mass-produced automobile.

It is now understandable in historical context how a “hot” land development market created the need for more apartments, and yes, “The Cottages of Lake Worth” as well.

Over its life the staff report indicates 431 North L Street was later subdivided into eight units, grandfathered into the zoning code, as it currently exceeds the current zoning maximum density.

The Palm Beach County Property Appraiser’s records show the recent chain of ownership of the property. As the blog posts above indicate, the property was subject to a nuisance abatement action which resulted in the City gaining title in 2006. The aerial photograph (see below) shows the location of the property in relation to neighboring properties, including proximity to the Sacred Heart Catholic Church parking lot two blocks to the east.

At the time of the nuisance abatement action on this property, another property owned by the notorious Mr. Dimauro was the subject of a similar action, just one block to the west at 431 North K Street. It too was a contributing historic property but had been significantly modified and did not retain enough historic character. Its condition was so poor a demolition permit was granted.

During the ten year ownership of 431 North L Street the City demolished various out-buildings on the property that served as additional dwelling units. None of them were of enough historic quality for salvation and presented an on-going nuisance for the neighborhood.

The condition and pedigree present in the remaining building, 431 North L. Street, has prevented its demolition.

Take note of the Sacred Heart parking lot, lower right corner.

The City finally acted and put the property on its surplus property list. During the tongue-in-cheek “Best Commission Ever (BCE) Years” prior to the current majority taking over in 2012, 431 North L sat off the tax roles as a forgotten and unloved piece of Lake Worth’s history.

Even being a member on the HRPB back then and voicing the opinion the City should sell the property to someone for restoration and preservation had little effect. But, looking back, maybe it did in the long run.

The City finally went through the proper process to sell the property which led to the present owner buying it in June of last year. The new owners have already removed an ungainly ficus tree from the front (eastern) part of the property along North L Street. The picture below is from the staff report for Wednesday’s HRPB meeting and is how the building appears today.

East Facade of 431 North L.

Following are various pictures contained in the staff report which show some of the historic details present in this structure.

Entryway details.

North elevation.

Northern entrance door with gable-roof overhang.

Western elevation.

Southern elevation.

Note the “Rafter tails”.

Two original blueprints:

Below are plans by the current owners submitted as part of their plan to renovate and restore the property. A major part of the Certificate of Appropriateness request is the changing out of windows and doors and the repair of window openings.

Proposed elevations (above) and layout (below).

The applicant/property owner is also wishing to take advantage of the City’s tax exemption program for historic properties. A portion of the code which lays out the details of the program appear below.

Recently the historic property/structure at 801 Lake Avenue appeared in The Palm Beach Post hailing its renovation. This property owner also took advantage of the tax exemption provision:

Once all is said and done the owner is relieved from paying City taxes on the value of improvements associated with the renovation. Some property owners have taken advantage of this in the past but is not that common a practice with small projects, but this program is very beneficial for medium- and large-value projects.

I am looking forward to attending this meeting and cheering the new owners on in their quest to re-use this important historic resource in our City.

But have deep reservations as well: Not with the new owners of 431 North L Street or the HRPB board. Some have worried for quite some time there’s a more systemic problem with historic preservation here in Lake Worth. What happens at next Wednesday’s meeting will tell us a lot—and send a strong signal to others looking to invest in and help preserve historic properties in this City—Yes. Lake Worth really and truly is “Open For Business”. Or not.