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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1975-01-30 Historic Sir Harry Oakes Mansion May Be Demolished (WeekDay)t." WINTER CLUB S. Jan. 30—Feb. 5, 1975 WeekDay Page 10—B Site Eyed For Civic Center Historic Sir Harry Oakes Mansion May Be Demolished '1•he last vestige of a by -gone era, the old North Palm Beach Country Club building - once the center of social life for millionaires and nobility, is in danger of being torn down. The lovely, historic old mansion, formerly known as the Palm Beach Winter Club is in an advanced state of decay. According to architect Ira Kuchler, chairman of the North Palm Beach 'Civic Center committee, "The most feasible area for a civic center would be the site of the old Oakes building, but the building itself is not worth presening - its a fire trap. Kuchler explained that the building has been terribly neglected for years and the expense of trying to restore the place to its former grandeur 'Would be prohibi- tive. The wiring would all have to be re -done and the whole building fireproofed. The upper story is a disaster -the windows are all broken and pigeons live in there,' the architect said firmly. 'Besides, the building has no aesthetic appeal. You can't preserve something just because its Some of the materials used in the building are nice, Kuchler admits. He would like to take those materials and add them to a new structure. To bring the old Winter Club back to its former grandeur could cost about $100,000 at today's prices, .Kuchler believes. "Maybe someone would want to move the structure to another location," he sug- gested. Mrs. Zaborski mentioned' with approval the committee that was instrumental in saving the Kelsey City gates, in Lake Park. "Maybe people haven't even consid- ered what will happen to this building if they get a modern, efficient civie cen- ter. How much nicer to preserve a lovely, graceful structure and be able to tell some of its past! Why, we could even try to get a committee to work on its restoration. I would be interested in helping if someone would get the ball rolling.** Librarian Mrs. Nancy Moore agreed. "It is always much easier to knock things down than to restore them. But it would be one of the most wonderful things we could do for the area, if we could save the Clubhouse." EN(' The blinding was designed by a Chicago architect in 1925, to be the Palm Beach Winter Club. Moving forces behing the club were, Harry Kelsey, founder of Kelsey City - now Lake Park, and Paris Singer, son of I.B. Other residents of North Palm Beach take a different approach. To them, the former elegant habitat of foreign nobility and Ameri- can millionaires, has one rare advantage - it's historic background - and that it is in an area that was raw land until the 1920*s. "I really feel that it is important for the cities here to maintain what little history they have," explains North Palm Beach. Library Director Mrs. Jackie Zabor- ski. "We ought to think of future generations. If we just shucked it, there would °be no history. Rather than tear it down, why not think about renovating the build- ing and preserving a piece of our past." Singer, founder of the Singer Sewing Machine Co. Singer was at that time engaged in building the Blue Heron Hotel on the island he brought known as Singer Island, according to an old "Sun— article. When the Clubhouse was built, the only access was from Prosperity Farms Rd. The founders also •had a channel dredged from Lake Worth and a boat slip and docks were added to permit water access from Palm Beach to the Winter Club. Excess fill from the channel built up the west lawn of the Club. Landscaping for the grounds was done by S. J. Blakely's Kelsey City Nur- sery and Landscaping Co„, father of the present owner. The course was written about in the Red Book of the National Golf Association as one of the best built and ONCE the palatial home of international figure Sir Harry Oakes, this mansion later served as the hub of North Palm Beach Country Club. designed courses of the time. The layout has been changed twice since then to make way for residential development. ' At the opening' of the club in 1926, guests included Vanderbilts, Phipps, Bas- dies and Woolworths, plus Italian and French nobility. Al Jolson, according to a Juno resident's acount, even sang a song in the men's locker room.