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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1978-10-26 Kelsey's 1920's VP Recalls Origins Oakes Mansion AreaKelsey's 1920's VP Recalls rigins; Oakes Mansion Area By Geoffrey Birt One of the oldest — and certainly the most charming — buildings in northern Palm Beach County, is the mansion we call today the Sir Henry Oakes mansion, adjacent to the North Palm Beach Country Club. 0- Beginning to research its origins, we called Mrs,. Al C. Moore, wife of N.P.B's mayor, an enthusiastic amateur historian. "You should talk with Mr. Charles Branch," she advised, "He - build it." When we met Mr. I 1 Branch -- SURPRISE! — he turne ou to be Harry S. Kelsey's vice president in ' the days of the roaring 20s when Kelsey was buying thousands of acres and originating Kelsey City which grew up to become Lake Park. There was no North Palm Beach in those days. iris' we located one of northern Palm Beach_ Cott, L., undin2 ,ta.t4M crs, alive PALBEACH PLICIK Lib' RA R8ff S t and well and living in West Palm Beach. A former engineer, spry and alert in every way, Mr. Branch had taken the time from which we called him Saturday, until we met last Monday morning, to type his recollections. This is basic historical material given at first hand — not only by a surviving eyewitness, but by a man who was active at the top of affairs of those boom and development days when Kelsey City and the NPB golf course and area were founded. Branch's chronicle itself has a charm in the way it is written and is being presented in a short series of articles, with only a few very minor changes in composition, so as to preserve its authenticity. injections of our own editorial -type‘ notes have been carefully identified, and placed in parentheses. By Charles A. Branch Former Vice President to Harry S. Kelsey, Founder of Lake Park; Developer of the Sir Harry Oakes Mansion, N.P.B. Harry S. Kelsey, as a young man, began by promoting restaurants first around Boston, then around New York. When he had more than 100 he sold them to a restaurant chain about 1920. With his profits he came to Florida and began investing in properties north and west of Palm Beach. ln West Palm Beach, he formed the East Coast Finance Corp. retaining all the stock in the company save for a few shares required to be held by other officers of the company. Mr. Bert Winters was the attorney; Miss Houran, the secretary -treasurer. Continued on Page 2 wow * * * The former Oakes mansion is today's North Palm Beach Country Club. WINTER CLUB //6 116140** ,elsey City Pioneer Recalfs.13egmrungs - Palm Beach pioneers elevate the land for that purpose. Mr. Kelsey and Mr. Cit •(now Lake Park) which Sewing Machine Co. family andKelsey.Singer had Kelseyacquainted withg Singer entered into a road construction contract witha Kelsey plotted y zoned city in Florida. Olmstead — had become the Palm Beach Everglades thus became the firstentrepreneur of g the Florida state road department to give them Canal Bros., of Boston, were his planners. Then Kelsey began been the entree friend architect Addison Mizner had right-of-way from Kelsey City to the Intracoastal incorporated the city, and began Club which his (This was long before North Palm Beach was born). The cseiling lots; he also designed. Paris, incidentally, had been named `Paris' construction of th e streets and a waterworks. He g • in Paris, and maintained proposed new 24-ft. wide road would be between t_les nt stri from the Palm Beach Inlet because he had been 11 his life. G.B.) two golf courses (The Kelsey City Course and what ro p h lationships a Our Town,— Continued From Page 1 sold ott an The buyer was northwards for about two,miles. banker. Anthony Biddle, the famed New York b Riviera Beach Also sold at this period were lots in F.E.C. lying south of Silver Beach Road and west of the it Y Railway. Kelsey likewise sold acreage in Prosperity of Farms Estate, north of the Earman River and south h f the Intracoastal Canal. Kelsey had acquired t e Intracoastal Canal from St. Augustine to Miami. By about 1925 some 60% of all lots in Kelsey City had been sold by his ECFC. , man Blakely- Kelsey's Nursery businesses around the Mr. Kelsey promoted many. occupied (Kelsey City) railroad area, including 20 acresup by the Drake Lumber Co. Banks had been formed — and other companies — allied with the building trade. These were . formed by his friends and supporters. To add to the beautification of the area, Kelsey formed the KelseyCity Nursery co. and placed Mr. Samuel Blakely M Kelsey constructed the in charge. Kelsey C;t., golf course Enter The Arnold Brothers ' - 'At that time Palm Beach had only its Everglades on the north side of Palmetto Dr. (The area of to ay s Twin . City. Mali) . The 18-hole course was designed by a Chicago golf course architect: of the fifth The second, third, fourth and part fairways were north of the Earman River, where the present . North Palm Beach library and elementary school are now located. DePu se er Architect Was Louis of the Singer (At this time Paris Singer — member strong Frenc re When Paris Singer began construction of his Blue now the NPB course. G.B.). Elberton, Ga: , had Hotel(on Singer Island. It was left incomplete Herman and J.Y.Arnold 1, frome City:, They Heron g to build �00 houses in Kelsey Y• when the great depression came), he contacted Mr. contracted o build also the clubhouse...Lum- Kelsey about the construction of an 18-hole golf were now assigned t course...at the foot of Palmetto Driv(-. at the edge of, banks were Lake Worth (In those days, Lake Worth's approximately where U.S. 1 is now located. This was apparently the first idea of a golf course where the NPB links are today. G.B.). Mr. Singer had a French architect friend, Louis De Puyseger. He drew the plans for a golf clubhouse and hotel. Meanwhile, Mr. Kelsey began buying back some of the land he had sold since he needed the property for the new venture which was to become the decided (thus Palm Beach Winter Club, he hadBeach golf course originated the present North Palm ion as the Sir and the mansion known to this generat Henry Oakes mansion. G.B.). country club and the short golf holes around The Breakers Hotel. Only the old established residents of Palm Beach were welcome...(Hence a Winter Golf Club for snubbed Palm Beach visitors seemed to be a good venture to promote. G.B.) dredge a Mr. Kelsey directed Mr. Anderson to g channel from the Intracoastal Canal to the site of the proposed clubhouse (Oakes mansion), using the soil to Con tinued O n Page 1 4 Our Town Continued .from Wage d from the rake Lumber Co... Mr. ber was delivers r t Anderson dredged a slipabout 100-ft . east of the site of the clubhouse. The Kelsey City Nursery furnished the plantings and shrubbery. brothers became the foundersof today's {The Arnold ears ago, Arnold Construction Co. J.Y. died about two y today Arn Herman is nowretired. So what we know tomajor s and "Oakes Mansion" was the first of manyArnold the the construction jobs undertaken by Construction Co. G.B.)' (To Be Continued) article will include a first hand account of The second Kelsey's s Palm Beach e Jan. 5, 1927 opening of I�.elsey Country Club $�the N.P.B. Winter Club on what is today her of realtor Louis B • site... Stories of J C.Bills [Pat , Kelsey's financial Bills...and the beginnings of Harm Y problems...