The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About1985-05-05 The Miracle City That The Wind Blew Away Part 1 (Palm Beach Post)10. ek! evi 0 NORM PALM BEM lUBIL'LOW SUNRAY BROWN WRAPPER ! _I Supplement to The Post, Sunday, May 5, 1985 INSIDE: THE BIG FIRST Comes to Jupiter Grand Opening Celebration See page 3. THE BIG FIRST brings you "The Sunday Brown Wrapper" each and every Sunday. • THE BIG FIRST — FIRST FEDERAL SAVINGS OF THE PALM BEACHES — is celebrating 50 YEARS OF SERVICE. The Miracle City That the WindBlewAway AT THE ENTRANCE to his community, Harry Kelsey erected a giant arch. The arch still stands, but much of the town was destroyed in the hurricane of 1928. Since 1939, Kelsey City has been called Lake Park. art I By G. Keith Bailey The intention was to build a model city in a place with an ideal climate. In the words of she man who conceived the development, it was to be: "The summit of in- dustry, a towering emminence of happy homes, a city of inspiring and lasting beauty ... conceived and executed in wisdom ... " The speaker, Harry Kelsey wished to build a city of "unexampled civic value: a crowning manifestation of the civilization of today." Due to a natural disaster, his city did not stand as long as the elaborate stone gates built at its entrance. However, several of the noble dreams of this "visionary" were realized. Kelsey City may have been the first genuinely planned and certainly -the first zoned city in the country outside of Washington, D.C. Though even the city gates are gone today, the dream did not die completely. After the natural and financial traumas of the late twenties and early thirties, Kelsey City was reborn in the form of Lake Park. City records indicate that the original zoning of Kelsey City re- mains essentially intact to this day. Although Harry Kelsey never lost his fascination for real estate as both avocation and business, his first major financial success was a restaurateur: Kelsey was one of the first to experiment with a turn -of the -century' fast food concept. Born in Claremont, New Hampshire March 26, 1879, Harry Kelsey grew up in an environment that stressed hard work and educa- tion. While he was very young his family moved to a farm near Springfield, Mass. After studying at Connecticut Literary Institute, he entered the real estate business. Kelsey became one of Springfield's 111 `fr t• oan, The ment Loans )f Credit Dnce Policies )s irities ,a ns FSLIC ired by the Federal & Loan Insurance Corp. y of the U.S. Government M BEACHES Ica -� The Winter Club as it appeared in Kelsey City. most successful young brokers, but this was but a prelude to the wealth he was to amass as an entrepreneur. Interestingly, it was an ap- parently unsuccessful deal that led to Kelsey's opening a restaurant. A trade left Kelsey with a copious supply of unsaleable restaurant equipment. Kelsey's creativity sur- faced early as he came up with an idea for a business that would serve lunch in record time. It seem- ed like just the thing for busy business people like himself. He opened his first restaurant in Springfield in 1904. Success came quickly, and obviously Springfield was not the only town where customers appreciated saving time at lunch. Outlets were opened in many cities throughout the coun- try as Kelsey's idea burgeoned in- to a ' 4.5 million dollar a year business. Keisey's creativity and drive, coupled with one other personal characteristic actually led to his ultimate interest in South Florida real estate. Kelsey had the genius to create winning ideas and the energy to build a business from scratch, but the day to day management of even his successful fast food business tried his pa- tience. He was already looking for something new. Hence, when he was offered $ 3 million for his restaurant chain, he sold; and that business became the Waldorf chain of restaurants. "G 1 IA �CEL " a l L—Supplement to The Post, Sunday, May 5, 1985 ..�.. :vim,..: ::.•f. A PART OF YOUR LIFE FOR OVER 50 YEARS. 16 OFFICES TO SERVE YOU. BOCA TO STUART. 7;11#141 FSLIC Insured by the Federal Savings & Loan Insurance Corp. An agency of the U.S. Government FIRST FEDERAL SAVINGS OF THE PALM BEACHES 655-8511 Jupiter -Boynton 428-0900 Delray -Boca Cr WEST PALM BEACH Main Office 215 S. Olive Avenue 655-8511 *WESTWARD 2701 Okeechobee Boulevard �.: 683-3133 *SOUTHERN 301 Southern Boulevard 833-5523 GOLDEN LAKES 1950 Golden Lakes Boulevard 683-9300* PALM BEACH 165 Bradley Place 655-1485 280 S. County Road 655-6446 *STUART 2285 S.E. Federal Highway 286-7300 *PALM SPRINGS 10th Ave. & S. Congress 964-2212 *LAKE WORTH 531 Lucerne Avenue 582-3511 The millions Kelsey made on that sale seemed destined for in- vestment in South Florida. After a bout with pneumonia, Kelsey visited st ed Palm Beach to recuperate and to view a tract purchased for him by, a friend. He arrived on January 1, 1919 and only two days later invested in 44,000 acres o land. This was but the first of numerous purchases. At one point Kelsey's holdings included future sites of Palm Beac Gardens, Lake Park, North Palm Beach, Golden Beach, and the tract that later became the Seminole Golf Club. The post World War I rush to Florida encouraged numerous developers to capitalize on the holdings. Most of the new con- struction was designed with the well-to-do market in mind, in- cluding of course wealthy retirees. Kelsey City's design reflected a concern for a different market. It was to be a community for people who worked._ orked. To be continued . This article is based on documents kept on file at the Historical Society of Palm Beach County. DELRAY BEACH *95 N.E. 5th Avenue 278-6261 *14828 S. Military Trail 498-4447 BOCA RATON 2400 N. Federal. Highway 395-6811 *9033 Glades Road 483-5110 • For current rates call toll free: Jupiter to Boynton 833-FUND, Delray to Boca 483-5161 *LAKE PARK 500 Federal Highway 844-6366 *BOYNTON BEACH 280 N. Congress Avenue 737-5777 *JUPITER 825 U.S. Highway One 747-6552 *24-Hour Teller at these locations