Loading...
The Churches, The Country Club, The Delacorte BuildingThe Churches The Lighthouse Baptist Church, the first services were held ,on Easter Sunday, 1962. The first minister, Rev. Theodore Burrell. St Clare's -Catholic Church, 1961. First Pastor, Rev. Joseph McLaughlin. First Presbyterian Church, 1967. First Minister Rev. Gerald L. Boye. Faith Lutheran Church, First Minister Robert E. Wolter. Our Lady of Florida Passionist Retreat. Com- pleted June 1962, dedicated June 14 by Archbishop Coleman E. Carroll, D.D. of Miami. Palm Bible Chapel. Completed March 1962. First Pastor C. Ernest Tatham. First Church of Christ Scientists 1969. The Country Club After the Rosses bought the North Palm Beach land area in 1956, extensive improvements were made in the 18 -hole golf course. Several new holes were created, fairways widened, and greens rebuilt. The result was a more playable course. The old Winter Club was refurbished, kitchen equipment installed, and meals served. In late 1959, informal talks between the owners -and the village council indicated a possible sale of the entire property, and .the village was given the first refusal in that event. In January 1961, notice was given of the intention to sell, and the village was given time to make a study of the question. The council spent considerable time investigating the advisability of purchasing the property and was assisted by a seven -member citizen committee ap- pointed by the North Palm Beach Civic Association. It was decided to hire the Charles M. Graves organiza- tion of Atlanta to prepare a feasibility study, a,plan of development, and a schedule of anticipated income and operation costs. This was done, and it was unanimously, decided that the village should go ahead and develop the area into a recreation center. $1,015,000 was set as the price for the existing country club of 145 acres plus all buildings, golf carts, sprinkler systems, trucks, equipment, and including attorneys' fees, bonds, and marketing expense. An additional $415,000 covered the swim- ming pool, dressing, shower and clothes check building, golf shop, locker rooms, dining room facili- ties and an expanded parking area. This made a total of $1,430,000. The council took great pains to in- form. the residents at each step of the process; all questions were answered. The next step was to put it Up to the people. A. -special referendum election was called for July 25th to determine the matter of issuing $1,430,000 of general obligation bonds to purchase and develop the Forth Palm Beach Country Club. The result was 601 FOR and 80 AGAINST. The bond issue was duly validated by the Circuit Court of Pa,jm Beach County and the Supreme Court of Florida. The bonds were sold at an interest .rate of 4.07335 per cent and the last payment will be made in 1988.- Putting 988.Putting a value on the property today in 1981 would indeed be a classic exercise for a team of appraisers. The pleasure for generations of old and young is beyond estimation. The North Palm Beach Country Club. The Delacorte Building In April of 1980, a very nice thing happened to the Village of Forth Palm Beach. Mr. George Delacorte, publisher of Dell Books, offered to fund a general- purpose recreation center in the amount of $ 600,000. The only conditions attached to the gift were that the building be named the Delacorte Building after Valerie Delacorte and that no fee ever be levied for the use of the building. The Village Council happily accepted this offer and proceeded to retain the architectural firm of Yeches and Luchner to go ahead with plans. Also, an option has been taken on 10 acres of land along the east side of Prosperity Farms Road. T'he building would have a stage with seats for 800, plus facilities for basketball. Delacorte's fine gesture will go far in rounding out the recreational and cultural aspects of the village and give an added reason for celebrating our 25th anniversary. r �- AI '� vt��ili�1,V�1w d� ld ti center The Winter Club However, Paris Singer of the sewing machine family owned the Everglades Club in Palm Beach and was starting a hotel on the ocean in an area now known as Singer Island. He wanted a golf course for his guests and got Kelsey to go ahead with an 18 -hole course and club house, the Winter Club, which was the beginning of the Forth Palm Beach Country Club. The customers were bused back and forth from their hotels in Palm Beach. Since the only road running north and south was the Dixie Highway along the F.E.C. Tracks, a road was built from Kelsey City to the club. This later became part of the present U.S. 1 The Big Bust Kelsey was starting to have his problems and at this point was fortunate in obtaining the legal services of J.C. Bills, a Harvard graduate and lawyer of wide experi- ence. He was then living in Geneva, Florida, with a law office in Sanford. His first problem was trying to salvage some value out of an unfortunate venture Kelsey had made in the Geneva Peninsula near Sanford. Later, he played an important role in handling succeeding crises. The Bills family has continued to be a leading factor in local real estate and construction fields. The economy continued to deteriorate. In June of 1928, the Kelsey City Bank failed, along with two other banks in West Palm Beach. There was universal de- spair, with no market for real estate of any kind. Then, on September 16th, THE HURPJCANE delivered the final blow. The devastation was complete. Part of the Winter Club roof was blown away. The Kelsey City Hall was filled with dazed people whose homes had been destroyed. Thousands of people in Florida simply fled, walking away from their properties. Taxes went unpaid, and the new Murphy Law was put into effect. This provided that, when taxes became delinquent for two years, the prop- erty was taken by the State of Florida. These were then sold for the amount of taxes due. For example, a house which had cost $8,000 on a $1,000 lot could be bought in Tallahassee for the $300 due in taxes. The buyer could then go to court and get a clear title. Many new amvals did this and thus profited from the depression. bled. He was remembered as a good man, an optimist who kept nothing for himself or his family. As Mr. Branch has said, "When adversity struck, he was the same cheerful, hopeful, and helpful person he was when he could command millions of dollars." Paris Singer's hotel fell victim to the weather and economy, was never finished, and was torn down in 1940, a haunting reminder of Florida's overdevelop- ment. Singer was reported to have lost everything and was said to have spent his last days on a houseboat on Egypt's Nile River. Important contributions in these years were made by Samuel Blakely, who did extensive landscaping, barg- ing trees over to the Minter Club from Munyon Island. He served as City Commissioner. His family still owns the thriving Kelsey City Landscaping and Nurseries Company. Also, Judge Edward Newell, City Commis- sioner, City Attorney, and Criminal Court Judge. His son, Emery Newell, is now a judge. A.A. Poston was appointed Postmaster in 1924, served as City Com- missioner, and then County Commissioner from 1933 to 1948. His family is still important in the area. Harry Oakes picked up the pieces at a fraction of their distressed value. Through his Tesdem, Inc., he became the owner of the Kelsey City lots, the Kelsey City Golf Course, the Palm Beach Winter Club, and most of the lands now in North Palm Beach. Oakes was originally from Maine. He went into gold mining, struck it rich, and became a Canadian Citizen. He became disenchanted vAth Canadian taxes, came to Florida, and started buying property for unpaid taxes. For a while, the family lived in the Winter Club, then moved to Palm Beach, leaving the club house and golf course in poor condition. He later moved his family to the Bahamas for tax purposes and spent considerable time in London. He gave $500,000 to St. George's Hospital there and was accordingly rewarded with a baronetcy in 1939, thus becoming Sir Harry Oakes. In 1943, a murderer bludgeoned him to death and doused his bed with gasoline and set fire to it. No one has ever been convicted of the came. Mrs. Oakes wanted to sell the assets of Tesdem, but, by her husband's will, was prevented from doing so until their son reached 21 years of age. When it was sold in 1956, through a complicated mortgage situation, John D. MacArthur stepped in, and he became owner of all the Tesdem properties. The Creation of a Vllage From the very beginning, it was clear that North Palm Beach was to become a unique residential com- munity. Superior planning almost guaranteed it, even before the village was launched. Credit for its success is due to Richard and Herbert Ross, together with John Schwencke and Jay White. They were accomplished builders, having built 5,000 houses between 1950 and 1956 in the West Palm Beach area. The land lying north of the Earman canal and ex- tending north to the Intracoastal offered a rare de- velopment opportunity, and they proceeded to buy it from John D. MacArthur. Not included were the oceanfront and the strip along the east side of U.S. 1. Together with Seward H.. Mott Associates of Washington, D.C., a master plan was drawn up, and the village was given a charter on August 13, 1956.Then, a lot of things started: the water and sewage systems, the streets, the village hall. While all this was going on, a deal was made with the Flood Control District whereby the Earman ditch was widened and deepened, thus becoming a respectable body of water. Before the streets were paved, a system of 42 -inch culverts was installed to preclude any standing water in the streets. Sidewalks five feet wide were required in the village (an item conveniently forgotten by some developers). A government was formed, and a council appointed consisting of Charles Cunningham Richard Ross Jay White John Schwencke J.D. MacArthur A village manager was hired, Albin Olson, and a chief of the Department of Public Safety, Albert Dudden. Olson came from Port Everglades, where he was assis- tant manager. Previously he had worked in the office of the city manager of Pensacola and was assistant to the city manager of Daytona Beach. He has a master's I egree from the school of Public Administration at Florida State University. Olson had spent 36 months with the Marine Corps in World War 11 and also served in Korea with the rank of major. Chief Dudden was a former New York State Trooper, ran an efficient de- partment, and was well liked over the years. Fred Trap- nell was general manager of the utilities during their construction and, for 13 years, their operation. He came from New Jersey, after selling out an automotive repair business, and became an authority in the field of water and sewerage systems. Captain Milling's dredge the "Admiral" J _ - r The first Parade of Homes. The Parade of Homes The sale of homesites commenced in October of 1956 with a Parade of .Homes. This was in conjunction with the Home Builders' Association and consisted of the following builders: Jean T. J.H. French Willfred Construction, Incorporated Robert C. Brown Construction Company Coastal Properties Corporation Raymond Olson, Builder P.D. Lewis Company Hunter -Drew Construction Company Henry Moser, Incorporated Kendall Construction Company Perma Builders Company Charles L. Hedrick, Builder J.N. Smelcer, Builder Walter J. Devlin, Builder Adelphia Construction Company H and D Construction Company The models were located on the south side of Anchorage, west of E.astv✓ind Drive. It was a success, and by August of 1957 the permit valuations hit $502,930.00 for that month alone. The Rosses also built houses, but, after completing about 50 of them, decided not to compete with other builders and with- drew from this operation. The Canals Meanwhile, dredging operations had started. The North Palm Beach waterway had commenced, run- ning north and south, splitting the Village roughly in halves with 13 east and west branches, all bulkheaded. Captain Milling was employed for the job, and for over a year his dredge "Admiral" was a familiar sight slowly working its way south. The job was well done, and when it came time to formally accept the canals from the developers, soundings were made, and they were found to be at depths as represented. The bridge carry- ing Lighthouse Drive across the waterway was built, connecting Plats I and II and VI. The Intracoastal was thus connected with the Earman, making it a more important body of water. Captain Milling's son Glenn carries on the family business, the Milling Marine Corporation, at the foot of R.CA, Boulevard and the Intracoastal. Th e U fili ti es On the southwest corner of Northlake Boulevard and Southwlnd Drive is a small concrete building with a red file roof. This is a 11ft-station, part of the sewerage system. In 1957, if Fred Trapnell, manager of the utili- ties, wanted to get to the building, his best way was by jeep, since it was surrounded by nothing but sand. East of Prosperity Farms Road, Northlake did not exist. Water and sewers were planned, but up to this point had only been Installed in Plat 1. The system started in 1956, with the drilling of 11 deep wells and the erection of a water treatment plant west of the village. At the same time, the ,sewage treat- ment complex was being installed at its present loca- tion off Anchorage Drive. These were designed with capacities to handle an expanded Village, plus Lake Park and parts of Palm Beach Gardens. Included were various filters, stabilizers, precipitators, a laboratory, and, of course, a 300,000 -gallon overhead water tank. The Rosses' investment was $1,500,000. The distribu- tion system included 75 miles of various sized pipe and almost 300 fire hydrants. The company was sold al- most 20 years later to John MacArthur, who later expanded it to the north. Fred Trapnell first Utility Manager. The Bank When the First American Bank opened in 1959, it was the first building to be erected on Northlake Boulevard, and many were skeptical about starting a bank on a lonely road. As the years have shown, it was an ideal location on what has turned out to be our busiest thoroughfare. The first and organizational meeting of the incor- porators, subscribers to, and shareholders of the capi- tal stock of First American Bank of North Palm Beach was held at the First National Bank, Palm Beach, at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, December 19, 1958. Mr. Byron L. Ramsing was elected as Chairman, and the following were elected to serve as Directors until the first annual meeting to take place in January 1959. Louis B. Bills; Robert F. Cromwell; Fred 0. Dickinson, Jr.; Roy E. Gamett Richard E. Ross; Herbert A. Ross; Ramon E. Lawrence, and Byron L. Ramsing. At this meeting, Mr. Ramsing was also elected Presi- dent; Mr. Ramon E. Lawrence, Vice President; and Mr. Carl 1. Cassell, Vice President, Cashier. It was an- nounced at this meeting that the establishing of the Bank had received the approval of the Federal Deposit InsUrance Corporation. •� (Z3 � � 'lit' -s �''�'� •� � �--- •i - . •=,Y�` �,j ' k.; Yom• .410 IJ4 PIRE CEP ',,c -t _ . � � ., � , • _..,. �. _ * � ..,•,,, s=ue The following is a budget for the fiscal year of 1961 - 1962, covering normal and anticipated expenditures by the Police Department. Salaries Chief of Police ........................ $5,600 Patrolmen: Two regular patrolmen at $4,800 per yr. $9,600.00 Relief Patrolman: One regular relief patrolman, 40 hrs. per week at $2.10 per hour ..................... $4,368.00 Special Relief Patrolman: This man is to work during the illness or vacation periods of regular patrolman ........... $300.00 School Crossing Guards: Two women guards at $2.10 per hour each, two hours per day each, five days per week, for 38 weeks . ............................... I ... $17596.00 Estimated overtime pay: Estimated overtime pay for extra police during hur- ricanes, strikes, or other emergencies ....$600.00 Salary Raise: Respectfully request a salary raise of $150 per year for two regular patrolmen and one regular relief patrolman ...................... • .... $450.00 TOTAL. $20,918.00 Fire Truck Operating Expense It is estimated that the fire truck will use five gallons of gasoline per week during the fiscal year of 1961-1962, at approximately 38 cents per gallon. ...... $91.20 20 quarts of motor oil ................... $12.00 4 lubrications .......................... . $ 6.20 Wiping cloths, polish, chrome cleaner ....$10.00 Estimated repairs to motor, pumps, and tires. (Tires at $20.00 each) ....................... $60.00 t - V, TOTAL $179.40 The Lakes About 4000 feet west of U.S. 1, on what was to become Northlake Boulevard, was a large slough or low-lying muck area. It was thought best to excavate this, using the removed fill to raise other adjacent land. The result was a 10 -acre lake formed on each side of Northlake Boulevard, connected together with the Ear -man system. These are North and South Lakes, later bulkheaded. This increased the large number of waterfront lots already created in the Village, all with concrete bulkheading. The Transition Period Normally, a very sensitive gap exists between the ownership of a developer and the sale to the public, but this one ran very smoothly. This was largely due to the honorable performance of the Ross group and their ability to pick excellent men for key jobs. While they controlled the Council, in the absence of resi- dents, their actions were invariably right and in the best interests of the future home owners. As the months passed, Jack Schwencke, handling sales to builders and individuals, saw to it that agreements were kept and relationships were harmonious. A great deal of responsibility fell on the shoulders of AI Olson, the Village Manager. In the beginning, he wore several hats: Village Clerk, Village Tax Assessor, and Village Tax Collector. Until the Village Hall was completed, he had a desk in a small room upstairs in the Winter Club. One of the first things he had to do was set up a tax roll. This was fairly simple on the surface, as there were only two taxpayers; North Palm Beach Properties (the Ross operating entity) and John MacArthur. There was one other, however, that turned up in the person of a French Duke who owned Little Munyon Island. It seems that he had inherited the island and had never seen it. When Olson sent him a tax bill, a very polite letter came back from Southern France With a check for the taxes due $23.00. r -il _.. - _ ` , 'AFI �`��, 1 �• ., Albin R. Olson the First Village Manager. t Ground Breaking Ceremonies for the First Elementary School. The School The developers donated 10 acres of land to the Palm Beach County Board of Education for the erec- tion of a $294,000 elementary school. According to the Post Times, "Developers of North Palm Beach have been congratulated by county officials as well as parents in the enure area for the generosity and fore- sight which prompted them to donate 10 acres of the most valuable land for school purposes." This school opened for classes September 1958 and the first Principal was Marian Metcalf. Recreation The Village Marina was completed in December 1957. This is located on the North Palm Beach water- way in rear of the water tower and consists of a concrete boat -launching ramp, an electric hoist capable of handling boats up to 20 feet in length, and a large dry -storage area, fenced in. There is wet dockage for 30 boats. Nominal charges are made for both wet and dry storage, and keys are available for the hoist. The shuffle -board courts were completed in 1961. These are located next to the library and have turned out to be very popular. Therivatel owned North Palm Beach Marina, P Y created by the Rosses, is located east of the country club on the Intracoastal Waterway. This is a large installation, capable of handling yachts, has 68 con- crete slips and an office building. Completed in 1963, it is considered one of the finer marinas in Florida. Director Russell Ruskay says that as of January 1981 the village has the following recreational facilities: 14 tennis courts 2 paddle ball courts 3 volley ball courts 5 outdoor basketball courts 6 ball diamonds 6 racquet ball courts 3 tot lots This is, of course, in addition to the 18 -hole golf course.