Walking Tour:Seaspray Avenue

Seaspray Avenue Landmarks

The three midtown streets colloquially known has the ‘Sea Streets’ were platted by the City Builders Realty Company as the Poinciana Park Development: Sea Breeze in 1914 followed by Sea Spray in 1917 and the north side of Sea View in 1923.

Oscar Jose, the head of City Builders, was one of the early developers to recognize the building potential in Palm Beach for something other than a grand estate or resort hotel. The lots were built with charming housing stock and directly marketed to the upper middle class through mailers. City Builders included a full-service approach to construction for seasonal residence. If desired, the purchaser need only to arrive with a suitcase of personal belongings.

Empty lots were also available to other local builders and developers, but were only sold under the stipulation that quality housing would be constructed. By the 1920s, the lots were sold for both seasonal and permanent residence, and the neighborhood included a private Sea Spray Beach Club, public and private schools, dockage for yachts, and private financing for the homes located within Poinciana Park.

137 Seaspray Avenue

1924 | Theodore Rowley | Designated 3/21/2018

At 137 Seaspray Avenue, architect Richard Sammons will discuss the restoration of original windows at the Moorish Revival Landmark.

Built around a courtyard, the house incorporates a dome, a minaretstyle chimney, a canvas canopied entrance, pointed arches, twisted columns, and iron window grilles. There is a large wood bay window with intricate wood patterns. The greater proportion of wall area to window space was a climatic necessity in the hot, dry Mediterranean regions. Theodore Rowley designed this as his personal home, but instead consented to the Pennock family to build the home from his plans.

212 Seaspray Avenue

1927| John L. Volk | Designated 3/9/1999

Pat Seagraves, AIA will provide a tour of the recently completed 212 Seaspray Avenue, one of architect John Volk’s first commissions in Palm Beach built at the cost of $20,000 for George W. Fuller.

The entry is located on a front-facing gable and decorated with a cast stone door surround that rises to the second floor. Above the recessed doorway is a broken pediment with a medieval helmet at its center. A cartouche topped by a crown rises above the pediment. Iron grilles on the small windows flaking the cast stone surround and the central attic vent add to the fortress-like appearance of the entrance. To the east, three windows with fanlights are located on the ground floor. The Spanish tile panels beneath the second-story windows area unique feature.

225 Seaspray Avenue

Early 20th Century | Unknown | Designated 6/14/1994

At 225 Seaspray Avenue, participants will explore a bungalow with a unique pagoda-influenced roof and original interior layout.

This house is a wonderful example of one of Palm Beach’s fastest disappearing styles, the Bungalow, and retains a high level of architectural integrity of both the interior and exterior. The tapered square piers and open porch are typical of the style. It’s full second story and prominent curved rafter ends that add an Oriental flavor are a rare design element seen in Palm Beach. The home currently has a unique French Clay tile roof, but was originally sheathed in tin. Abundant use of 6/6 and 9/9 double-hung sash windows would have maximized cross-ventilation prior to the advent of air-conditioning.

322 Seaspray Avenue

1919 | Builder: Wesley A. Rohodehamel | Designated 12/11/2013

At 322 Seaspray Avenue, the 2017 recipient of the Polly Earl Award, builder Scott Sloane will examine the reinterpretation of a bungalow for modern living.

A large dormer window atop a side-gabled roof defines this Bungalow style residence. Bahama shutters add detail to the simple on-over-one windows on the dormer. Carved rafters can be seen along the eave that is supported by decorative knee brackets, which complement the shape of the rafters. The characteristic front porch has been enclosed to increase interior living space while maintaining the curved openings and banding beneath the sill of the windows.

415 Seaspray Avenue

1928 | E.B. Walton

Landscape designer Fernando Wong will share his Lesly S. Smith Landscape Award-winning design for 415 Seaspray Avenue.

Inspiration for the gardens surrounding the Mediterranean Revival style residence came from the French provincial garden designs of Nicole de Vesian. From the beginning the designer felt that this rather daunting task of conveying de Vesian’s style of soft silvery textures, clipped vegetation, mounds of lavender, and rough stone to the subtropical south Florida climate would not only be thought-provoking but have extraordinary possibilities. The resulting design is defined by garden rooms that channel de Vesian’s stylistic elements including sculpted plants personally shaped by Wong, limestone block paths and borders, and a pool resembling a French cistern.

About the Architects

Theodore Rowley

Theodore Rowley was a consulting architect and engineer in Palm Beach for 35 years prior to his death in 1930. Originally from Detroit, he became a winter resident of Palm Beach and lived on Peruvian Avenue. His business in Chicago focused on the use of modern materials such as concrete though in Palm Beach he marketed himself as a designer and producer of modern and antique architectural elements in their correct proportion, style, and character.

John L. Volk

After working with the New York architectural firms of Friedlander and Knowles, and Watkins and Volk, John L. Volk came to Key West in 1925 to design several office buildings. The economic dislocations caused by a hurricane in 1926, along with the collapse of land values, led to his relocation to Palm Beach. Shortly thereafter, he formed a partnership with Gustav A. Maass from 1928 to 1935. Volk started his own firm in 1935. His early work was frequently in the Mediterranean Revival style, while later he helped popularize the British Colonial, Georgian, and Regency styles.

E.B. Walton

E.B. Walton was a local builder with a degree in Civil Engineering from Lehigh University. In 1916, Walton moved with his family to South Florida seeing it as an opportunity for winter work. By the 1920s, he was running a successful construction business that was building homes throughout Palm Beach County including numerous streets on the North End of the island.

About PFPB

The Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach is dedicated to preserving the architectural and cultural heritage and the unique scenic quality of the Town of Palm Beach. Through advocacy initiatives, educational programs, architectural resources, and cultural events, the Foundation’s goal is to encourage the community to learn about and save the historic sites that truly make Palm Beach special.

Over the past 40 years, the Preservation Foundation has undertaken numerous projects throughout the island that protect the heritage and enhance the beauty of Palm Beach. Millions of dollars of have been raised to restore historic resources like Sea Gull Cottage, Town Hall, and Bradley Park. Projects such as Pan’s Garden have fostered a deeper appreciation for the island’s botanical heritage. Along with special exhibitions and publications that advance scholarship in the history of Palm Beach, the Preservation Foundation offers educational programs that serve 6,000 students annually.