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Boca Raton
History
It was during the 1920s that the small town of Boca Raton first came to the attention of a group of investors, who saw the area’s potential and purchased swaths of oceanfront property. This group was headed by renowned architect Addison Mizner, who set out to transform Boca Raton into his dream city. Mizner’s first projects were 29 homes in Floresta, now an historic area adjacent to the Boca Raton Museum of Art; and 12 smaller ones in Spanish Village. In 1926, the Mizner-designed 100-room, Spanish-style Cloister Inn opened its doors. Known today as the Boca Raton Resort & Club, the development's distinctive Mediterranean Revival style set the standard for much of Boca’s architecture.
Suburbanization
In the late 1960s, Boca Raton became the southern home to the International Business Machines Corporation (IBM). In 1965, well before the extension of I-95 into Southern Florida, IBM purchased several-hundred acres of real estate just west of the CSX rail line and northwest of Florida Atlantic University.
The Boca Corporate Center and Campus was originally one of IBM's research labs where the PC was created. It is located on Yamato Rd (NW 51st St), and stands next to the Boca Raton Tri-Rail Station.
History
It was during the 1920s that the small town of Boca Raton first came to the attention of a group of investors, who saw the area’s potential and purchased swaths of oceanfront property. This group was headed by renowned architect Addison Mizner, who set out to transform Boca Raton into his dream city. Mizner’s first projects were 29 homes in Floresta, now an historic area adjacent to the Boca Raton Museum of Art; and 12 smaller ones in Spanish Village. In 1926, the Mizner-designed 100-room, Spanish-style Cloister Inn opened its doors. Known today as the Boca Raton Resort & Club, the development's distinctive Mediterranean Revival style set the standard for much of Boca’s architecture. Boca as we know it today is a paradise for both visitors and residents, with 23 hotels, three public golf courses, 11 private golf clubs, and dozens of restaurants to please every palate. It is also a shopper’s Mecca, from the unique boutiques at Mizner Park and Royal Palm Place to the designer shops at Boca Town Center Mall.
The city's early history during the Florida land boom of the 1920s was as the site of Addison Mizner's Cloister Inn in 1927. Referred to as the "pink hotel," it is visible from miles away as a towering building on the Intracoastal Waterway. Following it, the Pearl City neighborhood of Boca Raton was established to house the service personnel for the hotel.
Japanese farmers of the Yamato Colony converted the land west of the city into pineapple plantations beginning in 1904. During World War II, much of their land was confiscated and used as the site of the Boca Raton Army Air Force Base, a major training facility for B-29 bomber crews. There was also a radar school and research facility there. Much of the airbase was later donated to become the grounds of Florida Atlantic University, many of whose parking lots are former runways of the airbase, while part of the airbase is now used as the Boca Raton Airport. The Japanese heritage of the Yamato Colony survives in the name of Yamato Road (NW 51st Street) just north of the airport and at the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens northwest of the city.
Japanese farmers of the Yamato Colony converted the land west of the city into pineapple plantations beginning in 1904. During World War II, much of their land was confiscated and used as the site of the Boca Raton Army Air Force Base, a major training facility for B-29 bomber crews. There was also a radar school and research facility there. Much of the airbase was later donated to become the grounds of Florida Atlantic University, many of whose parking lots are former runways of the airbase, while part of the airbase is now used as the Boca Raton Airport. The Japanese heritage of the Yamato Colony survives in the name of Yamato Road (NW 51st Street) just north of the airport and at the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens northwest of the city.
Suburbanization
In the late 1960s, Boca Raton became the southern home to the International Business Machines Corporation (IBM). In 1965, well before the extension of I-95 into Southern Florida, IBM purchased several-hundred acres of real estate just west of the CSX rail line and northwest of Florida Atlantic University.The Boca Corporate Center and Campus was originally one of IBM's research labs where the PC was created. It is located on Yamato Rd (NW 51st St), and stands next to the Boca Raton Tri-Rail Station.
Construction of IBM's main complex began in earnest in 1967, and the mammoth manufacturing and office complex was dedicated in March 1970. Starting in 1987, IBM relocated their manufacturing for what became the IBM PC division to Research Triangle Park in Raleigh, North Carolina, and converted the cavernous manufacturing facilities into offices and laboratories, later producing ground-breaking products such as the OS/2 operating system and VoiceType Dictation, known today as ViaVoice voice-recognition software.
IBM maintained its facilities in the South Florida area until 1996, when the facility was closed and sold to Blue Lake Real Estate, who in turn sold it to the T-REX Management Consortium. Today, T-REX has revitalized the facility and its surrounding real estate into a highly-successful and landscaped business/research park. What used to be IBM's Building 051, an annex separated from the former main IBM campus by Spanish River Boulevard was donated to the Palm Beach County School District and converted into Don Estridge High Tech Middle School. It is named for Don Estridge, whose team was responsible for developing the IBM PC.
IBM later returned in July, 2001 opening the current software development laboratory off Congress Avenue.
In the 1980s, because of an explosion of development to the west of the historical center of the city, some eastern areas began to decay, including the downtown corridor. For instance, the old Boca Raton Mall, a shopping mall in the downtown area was beginning to experience higher vacancy, and occupancy by marginal tenants, due to the opening of Town Center at Boca Raton west of the city in 1980.
Mizner Park is a downtown attraction in Boca Raton's financial district. It is the furthest north part of Boca's downtown area, and home to 'Mizner Park Amphitheater'.
In 1991, the new downtown outdoor shopping and dining center, Mizner Park, was completed over the site of the old Boca Raton Mall. It has since become a cultural center for the southern Palm Beach County. Featuring a landscaped central park between the two main roads (collectively called Plaza Real) with stores only on the outside of the roads, Mizner Park resembles a Mediterranean suburban "town center" with a more contemporary look. It features many restaurants and is home to the Boca Raton Museum of Art which moved to the new facility in 2001.
In 2002, a new amphitheater was built replacing a smaller one, providing a large-capacity outdoor venue where concerts and other performances are held.
Mizner Park has significantly aided downtown revitalization. Many new eight to ten story mixed-use buildings have been constructed, are currently under construction or are proposed for the downtown area. The surrounding areas to the downtown have benefited from the downtown redevelopment.
As development continued to focus to the west of the city in the 1980s and 1990s, the mall area, Town Center at Boca Raton, became the geographic center of what is referred to as Boca Raton, though this mall was not actually annexed into the city until 2004. The area referred to as Boca Raton, including the unincorporated area west side of the city, is now almost entirely built out.
In-late 2006, Simon began the construction stage of an outdoor lifestyle center, the Terrace at Town Center, near the new wing. Town Center Mall has become a tourist attraction and the largest indoor mall in Palm Beach County.
City Codes & Development Restrictions
Boca Raton has a strict development code, including the size and types of commercial buildings, building signs and advertisements which may be erected within the city limits. No car dealerships are allowed in the municipality, according to the city zoning code. Additionally, no billboards are permitted in the city. The only billboard was grandfathered in during recent annexation. Corporations such as McDonald's have subdued their Golden Arches due to the code. The unincorporated areas still contain restaurants with the classic arches, but the heights of the signs have also been reduced. Many buildings in the area have Mediterranean and Spanish architectural themes, initially inspired in the area by Addison Mizner. The strict development code has resulted in several major thoroughfares without large signs or advertisements in the traveler's view; significant landscaping is in its place.
Lifestyle
Boca Raton boasts more than 20 cultural organizations, including the Boca Raton Museum of Art, Boca Raton Children’s Museum, Children’s Science Explorium, the University Gallery at Florida Atlantic University and the Boca Raton Historical Society Museum. Summer concerts are quite popular at the new Count de Hoernle Amphitheater at the Centre for Arts in Mizner Park, and patrons of the arts enjoy performances at the Caldwell Theatre Company, the Boca Ballet Theatre, and the Harid Conservatory.
Unmatched grace and sophistication are experienced in beautiful Boca Raton, embodying the exclusive lifestyle envisioned by the famous architect Addison Mizner on South Florida’s enchanting Gold Coast. One of the city’s most famous landmarks, the magnificent Mizner-designed, pink-towered Boca Raton Resort & Club built in 1926 is one of the nation’s premier resorts, presiding over a sublime stretch of Boca Raton’s two-mile-long beachfront. Boca Raton’s sought-after real estate accommodates the most discerning requirements with an extraordinary array of options for every preference.
Boca Raton is a city of beautiful landscaping, parks and beaches. Residents are proud of the city's efforts to maintain and constantly improve the streets, natural areas and its beaches: Red Reef Park (a 67-acre oceanfront park which includes Gumbo Limbo Environmental Education Center on over 20 acres), South Beach Park and its fishing pier, South Inlet Park, and Spanish River Park.
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