History
Founded in 1981, the organization is committed to honoring and preserving Palm Beach’s original architectural treasures and public spaces. Honorable Judge James R. Knott, a dedicated historian and author, facilitated the establishment of the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach. It has lobbied local and county government to change policy and enact legislation that directly and legally protects Palm Beach’s architectural assets. The buildings and styles of Mizner, Wyeth, Fatio, and Volk are as unique as they are important to the overall character and charm of the town. The organization not only encourages education and appreciation for these historical structures, but also works against the forces of speculation, development, and degradation to ensure they remain a vital part of the community. The restoration, rehabilitation, and conservation of historic structures and public spaces can spur economic and cultural development.
The organization has been able to save the town’s oldest house (Sea Gull Cottage), restore the historic Town Hall, create the Earl E.T. Smith Preservation Park, establish a heritage education program for fourth grade school children, restore the Little Red Schoolhouse (the oldest one-room school in Southeast Florida that offers a living history program under its roof), and create Pan’s Garden in the heart of the town that offers educational programs about native plants and butterflies. Town-owned open space has also been safeguarded, as well as neighborhood zoning strengthened and upheld through the efforts of preservationists. Facade easement donations to the foundation help protect buildings, as well as bring tax savings to owners. Millions of dollars have gone to purchase property, as well as into restoration and rehabilitation over the years.
Read more about this topic: Preservation Foundation Of Palm Beach
Famous quotes containing the word history:
“The myth of independence from the mother is abandoned in mid- life as women learn new routes around the mother—both the mother without and the mother within. A mid-life daughter may reengage with a mother or put new controls on care and set limits to love. But whatever she does, her child’s history is never finished.”
—Terri Apter (20th century)
“The disadvantage of men not knowing the past is that they do not know the present. History is a hill or high point of vantage, from which alone men see the town in which they live or the age in which they are living.”
—Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874–1936)
“The history of the Victorian Age will never be written: we know too much about it.”
—Lytton Strachey (1880–1932)