A pair of historic houses — including one designed by Addison Mizner for members of the family that turned Jell-O into a national staple — have been designated as landmarks in Palm Beach.
Designed by two noted first-generation Palm Beach architects, the houses are the Mizner-designed Villa Dei Fiori at 163 Seminole Ave. and a seaside house designed by Marion Sims Wyeth at 480 S. Ocean Blvd.
At their development review meeting Nov. 13 at Town Hall, the Town Council voted unanimously to approve the two structures for designation.
Designation hearings for both properties were deferred from the spring, although each property had been unanimously recommended for landmark status by the Landmarks Preservation Commission.
Villa Dei Fiori, which means “House of Flowers” in Italian, was designed in the Mediterranean Revival style by Mizner and completed in 1921 for O. “Frank” Woodward and his first wife, Persis Earle Davis. Woodward was the son of Orator F. Woodward, the businessman who purchased Jell-O and helped turn it into a national brand.
The ocean-blcok house has later additions by two other well-known architects, Maurice Fatio and Howard Major.
The house is today owned by longtime Palm Beach resident Dale Coudert and the Stephen H. Rose Revocable Trust. Coudert did not object to the landmark designation.
Council members voiced strong support for designating the mansion and praised Coudert for her dedication to preserving it.
“I’m just super excited about this,” Council Member Ted Cooney said. “I’m grateful for Ms. Coudert’s long-term stewardship and for coming around to the idea of landmarking this property. It’s the last original Addison Mizner home with touches by two of our other premier architects, Howard Major and Fatio, that’s unprotected. This is a really big deal.”
One of Mizner’s earlier designs, the residence is part of the Ocean Park subdivision, which dates to 1917 and is among the town’s oldest platted neighborhoods, according to a designation report prepared by the town’s landmark consultants, Janet Murphy and Emily Stillings of Murphy Stillings, LLC. The house stands on a street several blocks north of The Breakers.
Part of the house was already under landmark protection, thanks to a 2001 town council decision. But that designation only covered the south facade of the west wing, which included the house’s original front door and related ironwork, quoins and other elements.
Unlike most houses, Mizner sited the house facing west, perpendicular to Seminole Avenue, according to the designation report.
The original two-story home was built of hollow clay tile with a stucco finish.
Mizner’s layout included a front hall with the living room to the south and the dining room to the north, a loggia behind the living room, a hall bathroom and a pantry and kitchen behind the dining room. Upstairs were five bedrooms, two baths and several small servants’ rooms with an additional bath.
In 1928, Fatio added a den, loggia and a two-story garage apartment. Four years later, Major created an enclosed garden and patio on the west side of the house.
The house remained in the Woodward family until 1947.
The house meets criteria 1, 3 and 4 for designation of a landmark or landmark site under the town’s Landmark Preservation Ordinance, according to Murphy Stillings.
Landmark structures in Palm Beach are governed by four criteria, but not all of them must be met. A property is considered for designation if it:
At 480 S. Ocean Blvd.
The residence at 480 S. Ocean Blvd. stands in Palm Beach’s Estate section on a parcel overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
Wyeth designed the house in the Monterey style with British Colonial and early Palm Beach influences, according to its designation report.
Commissioned in 1935 by long-time Palm Beach winter resident Helen Bird Johnson Bolton Fitzgerald, it was built by the construction firm Smith, Riddle and Yetter.
The two-story structure is covered in wood shingles and has low-pitched, hipped roofs with asphalt shingles, small overhanging eaves and a simple wood cornice, according to Murphy Stillings.
Today, the property is owned by the estate of its longtime resident, Patricia Ann Kahn, who died in August 2024 at 89.
During its history, the home has undergone additions, alterations and repairs, including the construction of a detached two-car garage facing east on the north side. In 2023, plans were submitted and permits issued to renovate the property.
It meets criteria 1, 3 and 4 for designation of a landmark or landmark site under the town’s Landmark Preservation Ordinance, according to Murphy Stillings.
The house was discussed this year at meetings of the town’s Code Enforcement Board because of its neglected condition. But when problems were mitigated, the board granted the property owner some leeway.
The property is under contract by as-yet-unidentified buyers who have been in support of the landmark designation and plan to restore the house, the code board was told. Real estate agent Stephen Ploof of Compass Florida confirmed he is handling the pending off-market sale but declined further comment.
Jodie Wagner is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at jwagner@pbdailynews.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Mizner mansion, another house granted landmark status in Palm Beach
Reporting by Jodie Wagner, Palm Beach Daily News / Palm Beach Daily News
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