It was all things Moroccan at the presentation of the 2026 Schuler Award, bestowed by the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach to recognize excellence in new architecture.
The annual award this year has spotlighted a North End guesthouse with exotic Moroccan-influenced architecture. And the Moroccan connection extends even further through the owners, Jennifer Fisher and her husband, former U.S. Ambassador to Morocco David Fischer, who served in that role from 2019 to 2021.
Inspired by their time in North Africa, the Fischers asked Palm Beach architect Jeffery Smith of Smith Architectural Group to build them a Moroccan-style residence for guests on property they own at 1225 N. Lake Way, directly across the street from their main home on the Intracoastal Waterway. The guesthouse replaced a house that had stood on the property for years.
Smith obliged with a two-story villa graced by elements common to Moroccan buildings, including white stucco walls, detailed plasterwork, scrolled metal railings, narrow columns and exposed wood beams, along with woodwork and doors imported from Morocco.
There also are authentically shaped widows, with the square lower half topped by a distinctively flared-circular opening, gracefully narrowing into a point at the top.
At a March 24 sunset ceremony around the villa’s pool, the Fishers and their architect accepted the Elizabeth L. and John H. Schuler Award from Preservation Foundation Board Chair Betsy Shiverick and John H. Schuler Jr., whose late parents founded the award. Foundation President and CEO Danielle Del Sol also was on hand.
In her remarks, Del Sol described how the guesthouse’s architecture “engages a tradition that is not unfamiliar to Palm Beach.” She mentioned the work of first-generation Palm Beach architect Addison Mizner, whose “Mediterranean vision drew heavily from North African and Moorish precedents — filtered, adapted and ultimately woven into the town’s architectural identity.”
But what distinguishes the Fishers’ guesthouse, she added, “is the directness of that connection. Rather than working though layers of interpretation, it returns to the source — grounded in firsthand experience and translated with care. The result feels both authentic to its inspiration and entirely appropriate to its setting.”
Smith designed the residence so that the living room looks out to a sunroom, then through a colonnade to the swimming pool. Above the sunroom, a deep covered balcony is fronted by another set of arches with a metalwork railing.
To the south is a projecting wing with a Moroccan-style bar on the ground level. The wing’s second-floor walls are pierced by windows and doorways that frame the outdoor areas as focal points.
In fact, in all of the rooms, the focus is on the pool area, where a massive 100-year-old banyan tree — studded with orchids and staghorn ferns — rises on the west side of the property. The tree was original to the property, as was the stand of bamboo that rises on the opposite side of the pool.
The rest of the lush landscape was planned by Keith Williams of Nievera Williams Design, the vegetation so dense that the house is all but hidden from the street.
When David Fisher stepped to the microphone to accept the award, he began with a quip. “The reality of this house,” he told those assembled, “is that I really did it all.”
He quickly amended that statement, explaining how he had rather sheepishly approached his wife a few years ago and told her: “Hon, I bought a house. Do you think you can do something with it?”
And Jennifer responded with aplomb, he said. Nodding at her, he said: “Sweetheart, you built this house. You did this.”
He thanked those in attendance and added: “It is truly an honor to accept this award.”
Jennifer Fisher reiterated that sentiment. She also thanked Smith and the rest of the design team. “This building was collaboration” she said, and watching it all come together was “magical.”
She described the process as “a labor of love. It was fun to bring it to life.”
In addition to Smith, the design team included project architect Leslie Pearce and CAD senior drafstman Dave Nolan, both of Smith Architectural Group. Mike Eison of Eison Construction Co. was the contractor and Andrew Sheinman of Pembrooke & Ives designed the interiors. Dave Carmo of Carmo Engineering was the structural engineer, while David Wojcieszak of Wojcieszak & Associates handled the design of the mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems.
In his remarks, Smith thanked the Preservation Foundation and expressed gratitude to the Fishers for giving him and his team “the extraordinary freedom” to create a house of distinction, one that was “authentic in inspiration and timeless in character.” He also credited the Moroccan artisans “who brought traditional craftsmanship to the project.”
Because they were building a guesthouse, Smith added, the design team thought of the project “almost as a folly, a kind of jewel box where the architecture, gardens and interiors could all work together in a very concentrated and thoughtful way.”
The Schuler Award is one of several architecture awards regularly presented by the foundation, including the Robert I. Ballinger Award for major historic restorations; and the Lesly S. Smith Landscape award.
Darrell Hofheinz is a USA TODAY Network of Florida journalist who writes about Palm Beach real estate in his weekly “Beyond the Hedges” column. He welcomes tips about real estate news on the island. Email dhofheinz@pbdailynews.com, call 561-820-3831 or tweet @PBDN_Hofheinz. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Palm Beach architecture award honors Moroccan-style guesthouse
Reporting by Darrell Hofheinz, Palm Beach Daily News / Palm Beach Daily News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
