After more than three decades at the historic Paramount Building in Palm Beach, the Palm Beach Civic Association is moving to a new home.
During the organization’s recent annual meeting at the Flagler Museum, Chairman Michael Pucillo said the organization would be moving its office at the end of April to a new location within the First Horizon Bank building at 180 Royal Palm Way.
Pucillo said the move comes as renovations have been approved for the Paramount Building, which has long housed the civic association’s offices.
He noted the organization had more than three years remaining on its lease but decided to relocate because of planned redevelopment at the site.
“Because of the upcoming construction and the general situation, we decided to move,” Pucillo said at the April 13 meeting.
A town landmark, the Paramount Building at 139 N. County Road was approved for a revised redevelopment plan by the Town Council on Jan. 14, following months of negotiations and two previous deferrals. The plan calls for a scaled-back private club, retail space and public amenities.
Pucillo thanked the Frisbie Group, the First Horizon Bank building’s landlord, for providing the new office space and offering favorable lease terms.
“We greatly appreciate what the Frisbie Group has done for the Civic Association,” Pucillo said. “They’re allowing us to spend the next three years in these better-conditioned offices than what we have had.”
The Paramount Building was once the Paramount Theater, a 1920s-era movie house that converted decades later into an office-and-retail building.
The association said the new office will have about 3,000 square feet, similar to its space at the Paramount location.
Pucillo said the move is temporary. The organization hopes to secure a permanent headquarters and is exploring potential sites, with plans for a future capital campaign.
“We will continue that search over the next few years,” he said. “I welcome any suggestions, any support and any ideas that our members or directors may have over the next few years.”
Founded in 1944, the civic association is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that focuses on issues affecting the town, informs residents about them and encourages civic engagement, its website says. With a staff of nine, the association has more than 2,000 members.
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.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Palm Beach Civic Association to move from Paramount Building
Reporting by Jodie Wagner, Palm Beach Daily News / Palm Beach Daily News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
