Luxury retailer Louis Vuitton has two extra weeks to complete construction on its new two-story Worth Avenue boutique.
The Town Council voted unanimously at the Oct. 15 development review meeting to grant a waiver for work to continue at 222 Worth Ave. from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday from Nov. 1-14.
Construction on Worth Avenue can only occur between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday from May 1 through Oct. 31. Any construction outside of those times and dates requires approval from the Town Council.
Geoffrey Cauble, vice president of Dimension One, Louis Vuitton’s contractor, told the council that the work left to be completed is quiet and will take place inside the new boutique. The facade is completed, he said.
Crews have been working to complete the project by the end of October, Cauble said.
“We are still showing all construction work being substantially completed by then,” he said. “But there are no extra days in the schedule at all. It goes right the 31st.”
There is a possibility for some inspections and other final touches on the store, Cauble said. Crews will not do any major construction, have any large deliveries of construction materials, use parking spaces on Worth Avenue or need any lane closures, he added.
Palm Beach’s Architectural Commission voted April 24, 2024, to approve the exterior design of the shop. That followed the Town Council’s vote in January of 2024 to allow Louis Vuitton to occupy more than 4,000 square feet of space on Worth Avenue.
The council in September of last year denied a request from Louis Vuitton to continue work on the boutique during season.
Contractors for Louis Vuitton uncovered a significant amount of repair work that needed to be done when construction began on the store, Rico Gatmaitan, a partner with Atmosphere Design & Architecture, the architecture firm on the project, told the council at the meeting where that waiver was denied.
Louis Vuitton has not yet announced an opening date for its Worth Avenue store. According to town records, it could open as early as Oct. 25.
The luxury brand opened its first Palm Beach store more than 40 years ago at 251 Worth Ave. In 2000, Louis Vuitton moved to the Esplanade. An Esplanade representative told Palm Beach Daily News in April 2022 the store would close. Within a month, Louis Vuitton extended its lease. That store later closed and left the brand without a standalone location on the island.
The building at 222 Worth Ave. originally was a single story, designed by the architect Raymond Plockelman and built in 1945. The second floor was added in 1952 as a residence. Over the years, the building and its façade were renovated several times. The most recent tenant was Escada.
Kristina Webb is a reporter for Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at kwebb@pbdailynews.com. Subscribe today to support our journalism.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Palm Beach gives Louis Vuitton more time to complete construction on new store
Reporting by Kristina Webb, Palm Beach Daily News / Palm Beach Daily News
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