Palm Beachers love old things.
Old furniture becomes “antiques.” Old jewelry becomes “estate.” Old homes become “historic” until they are painstakingly restored, when they become “Ballingers.”
Little wonder, then, that the Preservation Foundation’s dinner dance is among the most popular events of the social season.
The 44th annual event took place Feb. 27 under a glass tent that covered almost the entire footprint of Bradley Park.
More Palm Beach society news here.
Nicola Marcus, Amy Phelan, and Lynne Wheat were chairwomen for the night, which began with cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and live violin music.
After cocktails, the crowd of 400-plus moved to the dinner tent, decorated in keeping to the “Palm Beach Glamour” theme with golden palm trees, tapestries suspended overhead, tablescapes of purple and pink orchids, and a custom dance floor crowned with radiant starburst lighting.
Danielle Del Sol, the foundation’s new president and CEO, spoke from a stage featuring architectural arches with bougainvillea.
“Historic preservation is a pursuit that asks more of us than admiration for the past. It calls for engagement with the present and foresight for the future,” said Del Sol. “Being stewards of a place as unique as Palm Beach, especially in a time of great regional growth, is complex. But we are here to meet the moment.”
Del Sol continued: “At the heart of all of this is our mission: to protect the architectural, botanical, and cultural heritage of Palm Beach. Palm Beach’s beauty may appear effortless, but we know it is anything but. It is shaped, safeguarded, and sustained by those who understand its value — and are determined to protect it. This room reflects that understanding.”
The night continued with dinner and dancing.
The dinner dance raised $4 million in support of the foundation’s mission to advocate, educate and invest in the Town of Palm Beach’s architectural, botanical and cultural heritage.
More than 400 people attended, including Audrey and Marty Gruss, George Hamilton, Jane Holzer, Michele and Howard Kessler, Carol and Earle Mack, Jeff Marcus, Secretary of the Navy John Phelan, Thomas Peterffy, Sallie Phillips, Wilbur Ross and Hilary Geary Ross; Sen. Rick Scott, Tad Smith and Caroline Fitzgibbons, Leigh-Ann and Martin Sprock, Peter Soros and Electra Toub, Katherine and Leo Vecellio, and about 375 more who know that old is not necessarily a bad thing, especially when the subject is money.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: The Insider: Preservation Foundation hosts 44th annual dinner dance
Reporting by Shannon Donnelly, Palm Beach Daily News / Palm Beach Daily News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
