Modifications approved for two ballrooms at The Breakers in Palm Beach
Improvements to two popular event venues at The Breakers Palm Beach earned unanimous approval from the town's Landmarks Preservation Commission on Wednesday.
At their monthly meeting at Town Hall, commissioners unanimously approved a certificate of appropriateness for modifications to the hotel's Venetian and Mediterranean ballrooms.
The work is being undertaken with financial incentives that are administered under the town and county's tax abatement program, which is provided to owners of landmarked properties who qualify.
The program allows for an abatement of the increase in the town and county property taxes that are due to a restoration, renovation or rehabilitation of a landmarked property.
Tax abatement projects within the town must meet the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation, and must be approved by the landmarks board.
The board reviews exterior changes to the more than 350 landmarked buildings in town. The Breakers was landmarked in 1983.
The scope of work will include partial window and door replacement, new mechanical and lighting systems, and new digital signage in the two venues, said Jason Skinner, an architect with West Palm Beach-based Dailey Janssen Architects.
Digital signage will be installed in the foyers outside both Mediterranean and Venetian ballrooms, as well in the foyers outside the Gold and Magnolia ballrooms.
The 9,600-square-foot, ocean-facing Venetian Ballroom will not undergo any architectural work, Skinner said.
More extensive work will be done in the 6,100-square-foot Mediterranean Ballroom, which features fresco-painted ceilings portraying the sky, large Venetian-style chandeliers, and a series of 15-foot arched windows overlooking the Mediterranean Courtyard.
Work will include the addition of four new electrical floor receptacles; a repair of the existing terrazzo floor where it is cracked or chipped; a repair and restoration of the existing wooden doors leading from the foyers into the ballroom; and replacement of the flat portion of the ceiling so that new lighting, mechanical grilles and fire sprinklers can be installed in an organized manner.
The ceiling work will not impact the roof structure or the integrity of the vaulted ceiling and artwork in the ballroom, Skinner said.
"The ceiling has quite a bit of work to do, but we're only focusing on the middle portion of the ceiling," he said. "It's a partial replacement."
The decorative ceiling elements will be retained, Skinner told commission members.
The Breakers, at 1 S. County Road, has 538 guest rooms and suites as well as a private beach club with four pools, five whirlpool spas, 25 poolside bungalows and a variety of on-site watersports.
The property also features two championship golf courses, one of which is 10 miles west; 10 Har-Tru tennis courts; a Forbes five-star spa; an indoor-outdoor fitness center; 14 boutiques; and a family entertainment center with children’s programs.
The resort marked its 125th anniversary in 2021. Today, it remains one of just 1,000 family-owned businesses in the United States that is more than 100 years old and still under its original ownership.
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: Palm Beach board approves modifications to two ballrooms at The Breakers
