Palm Beach architecture board sends Louis Vuitton Worth Avenue store back for design edits
Louis Vuitton's plans to update a Worth Avenue storefront for the French luxury retailer's new Palm Beach location have been sent back to the drawing board by the town's Architectural Commission.
Commissioners voted unanimously, with chair Jeffrey Smith absent, on Jan. 24 to delay a decision on the project, citing needed changes to the plans for the building's facade, which faces one of the world's most iconic retail destinations. The project will return to the commission at its Feb. 28 meeting.
Once plans are approved, Louis Vuitton will move forward to open at 222 Worth Ave., about a block west from its previous location in The Esplanade at 150 Worth Ave. The new store would be on the same block as Louis Vuitton's first Palm Beach address, 251 Worth Ave., where the brand opened more than 40 years ago before moving to The Esplanade in 2000.
The Town Council, acting as the Development Review Committee, voted unanimously on Jan. 10 to approve a special exception that allows a permitted use of more than 4,000 square feet in the Worth Avenue commercial zoning district. Once the Architectural Commission completes its review of the plans, Louis Vuitton will return to the Town Council for final approval.
More: Louis Vuitton plans new location on Worth Avenue in Palm Beach
The building was designed in 1945 by architect Raymond Plockelman, said Ludovica Douglas from Atmosphere Design Group. It was built as a single-story building, with the second floor added in 1952 as a residence. It was renovated several times over the years, including for the most recent tenant, Escada, in the late 1990s, she said.
Among the changes proposed, an arched window and a residential window would be removed and replaced with a pilaster and a window more in line with the building's historically neoclassical design, Douglas said.
Aimee Sunny with the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach suggested that commissioners consider encouraging a design that returned the building to its previous symmetry, before a door was added on the east side in 1952 to allow access to the second-story residence.
While Douglas' design pitched two "Louis Vuitton" signs above the first story with the brand's "LV" logo between them, the commission balked at the request. In her presentation, Douglas noted that the store's previous location in the Esplanade had five exterior signs.
"Walking up and down this street, every single store that I looked at except for one only had its name written once," said commissioner Dan Floersheimer. "So I think having two Louis Vuittons, plus the logo, is overkill."
Douglas noted that a tree in front of the store complicates the design, when it comes to visibility.
"People will find the store. I have no doubt about that," Floersheimer said, adding, "It will, I'm sure, be an attraction. Just like Gucci is across the street."
Commissioners also asked for changes to the design of the front door, which needs to be converted from a double door to a single door with side window, to bring it up to federal standards in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, Douglas said.
The former residential door, which now has a decorative transom above it, would be replaced with a window, she said.
Commissioners asked if the transom could somehow be incorporated into the final design.
"You're losing a major part of the charm if you place it with glass," commissioner Betsy Shiverick said.
The commission also asked for adjustments to the design of the large front windows. Commissioner John David Corey asked if some of the character of the building's original design could be retained by using multiple panes. Other members suggested a color other than black for the windows' trim.
Overall, commissioners said they wanted to see a design that is more distinctive.
"Yes, it's a shop front," commission vice chair Richard Sammons said. "But it's not a shop front in a mall. It's not a shop front on Rodeo Drive. It's not a shop front in Monte Carlo, or even Paris. It's a shop front in Palm Beach."
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Palm Beach board sends Louis Vuitton store design back for edits
