Palm Beach condo-building redo hits a brick wall with architectural panel. Here's why.

Darrell Hofheinz, Palm Beach Daily News
Updated ·3 min read
A rendering depicts proposed exterior renovations to the oceanfront Winthrop House condominium building at 100 Worth Ave. Palm Beach architectural commissioners on June 26 asked for revisions to the proposal and suggested restoring at least some of the original red-brick accents.
A rendering depicts proposed exterior renovations to the oceanfront Winthrop House condominium building at 100 Worth Ave. Palm Beach architectural commissioners on June 26 asked for revisions to the proposal and suggested restoring at least some of the original red-brick accents.

Architectural commissioners appeared surprised at their most recent meeting when they were asked to approve a plan to strip one of Palm Beach’s most prominent oceanfront condominium buildings of its distinctive red-brick accents.

“That’s what gives the building its character,” Commissioner Betsy Shiverick said about the brick, which is found on vertical elements for the Winthrop House’s façade. Brick also comprises several “breeze-wall” open-work panels fronting the ground-floor porte-cochere.

Facing Midtown Beach, the seven-story building was built in 1969 at 100 Worth Ave. on the corner of South Ocean Boulevard.

Architect David Miller of David Miller & Associates told the Architectural Commission June 26 that the Winthrop House Condominium Association’s board — and more than 75% of the buildings unit owners — had approved the plan to update the look of the building as part of a structural repair program.

The plan involves removing the brick and getting rid of large expanses of rust-red pavers in the porte-cochere, driveways and walking paths on the ground level. Overall, the exterior would get new white stucco, cast-stone accents and a continuous cornice at the roofline to replace the balustrade there now.

Built in 1969, the Winthrop House condominium at the corner of Worth Avenue and South Ocean Boulevard in Palm Beach has vertical red-brick accent piers that run from the second floor to the roofline.
Built in 1969, the Winthrop House condominium at the corner of Worth Avenue and South Ocean Boulevard in Palm Beach has vertical red-brick accent piers that run from the second floor to the roofline.

Miller said the remodeling is part of a project to fix a number of problems at the building, from repairing deteriorated concrete walls to rebuilding balconies and replacing their railings with a new design. The old railings do not meet building-code requirements, he added.

The design also would rework the porte-cochere and parking area by adding new metal grilles along with water features, landscaping and a hardscape featuring warm-gray pavers. The landscaping was designed by Dustin Mizell of Environment Design Group.

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A recent photo shows the red-brick accents and the rooftop balustrade on the east façade of the Winthrop House condominium building at 100 Worth Ave.
A recent photo shows the red-brick accents and the rooftop balustrade on the east façade of the Winthrop House condominium building at 100 Worth Ave.

The plans, Miller said, came about after structural engineers inspected the building for its 50-year state recertification, a process designed to ensure the continued structural integrity of older condominium buildings.

Public interest in the recertification program was heightened after the June 2021 collapse of a beachfront condo building in Surfside in Miami-Dade County, a tragedy that killed 98 people.

The Winthrop House’s engineering report listed a number of required projects, Miller said. Those included stripping off the brick vertical elements and repairing and waterproofing the concrete walls behind them, he told commissioners, citing a 2026 deadline for that project.

“The waterproofing that was there in 1969 is no longer working,” Miller said, later adding that brick can pose problems on an oceanfront building because it tends to absorb water.

Commissioners didn’t question the need for the repairs but several did suggest that at least some of the brick elements be reinstalled. At the very least, the building needed more visual variety than Miller’s plan presented, the board agreed.

A rendering shows proposed balcony railings and grilles presented in June to the Palm Beach Architectural Commission for an exterior renovation of the Winthrop House condominium building at 100 Worth Ave.
A rendering shows proposed balcony railings and grilles presented in June to the Palm Beach Architectural Commission for an exterior renovation of the Winthrop House condominium building at 100 Worth Ave.

Commissioner Tom Kirchhoff told Miller he liked the general plan to overhaul the porte-cochere to make the front entrance more prominent and rework the landscaping. But Kirchhoff worried that some of the aesthetic changes would make the building look too monolithic. He also wanted the new balcony railings redesigned.

Alternate Commissioner K.T. Catlin also was not a fan of the proposed look of the building.

“For me,” Catlin said, “it’s just becoming one more big white condo building along that stretch” of beachfront.

The board voted unanimously to send Miller back to his drawing board with a request to return Aug. 23 with revised plans.

Commissioners also endorsed a code variance for the project that would allow the elimination of five ground-level parking spaces. The Town Council approved that variance request at its meeting Wednesday.

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Darrell Hofheinz is a USA TODAY Network of Florida journalist who writes about Palm Beach real estate in his weekly “Beyond the Hedges” column. He welcomes tips about real estate news on the island. Email dhofheinz@pbdailynews.com, call 561-820-3831 or tweet @PBDN_Hofheinz. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Palm Beach condo-building redo hits a brick wall with design board