Unique 7-Eleven: Historic bank in West Palm Beach will now serve Big Bites and Slurpees

A convenience store befitting the gateway to well-heeled Palm Beach opens this month serving Slurpee wishes and Big Bite dreams from the historic First Federal Savings and Loan building at the western foot of the Southern Boulevard Bridge.

The stately structure with its soaring rotunda and glamorous chandelier got a makeover this year from 7-Eleven, which has a ribbon cutting ceremony Dec. 16 to formally reopen the 62-year-old building to customers with empty gas tanks or empty stomachs.

It is a unique melding of modern ethos and historic restoration orchestrated by Flagler Realty & Development and through lengthy negotiations with the city of West Palm Beach’s historic preservation board.

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The city allowed 7-Eleven to demolish a two-story portion of the building to accommodate six gas pumps in exchange for the store keeping a trademark chandelier in the rotunda, which will serve as a café-style seating area.

Iconic clock remains with slightly different look

A large outdoor clock that is a signature feature to the building and West Palm Beach’s Central Park Historic District was also retained, although some neighbors were surprised the traditional clock face now bares the red and green 7-Eleven branding with “Slurpee” written in purple underneath.

“I think people are very grateful the building wasn’t knocked down,” said Nancy Pullum, who lives near the new 7-Eleven and is active in historic preservation. “But the comments I’ve heard is the signage was over the top and people were disappointed that the clock was changed.”

Still, architects and designers worked to maintain a consistent look, matching details such as diamond plating and scalloped roof lines on the building with the same features at the gas pumps.

The pumping stations were also built with V-shaped canopy columns to mimic ones that were part of the portion of the building that was demolished. Doors on the rotunda are the same that were fitted when the building was new in 1959, and the original white and blue paint motif was maintained instead of using 7-Eleven’s more traditional beige.

Flagler Realty and Development co-founder Patrick Koenig said the building’s configuration was a challenge to previous businesses that considered the property after the bank closed at least two decades ago. He approached 7-Eleven to be a tenant for the 1.3-acre property, which was purchased by 301 Southern LLC in July 2020 for $2.74 million.

Koenig, with his company co-founders Richard Johnson and Scott Johnson, are authorized members of 301 Southern LLC.

Nearby 7-Eleven will close, operate the new one

A 7-Eleven in a small strip plaza just east of the new building is closing. The franchisee of that store will also manage the new store.

“7-Eleven existed here anyway so why not enhance the experience?” Koenig said.

The property was purchased for $2.74 million from developer and Miami Beach-native Todd Michael Glaser, who bought it in December 2017 for $2.67 million.

Glaser was planning to use the building as a local headquarters for his real estate development company. According to a 2018 Palm Beach Daily News article, Glaser planned to renovate the building and build nine industrial-style residential lofts and a rentable event space for art shows.

Glaser noted a revitalization of Southern Boulevard with the replacement of the south bridge to the island, newer real estate developments on South Dixie Highway and new restaurants along nearby Antique Row.

Before Glaser, the property was owned by a company associated with Palm Beacher Lee Munder, who was going to house his antique car collection in the then 7,770-square-foot building. The building also briefly housed a charter school.

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Longtime West Palm Beach resident Lila Young, who is also active in historic preservation, said she never expected a 7-Eleven to go into the building but understands the company would want to take advantage of the evolving commercial strip just west of Palm Beach.

“I’m just really proud the city didn’t let anyone tear the building down,” Young said.

The First Federal Savings and Loan building with its metal finishes and ample windows was admired as a "modernistic commercial" design with art deco flair when it opened near downtown West Palm Beach in 1959. A Sunday grand opening in June of that year welcomed the community for coffee, games and 4% interest rates.

The building became a contributing structure to the Central Park Historic District in 2009.

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The city granted several waivers so that 7-Eleven could more efficiently use the property, including reconfiguring the gas pumps so there will be three islands with two pumps each and allowing for 24-hour operation of the store.

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“Years before this project, I fielded many calls from people asking to demolish the building so to see it repurposed is great,” said West Palm Beach historic preservation planner Friederike Mittner. “I’ve seen some amazing rehabs and it really depends on the architectural team assembled. This one had all the right players.”

Kimberly Miller is a veteran journalist for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA Today Network of Florida. She covers weather, climate and the environment and has a certificate in Weather Forecasting from Penn State. Contact Kim at kmiller@pbpost.com

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Unique 7-Eleven: West Palm Beach historic bank saved in elegant redo