Palm Beach landmarks board to get updates on outcomes of past construction projects
In an effort to provide the Palm Beach Landmarks Preservation Commission an opportunity to review the outcomes of past construction projects, the town has begun sharing a summary of them during the board's monthly meetings at Town Hall.
The first summary was presented during the board's June 21 meeting, with Abraham Fogel, the town's design and preservation planner, highlighting six properties that had been approved for construction and later completed.
Fogel shared before-and-after photos of the properties and detailed the scope of the work, starting with a structure at 209 Phipps Plaza.
Related: Palm Beach board to consider 16 historic properties for landmark designation next season
The other properties are 240 Jungle Road; 245 Barton Road; 250 Algoma Road; 271 El Vedado Road, and 312 Worth Ave.
"This presentation highlights past LPC projects that were approved, and I'd like to give thanks to Ms. (Brittain) Damgard," Fogel told commission members, referring to the board's vice chair. "This was her idea."
The town agreed to present an overview of completed projects to the landmarks board to inform future decision-making on approvals, said Friederike Mittner, the town's design and preservation manager.
The Landmarks Preservation Commission reviews exterior changes to the more than 350 landmarked buildings in town, and recommends additional buildings for landmark protection to the council each year.
It also considers development applications for historically significant buildings, which were created in an effort to discourage owners from tearing down older houses that aren’t landmarked, but still contribute to the charm and character of their neighborhoods.
"Usually the board sees projects through existing photos, architectural plans and renderings during the meetings," Mittner told the Daily News. "But they usually don't get the after — the post-approval. There could be opportunities that they can learn from outcomes where they could review them and say, 'We saw this on a line drawing, and now this is how it was executed in the field.'"
Commissioners were receptive to the idea of reviewing past projects during their meetings, noting they rarely have the opportunity to do so after granting approval.
"I think this is a good thing for us to do, to look back," Damgard said. "We go through these projects and we make decisions and vote on things, and then we don't see how they really end up unless you drive by yourself and look. There's one that I drive by and look, and I shudder at what we approved. So I think it's really, really important to be aware of that and then to follow up. It takes so long for these projects to finish. It's a couple of years before we see them, so it's a great thing to do."
"These are actually success stories, and it's nice to have something in the public record to point to people," added commissioner Alexander Ives. "I think it's also a tribute to the community. We have great architects and contractors out here. There's only so many words that can be given, but it's nice to sort of recognize all the work that's been done at a pretty high-quality level in this town."
Mittner said the town plans to present a review of past projects as often as possible during meetings of the landmarks board.
Projects most likely will be presented randomly, just as they were this month.
"The selection was intended to provide a diverse representation of different types of projects," Mittner said. "But the key is, they have been approved and completed."
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 landmarks board to review past construction projects
