Vedado Historic District

Vedado Historic District
Vedado Historic District
Vedado Historic District is located in Florida
Vedado Historic District
Vedado Historic District is located in the United States
Vedado Historic District
LocationWest Palm Beach, Florida
Coordinates26°40′39″N 80°03′54″W / 26.67750°N 80.06500°W / 26.67750; -80.06500
NRHP reference No.10000821[1]
Added to NRHPOctober 15, 2010

Vedado Historic District is a national historic district in West Palm Beach, Florida in Palm Beach County. Including primarily one-story buildings constructed between 1947 and 1957 as well as the Land Boom from 1924 to 1928, it is bounded by Merril Ave, Southern Blvd, Parker Ave, and Paseo Morella.[2][3]

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2010.[1]

History

The present-day Vedado Historic District in West Palm Beach, Florida, was first developed during the Florida land boom of the 1920s. In 1924, Clarence J. Ohmer paid $67,500 for the property of Alida Bell, with the intention of the sale leading to the creation of lots and blocks.[4]: 16  The Ohmer family then sold the property in September for $1 to the Suburban Development Company. In November 1924, the first plat was recorded, which included 15 blocks ranging from 6 to 27 lots in size and a park.[4]: 17  An advertisement in The Palm Beach Post that year touted that "Vedado is different because we are using the "highest type of street construction and working out a beautiful park effect" and that "we have taken care of the ‘kiddies’ by setting aside more that 40,000 square feet of space for a playground", while lots then cost $30 to $40 per front foot.[4]: 30 

Between 1925 and 1926, Vedado's first homes were developed.[4]: 18  Although news of real estate scams beginning in the mid-1920s, two hurricanes in 1926 and 1928, and the Great Depression all decimated the local economy,[4]: 17  the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) registration form for the Vedado Historic District noted that "The Vedado Subdivision’s proximity to Morrison Field made it a familiar location for returning veterans." Now known as the Palm Beach International Airport, Morrison Field served as a military facility during World War II, with more than 6,000 aircraft landing there and approximately 3,000 United States Army Air Forces stationed at that site.[4]: 18  During the war, about 27% of homes, then numbering about 94, were owned by active military personnel.[4]: 22 

After World War II, the Vedado neighborhood underwent another period of significant development from 1946 to 1956,[4]: 31  with at least 10 homes constructed in 1947, 1950, 1951, and 1952.[4]: 19  Although this section of West Palm Beach is sometimes referred to as the Vedado-Hillcrest Historic District, most of the Hillcrest neighborhood was demolished in the late 1980s as part of a federal buyout program for expansion of the Palm Beach International Airport. Much of the former Hillcrest section is now occupied by Palm Beach Atlantic University's Marshall and Vera Lea Rinker Athletic Campus.[5] Locally, the district has been included on the West Palm Beach Register of Historic Places since 2007.[4]: 4  The Vedado Historic District has been listed as part of the NRHP since October 15, 2010.[1]

Architecture

Several architectural styles are present throughout the district, including Contemporary, Minimal Traditional, Minimal Ranch, Mediterranean Revival, Mission Revival, Monterey, Ranch, Split Level, and Vernacular.[4]: 24, 26–27 

Structures

Of the 130 resources in the Vedado Historic District, 81 are considered contributing, including 80 structures and 1 site, Vedado Park, constructed in 1924. Additionally, 49 resources are considered non-contributing. These structures were either significantly altered or constructed after the period of significance, including the Vedado Park Community Center, built around 2000.[4]: 4  The following are listed as contributing:[4]: 10–12 

Address/Name Year built Style Structure type Notes
Vedado Park 1924 Landscape
3632 Glenwood Road 1952 Ranch Residence
3629/3631 Parker Avenue 1947 Ranch Duplex
3635/3637 Parker Avenue 1947 Ranch Duplex
3701/3703 Parker Avenue 1947 Ranch Duplex
3709 Parker Avenue 1952 Ranch Residence
3805/3807 Parker Avenue 1952 Ranch Duplex
3632 Parker Avenue 1947 Frame Vernacular Residence
3815 Parker Avenue 1955 Ranch Residence
3823 Parker Avenue 1955 Ranch Residence
3835 Parker Avenue 1955 Ranch Residence
3639 Paseo Andalusia 1926 Mission Revival Residence
3705 Paseo Andalusia 1952 Ranch Residence
3709 Paseo Andalusia 1952 Minimal Traditional Residence
3715 Paseo Andalusia 1951 Ranch Residence
3721 Paseo Andalusia 1951 Minimal Traditional Residence
3805 Paseo Andalusia 1950 Minimal Traditional Residence
3809 Paseo Andalusia 1952 Minimal Ranch Residence
3815 Paseo Andalusia 1949 Ranch Residence
904/905 Paseo Andorra 1950 Ranch Duplex
910 Paseo Andorra 1952 Minimal Traditional Residence
916 Paseo Andorra 1953 Ranch Residence
920 Paseo Andorra 1950 Minimal Ranch Residence
926 Paseo Andorra 1925 Mediterranean Revival Residence
927 Paseo Andorra 1925 Mission Revival Residence
934 Paseo Andorra 1947 Minimal Traditional Residence Also includes elements of Spanish-style architecture
940 Paseo Andorra 1951 Ranch Residence
946 Paseo Andorra 1946 Minimal Traditional Residence A home formerly owned by Phillip Rowe, a manager at the Lake Court and Pennsylvania hotels in West Palm Beach[4]: 174 
1001 Paseo Andorra 1948 Minimal Traditional Residence A home formerly owned by the Rowan family. Charlie Rowan, who lived there for approximately 60 years as of 2010,
was considered the "mayor" of Vedado[4]: 21 
1002 Paseo Andorra 1951 Contemporary Residence
1009 Paseo Andorra 1952 Ranch Residence
1014 Paseo Andorra 1952 Contemporary Residence
1015 Paseo Andorra 1951 Minimal Traditional Residence
1020 Paseo Andorra 1952 Contemporary Residence
1021 Paseo Andorra 1951 Minimal Traditional Residence
1025 Paseo Andorra 1950 Minimal Traditional Residence
1028 Paseo Andorra 1950 Minimal Ranch Residence
920 Paseo Castalla 1947 Minimal Traditional Residence
934 Paseo Castalla 1950 Split Level Residence
935 Paseo Castalla 1950 Minimal Traditional Residence
940 Paseo Castalla 1951 Minimal Traditional Residence
941 Paseo Castalla 1925 Mission Revival Residence
945 Paseo Castalla 1950 Minimal Traditional Residence
946 Paseo Castalla 1949 Minimal Traditional Residence
959 Paseo Castalla 1925 Mission Revival Residence
1000 Paseo Castalla 1946 Minimal Traditional Residence
1012 Paseo Castalla 1952 Minimal Traditional Residence
1014 Paseo Castalla 1952 Minimal Traditional Residence
930 Paseo Morrella 1951 Ranch Residence
935 Paseo Morrella 1947 Minimal Ranch Residence
936 Paseo Morrella 1952 Minimal Ranch Residence
940 Paseo Morrella 1950 Ranch Residence
946 Paseo Morrella 1948 Minimal Traditional Residence
950 Paseo Morrella 1948 Ranch Residence
1002 Paseo Morrella 1925 Mission Revival Residence
1015 Paseo Morrella 1954 Ranch Residence
1021 Paseo Morrella 1954 Ranch Residence
1025 Paseo Morrella 1950 Minimal Traditional Residence
3630 Paseo Navarra 1956 Minimal Ranch Residence
3636 Paseo Navarra 1925 Spanish Colonial Residence
3639 Paseo Navarra 1945 Monterey Residence
3710 Paseo Navarra 1956 Minimal Ranch Residence
3814 Paseo Navarra 1952 Contemporary Residence
3820 Paseo Navarra 1952 Contemporary Residence
3829 Paseo Navarra 1925 Mission Revival Residence
3829A Paseo Navarra c. 1940 Accessory
900-904 Paseo Palmera 1952 Ranch Residence
910 Paseo Palmera 1948 Contemporary Residence
911 Paseo Palmera 1956 Split Level Residence
920 Paseo Palmera 1925 Mission Revival Residence
921 Paseo Palmera 1927 Mediterranean Revival Residence
921A Paseo Palmera c. 1927 Garage
922 Paseo Palmera 1925 Mission Revival Residence
925 Paseo Palmera 1951 Ranch Residence
934 Paseo Palmera 1954 Ranch Residence
940 Paseo Palmera 1947 Minimal Traditional Residence Also includes some Mission Revival-style architectural elements
941 Paseo Palmera 1950 Ranch Residence
952 Paseo Palmera 1952 Minimal Ranch Residence
953 Paseo Palmera 1950 Minimal Ranch Residence
958 Paseo Palmera 1949 Minimal Traditional Residence
961 Paseo Palmera 1949 Minimal Ranch Residence

References

  1. ^ a b c "National Register of Historic Places 2010 Weekly Lists" (PDF). National Park Service. December 2010. p. 260. Retrieved December 27, 2025.
  2. ^ "Historic Districts". City of West Palm Beach. Archived from the original on July 7, 2014. Retrieved August 30, 2014.
  3. ^ "Vedado-Hillcrest Historic District" (PDF). City of West Palm Beach. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 30, 2015. Retrieved August 30, 2014.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Vedado Historic District (Report). National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. National Park Service. August 2010. Retrieved December 27, 2025.
  5. ^ Eliot Kleinberg (May 27, 2014). "PBAU to give city 12-acre park". The Palm Beach Post. p. B2. Retrieved December 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com. Free access icon