Tour participants take in the grandeur of the Cloister Inn, part of The Boca Raton resort. The 100-room inn, which opened Feb. 5, 1926, was designed and owned by renowned architect Addison Mizner. Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
By Mary Hladky
The Cloister Inn likely tops the must-see lists of history and architecture enthusiasts visiting Boca Raton.
Opened on Feb. 5, 1926, at the height of Florida’s land boom, the 100-room hotel was designed and owned by renowned architect Addison Mizner, whose vision informs the city’s architecture to this day.
Over the years, a succession of owners transformed the property into The Boca Raton resort. Today, it is open only to resort members and guests.
But all is not lost for those eager to see the Cloister Inn and other historic parts of the resort.
The Boca Raton Historical Society offers a limited number of guided walking tours from January through mid-May each year.
“Walking through The Boca Raton is like stepping back in time,” said Mary Csar, the society’s executive director. “This historic site holds the stories of a vibrant past that has shaped our community. We are thrilled to share these stories with visitors and locals alike, connecting them to the rich heritage of Boca Raton.”
On a recent tour, historical society volunteer docent Julie Stagner explained how the Cloister Inn came to be.
Mizner had injured his leg and was urged to come to Florida to recuperate.
“He came to Palm Beach and fell in love,” Stagner said.
So, he bought 3 miles of beachfront in Boca Raton, and invoked the Spanish Revival and Mediterranean architecture he had seen during a childhood visit to South America to design the Cloister Inn.
Mizner didn’t have a particular interest in operating a hotel, but he did want to design and build homes, Stagner said. He hoped a stay at the Cloister Inn would persuade guests to buy a Mizner home.
“Addison Mizner loved the finer things in life,” she said. “When he built his properties, he wanted to give that to his clients. Even if you were just renting a room, thinking about having a home built by him, he wanted you to feel that luxury, that lushness.
“Mizner loved grand, sweeping spaces. He designed houses to fit into the Florida environment so owners could feel the breeze off the ocean.”
Those homes exist today in Boca Raton’s Old Floresta neighborhood.
Mizner embraced his Boca Raton project.
“It is my soul, my heart, my pride to which I shall give my all,” he told The Miami News at the time. “If it is not made the most beautiful place in all the world, it will not be for want of trying.”
Taking a tour
The tour began at the original entrance to the Cloister Inn. Its chandeliers and ceilings of pecky cypress are original. Mizner collected furnishings and placed many of them in the inn.
The hotel crest sits atop the original entry.
The tour continued to the Mizner dining room; the cathedral dining room whose columns originally were overlaid with gold leaf; the Palm Court, where the arches are Romanesque on one side and gothic on the other; outside to views of Lake Boca; into The Tower hotel built in 1969; to the west walkway, protected by wood that was damaged but not destroyed by repeated hurricanes; and finally to the Valencia theater.
The cathedral dining room has an ornate ceiling and columns that were originally overlaid with gold leaf.
Mizner’s reign over the Cloister Inn was brief. He declared bankruptcy in 1927, and Clarence Geist, one of the original members of his Mizner Development Corp., bought the assets for a fraction of their worth.
Geist made improvements and additions that are seen on the tour, “but he really tried to remain true to the vision Mizner had,” Stagner said.
Geist is responsible for the Boca Raton Airport, which he built so friends could easily come to visit, she said. The airport was among the reasons the U.S. Army decided in 1942 to build the Boca Raton Army Air Field, which, in part, protected the area from German U-Boats.
The Army took over the resort and used its pools for military training exercises and its theater to show training films, but made every effort to “preserve the integrity of the property,” Stagner said.
Two women who attended the society’s Jan. 28 tour enjoyed the experience.
“I thought it was lovely,” said Teresa Kowall, of Pompano Beach, who works in Boca Raton. “It is always nice to get a sense of the different kinds of Florida history. South Florida has such a rich history.
“There are so many stories, so many people who made it what it is. It is really good to get another story of someone who helped build South Florida into what it is today.”
People on the tour beneath a photo of the resort’s original pool.
Sandy Leonard and her husband were members of the resort for more than 20 years when they lived in Boca Raton, but that lapsed when they moved to Juno Beach five years ago.
She wanted to see the resort again but learned that was not possible unless she was a resort member or guest.
“When I found out about the tour I thought ‘what a nice way to be able to go back and see the place again,’” she said.
Leonard noted a number of changes to the resort since she was a member, but her conclusion was, “It is beautiful.”
For more information, the historical society is offering through May 30 an exhibition on Mizner’s legacy.
Sponsored by The Boca Raton, it highlights the Cloister Inn’s evolution from a small hotel to a 300-acre resort, and features artifacts and furnishings, photographs, drawings and maps. Included are materials produced by Mizner Industries, such as floor and roof tiles, sculptural cast stone, fireplace mantels and column capitals.
If You Go
Tour details: The historical society’s remaining tours this year are on March 11 and 25, April 8 and 22, and May 13. The tour time is 2 p.m. Space is limited.
Tickets: Non-refundable tickets are $29 per person and must be purchased at least a day before the tour at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/history-tour-of-the-boca-raton-tickets-1119833063839
Parking: The Boca Raton offers a reduced valet fee of $11 per vehicle for those taking the tour.
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