By Jane Smith
The Boynton Woman’s Club will be able to restore most, if not all, of the windows and doors in its historic headquarters on Federal Highway in Boynton Beach. The club recently received a $140,000 state grant from the Florida Division of Historic Resources.
The club will put that money with a $50,000 grant from the Boynton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency and $10,000 in donations.
“It’s fantastic news,” said Warren Adams, Boynton Beach historic planner. He helped two club members prepare the state grant application.
Last summer, the club completed emergency restoration of several French doors and transoms in the second-floor ballroom. The building has 41 openings, including double French doors, transoms, casement windows with and without transoms, and a variety of single windows and doors.
The club will hire an architect to look at each opening and determine the restoration cost. “It’s very difficult to say with older buildings whether (the money) will cover the restoration cost,” Adams said. But it should cover most of them, he said.
Last fall, when the club received the Boynton Beach historic site designation, club President Michele Walter said, “We appreciate the cooperation and the assistance from the CRA and City Commission in restoring our windows and doors. We are happy to be part of the revitalization of Boynton Beach.”
The state grant will allow the club to continue with its restoration work, “but much more work needs to be done to bring our building back to its former glory,” Walter said recently.
The clubhouse, on the National Register of Historic Places since 1979, was designed by famed architect Addison Mizner. He did his design “pro bono” because the building would cost more than $50,000. It contains classic Mizner features, such as a barrel-tile roof, arched windows, turquoise trim, pecky cypress trusses on the ceiling and French doors.
From the lobby on either side, two wide wooden staircases curve gracefully to the second floor, which is large enough to seat 400 people. The building opened in the fall of 1926.
Weddings, private celebrations and meetings take place there.
The club will remain open during the restoration.
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