The 1920s Gulfstream Hotel in downtown Lake Worth will have 90 rooms,
a rooftop nightclub, restaurant and spa.
Photo provided
By Christine Davis
It’s official. Urban Outfitters signed a 10-year lease with EASSA Properties LLP and plans to open by Nov. 1, according to Roxanne Register, CBRE’s vice president of retail, who represented EASSA.
Urban Outfitters’ new store will be at 306 E. Atlantic Ave., near the SunTrust building. With 10,954 square feet on two floors, the interiors as well as the façade will get a redo, though some architectural features will stay, Register said.
“The word has been out on the street, and other owners I’ve talked to want a good mix of national and local retailers here. It’s good for the street, and supports the restaurants.
“You’ll see a big change going forward,” she adds. “There will be more national retailers coming in. Urban Outfitters has been a catalyst in the past for that trend, and it will also be a frontrunner for Atlantic Avenue.”
The space is one of the largest on the avenue and had been vacant since 2010, said Laura Simon, the associate director of the Delray Beach Downtown Development Authority. “We are excited about them being here. With the loyalty of the customers and their demographics, Urban Outfitters is a good fit.”
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Thanks to Hudson Holdings of Delray Beach and CDS International Holdings of Boca Raton, Lake Worth’s Gulfstream Hotel will finally undergo a much-needed renovation after standing empty for many years.
The two companies purchased the hotel in May. At an announcement conference, Hudson Holdings principal Steve Michael said that the revitalized hotel will have 90 guest rooms, lobby, rooftop nightclub, restaurant and spa.
“This project is a dream come true for me,” he said. “As a resident of South Florida for 13 years, I visited the hotel many times. I imagined what an exquisite enhancement to Lake Worth and the world of historic preservation to see this property once again to be as magnificent a hotel as it was in the 1920s.”
On the National Register of Historic Places, the Gulfstream Hotel was built during the 1920s boom era. Designed by G. Lloyd Preacher & Company, and financed by G.L. Miller Bond & Mortgage Company, the resort hotel, “with 135 rooms and 135 baths,” was advertised as “one of the finest fireproof hotels.”
“It’s wonderful to welcome Hudson Holdings to the city of Lake Worth,” said Mayor Pam Triolo. “For such a notable company to recognize the economic opportunities in our city and the historical importance of the Gulfstream Hotel is an honor. It shows that Lake Worth is a good investment and is open for business.”
CDS is short for Carl DeSantis, the founder of Rexall Sundown vitamins and no stranger to bold ventures. His latest Delray Beach project is Atlantic Crossing, a $200 million blend of residences, offices, retailers and restaurants on the north side of Atlantic Avenue from Federal Highway almost to the Intracoastal.
Michael, a residential developer is recently venturing into resorts, hotels and combined use properties. He’s working the west end of Delray’s downtown, having just signed a contract to buy Tom Worrell’s holdings around Atlantic and Swinton Avenues — in other words everything Sundy — House, hotel and garden. Again the goal is to expand residential, shopping, hotel and dining space, but he intends to retain the area’s historic and artsy flavor.
Lois Pope paid $16.2 million for a 33,000-square-foot home
at 1720 S. Ocean Blvd. in Manalapan.
Photo provided
This May, Lois Pope, 80, philanthropist and former owner of the National Enquirer, bought an estate in Manalapan, her hometown for 27 years before moving to Addison Reserve County Club in 1999. Palm Beach County property records show that Pope paid $16.2 million for Amway co-founder and owner of the Orlando Magic basketball team Richard DeVos’ ocean-to-Intracoastal estate at 1720 S. Ocean Blvd. With seven bedrooms, 10 bathrooms and three half-baths, the 33,000-square-foot home was listed at $24.9 million in 2012, and reduced to $19.95 million earlier this year.
Built in 2004, the current estate features 200 feet of water frontage on both the ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway, a pool, cabana, subterranean garage, boat dock, beach house, and guest house. Meryl and Spero Michos of Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices Florida Realty represented Pope in both the purchase of the Manalapan property and the sale of her Addison Reserve property. Listing agent for the Manalapan property was Pascal Liguori of Premier Estate Properties.
“This is a record-setting price for this year,” Liguori says. “Property values in Manalapan continue to be strong, as it is one of South Florida’s most desirable communities.”
While Pope is moving back to Manalapan, the National Enquirer is moving back to New York City. Her husband, Generoso, brought the newspaper’s headquarters to a compound in Lantana in 1971. Generoso died in 1988.
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On May 19, Premier Estate Properties reported an “epic week” with sales from May 9 through 16 that totaled more than $60 million, and in six out of the nine transactions, Premier represented both the buyer and seller.
Those six include 927 Hillsboro Mile for $17 million, along with South County properties at 450 E. Coconut Palm Road for $9 million, 700 Tern Point Circle for $6 million, 711 Seagate Drive for $3.285 million, 4040 S. Ocean Blvd. for $2.27 million, and 202 N.E. Eighth Ave. for $1.05 million. In addition, they were the listing agent for 1720 S. Ocean Blvd. that sold for $16.2 million, and 1080 Crescent Beach in Vero Beach that sold for $3.75 million and Fort Lauderdale’s 2501 Hibiscus Place that sold for $1.57 million.
More real estate:
At 900 E. Atlantic Ave. in the strip mall between the Intracoastal Waterway and the Seagate Hotel, prospective homeowners can take their pick of real estate firms Tauriello & Company, Premier Estate Properties, Lang Realty, Nestler Poletto Sotheby’s International Realty, Re/Max Advantage Plus and now Engel & Volkers. A brokerage owned by Boca Raton real estate attorney Rick Felberbaum, Engel & Volkers will occupy the old offices of William F. Koch Real Estate. Felberbaum also plans to open an Engel & Volkers’ Boca Raton office at 310 E. Palmetto Park Road.
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On top of bringing the buyers to the table at 1920 S. Ocean Blvd. for a recorded $11.84 that The Coastal Star reported in the May issue, Bunny Hiatt and Jack Elkins, agents with Fite Shavell & Associates, recently made two more Manalapan sales totaling about $19.1 million.
Recorded on April 18, Massachusetts-based Ceilo Madera Land Trust sold a vacant ocean-to-lake lot for $11.17 million at 1020 S. Ocean Blvd., just north of the historic Harold S. Vanderbilt mansion, Eastover. Elkins and Hiatt had listed the 2.36-acre property for sale two years ago, first at nearly $16 million and most recently at $13.5 million.
Recorded on April 23, Ronald and Bernice Berman sold their custom home on 1.3 acres with 157 feet of waterfront on both sides of 1555 S. Ocean Blvd. to a trust named after the property’s address for $7.914 million. Hiatt and Elkins represented buyer and seller.
The Bermans paid $1.6 mil-lion for the property in 2002 and built an 11,800-square-foot Mediterranean-style house with five bedrooms.
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A 15,000-square-foot estate in Highland Beach with 120-feet of beachfront sold on May 19 for a record $13.5 million. Jonathan Postma of Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate’s Boca Raton office was the listing agent and Ari Albinder, broker/owner of Mizner Grande Realty, was the buyer’s agent.
With an underground 12-car garage, the home at 2445 S. Ocean Blvd. was built by NASCAR multiple Winston Cups winner Jeff Gordon in 2000. He sold it in 2003 for $13.3 million to Marc Andrea Musa, Eyeglass World founder.
The seven-bedroom, 12-bathroom home has a chef’s kitchen, two elevators, wine cellar, infinity spa, library, gym, spa and movie theater.
Food and drink:
John, Luke, Giles and Pierre Therien have extended an invitation to come to Prime Catch to celebrate their restaurant’s 10th anniversary. From June 4-8, customers will have 20 percent taken off their checks.
“We’ll be at Prime Catch talking to guests,” Luke Therien said. “Our fresh seafood is our forte and we bring it in seven days a week. The yellow tail snapper has been on the menu since we opened and it’s one of those great Florida fish. People like it crab encrusted, our signature dish, but they also like it grilled or blackened.”
The Theriens also have owned the Banana Boat for 35 years. “We appreciate that we have been a part of the fabric of Boynton Beach from the 1970s,” Therien said. Prime Catch is at 700 E. Woolbright Road.
Health and wellness:
If a local travel/staycation is on the agenda this summer, Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa is offering some indulgent opportunities with incredible rates on local overnight stays and daily spa deals. For example, check out its “self-centered” Stand Up Paddle Board Yoga Retreat, July 17 through 20, with international yoga teachers Amelia Travis and Kerri Verna, who embody Eau’s signature “pampering and indulgent” philosophy. In between stand-up paddleboard yoga classes in the morning and evening inversion or AcroYoga workshops, “participants” will have ample time for sunning by the pool, walking along the beach, or partaking in spa treatments.
Registration costs $995 per person for a private room, $1,425 for two retreat participants sharing one room, or a $595 local rate for the retreat without accommodations. Space is limited, so hurry to make a reservation to slow down, rest and relax like a yogi.
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Bethesda Health Inc. named Ellen Dreznin, RN, as the 2014 Bethesda Nurse of the Year at its annual Nurses’ Appreciation Breakfast and Award Ceremony on May 7.
Dreznin, who has worked at Bethesda Hospital East for 18 years, currently works in the Clinical Surgical Unit/Bethesda Orthopaedic Institute.
The candidates for Bethesda’s Nurse of the Year award are nominated by their peers for their dedication and excellence in the nursing profession, as are candidates for its Diamond Award.
On May 15, Bethesda Health Inc. named Katherine Francis as its 2014 Diamond Award recipient. Francis has worked in corporate strategy at Bethesda Hospital East for more than three years.
Donning their graduation caps and gowns on May 9, 15 students at the Bethesda College of Health Sciences became the college’s first graduating class of nurses.
Giving back:
On March 29, Evelyn & Arthur at its Plaza del Mar location in Manalapan, hosted a day of shopping to benefit Hospice of Palm Beach County Foundation. The Shop & Share event raised $500, which will go to supporting the nonprofit’s efforts to bring advanced therapies to its patients. “We wanted to do something to support this wonderful organization that helps families at their time of need,” said Adrianne Weissman, president of Evelyn & Arthur. “We are especially grateful to our loyal customers for spending the afternoon with us and also supporting the organization.”
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Recently, NCCI, a large repository of workers compensation information, was honored with three awards at the United Way of Palm Beach County’s signature event, the Simply the Best Awards. NCCI received a Top Ten Award, Spirit of the Campaign award, and the award for the Best Campaign Video. NCCI’s “Get in the Game” themed campaign raised more than $256,000 for the United Way of Palm Beach County last October.
The arts:
The Armory Art Center, awarded a yearlong lease by the Lake Worth Community Redevelopment Agency, will open the Armory Art Center Annex, in downtown Lake Worth at 1121 Lucerne Ave. A schedule of exhibitions, events, workshops, and classes will be in place by June 23.
Armory instructors will teach classes in drawing, mixed media painting, oil painting and photography for adults and drawing and BAK Middle School of the Arts and Dreyfoos School of the Arts prep classes for youth. Exhibitions by local artists will include Bob Vail and MeiWei Goethe, Lisette Cedeno, Kenneth Gryzmala, Nune Asatryan and Lisa Solon.
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Organized by Realtor Jessica Rosato, Nestler Poletto Sotheby’s International Realty promoted the arts in east Boca Raton with its fourth gallery exhibition in April featuring Torino, Italy, native Luisa Comuzzi.
“Luisa’s love and appreciation for flowers is evident in her large paintings of them,” Rosato said. “Living in Boca Raton has helped her build on and improve her artistic talent so that now her flowers on canvas appear three-dimensional and as though they could bloom to life right from the artwork.”
Rosato, who has art degrees from Dartmouth College, The Art Institute of Chicago and Pratt Institute, enjoys finding local talent. The “Evening with the Artist” series will resume in November, 6-8 p.m. the third Thursday of the month at Sotheby’s, 200 E. Palmetto Park Road, Boca Raton.
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Deborah Bacarella, broker owner of Elite Florida Real Estate, Boca Raton, with Cathy Lewis, Delray Beach resident and Realtor with Elite, and Bacarella’s sister, California resident Barbara Agerton, have co-authored a book, 7 F Words for Living a Balanced Life, which offers seven power strategies — focus, faith, freedom, family, finance, fitness and fun — for improved work-life balance.
The book, which is on Amazon’s best-seller list for team management and leadership, also is the foundation for professional workshops and individual coaching the three offer nationally.
Bacarella realized her life was out of balance and she was not having enough fun, she said. “It was divine inspiration that I came up with the seven F words.” Bacarella recently led a workshop for the Greater Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce, which sold out.
A quick tip: “Start a gratitude journal and just list the things each day that you are grateful for. It takes away pressure, and forces you to focus on the positives in your life.”
The book can be purchased through Amazon, where a sample download is available.
Moving up:
Long time Boca Raton resident, Fritz Miner has been named manager of Boca Raton Mausoleum on Southwest Fourth Avenue in Boca. Formerly one of the mausoleum’s family service counselors, he brings campassion and caring to the position of manager. A graduate of Boca Raton High School and Mercer University, Miner has lived and worked in Boca Raton for 53 years: including 10 years with Gold’s Gym as personal training director and 14 years as an investment adviser with Paine Webber.
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Talk about a streak of luck! At Palm Beach Kennel Club on May 25, the only person to correctly select the six-winning horses on the final six races of Gulfstream’s Sunday afternoon program, won Gulfstream Park’s Rainbow Six jackpot totaling $6,678,932, the largest pari-mutuel payout in American racing history.
Palm Beach resident Daniel Borislow — magicJack CEO and founder — spent a total of $15,206.40 on two separate tickets, each with a 20-cent base, which translates to 76,032 individual wagers. The winning six numbers were 1-8-6-1-6-5.
The previous record payoff was $3,591,245 in February 2013. According to the Daily Racing Form: “Had the Rainbow Six jackpot survived one more day, and there was a mandatory payout on Monday (Memorial Day) as expected, the pool was estimated to exceed $15 million, which easily would have smashed the existing North American record for multiple-wager pools of $10,870,852 distributed July 2, 2007, at Hollywood Park.”
“We are very happy for Mr. Borislow on his record-setting win,” said PBKC publicity director Theresa Hume.
Thom Smith contributed to this column.
Christine Davis is a freelance writer. Send business news to her cdavis9797@comcast.net.
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