boynton woman's club - News - The Coastal Star2024-03-28T13:39:54Zhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/feed/tag/boynton+woman%27s+clubBoynton Beach: Auditorium to be focus of upgrades in historic Arts and Cultural Centerhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/boynton-beach-auditorium-to-be-focus-of-upgrades-in-historic-arts2023-03-29T14:27:00.000Z2023-03-29T14:27:00.000ZMary Kate Leminghttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/MaryKateLeming769<div><p><strong>By Tao Woolfe</strong></p>
<p>The Boynton Beach Arts and Cultural Center will be receiving an interior makeover that will allow audiences to better hear and see exhibits and presentations in its auditorium.<br /> The City Commission last month voted unanimously to allocate $775,000 to buy audiovisual equipment and speakers, a new stage curtain and shades for the historic building’s massive windows.<br /> The money will come from the city’s remaining $5.3 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds. Some of that money will also be used to purchase furniture and equipment for the historic Boynton Woman’s Club, City Manager Daniel Dugger told commissioners at their March 21 meeting.<br /> “When the plans for Town Square were in the conceptual stage … we wanted an audiovisual system for the auditorium of the Arts and Cultural Center,” Dugger said.<br /> The manager said the city is now leasing space from local restaurants and other vendors. “We need a place for local events,” Dugger said.<br /> He suggested that once the improvements have been made, the city will be able to charge more for renting out the rooms.<br /> “It’s an investment that will pay for itself over five to 10 years,” Dugger said.<br /> The building at 125 E. Ocean Ave., which was built in 1927, originally housed Boynton Beach High School. It can be rented now, but customers have complained that it is difficult to hear in the auditorium. <br /> Because the big windows let in so much light, it is also difficult to see what’s onstage, city staff told the commission.<br /> Dugger said the city will invest in a huge digital screen, as well as two smaller screens, for the stage area. <br /> About $80,000 of the $775,000 will be used to purchase refrigeration equipment and furniture for the Woman’s Club, located at 1010 S. Federal Highway.<br /> The city is preparing a formal bid for the work, a process that will take months.<br /> The Arts and Cultural Center is “a beautiful building that’s not being used to its fullest,” said Commissioner Aimee Kelley. “Schools can use it, we can use it. We can rent it out as a true theater setting.”<br /> “We’ve invested a lot into this project already,” Commissioner Thomas Turkin said. “To put a lens on how we can turn it into an asset is important.”<br /> The city decided years ago to preserve the original 28,000-square-foot building and maintain its character. Its interior spaces were reconfigured to allow for multiple uses as part of the Town Square project.<br /> The auditorium has a 49-foot-high domed ceiling and can accommodate 250 guests for a seated dinner and 500 guests for performances, according to promotional material. <br /> “I think it’s money well-spent,” said Commissioner Woodrow Hay. “It’s already getting popular. If we make it even nicer, there’s going to be a waiting line.” </p></div>Philanthropy Notes: Greenberg Foundation gives $1 million to Boca hospital campaignhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/philanthropy-notes-greenberg-foundation-gives-1-million-to-boca-h2022-05-03T17:58:45.000Z2022-05-03T17:58:45.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p><strong>By Amy Woods</strong></p>
<p>The Martin F. Greenberg Family Foundation contributed $1 million to a health care cause that will result in the naming of the post-anesthesia care unit.<br /> On the second floor of Boca Raton Regional Hospital’s Center for Surgical Services, the state-of-the-art Martin F. Greenberg and Family PACU will have 26 bays, isolation rooms and two nurses stations.<br /> “When I decide to support an organization, it’s really because it tickles my fancy,” Greenberg said of the hospital and its foundation. “Its mission and goals need to be sound and impactful. And, just as importantly, its people need to be worthy. The hospital and the foundation ... they are made up of special people.”<br /> The donation, announced in March, brought to $224 million the total raised for “Keeping the Promise — the Campaign for Boca Raton Regional Hospital.” <br />The goal is $250 million for the largest fundraising initiative in the hospital’s history. The money is supporting its most ambitious period of expansion.<br /> “This leadership gift to Boca Regional is especially meaningful to me and Tali because it benefits our friends and neighbors,” Greenberg said, referring to his wife. “Boca Raton Regional Hospital has a great impact on our community, and we want to do everything we can to support it.”<br /> <em>For more information, call 561-955-4142 or visit <a href="https://donate.brrh.com">https://donate.brrh.com</a>.</em></p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;">Boynton Woman’s Club awards scholarships</span><br /> The Boynton Woman’s Club, which has been awarding scholarships to local high schoolers for nearly 50 years, continued the tradition by giving out five more to students who plan to attend Florida colleges in the fall.<br /> The recipients were honored at a luncheon at Quail Ridge Country Club.<br /> “All applicants were so talented, and it was very difficult to make decisions,” club president Christy Hintz said. “Our winners stood out though because they were all so accomplished and articulate, and each one had made a special effort to help other people.”<br /> The recipients are:<br /> • Jake Palmer, Park Vista Community High School<br /> • Daniela Rivera, Boynton Beach Community High School<br /> • Ryan “RJ” Rudnet, Park Vista<br /> • Ryan Sohn, Park Vista<br /> • Christian Tomas, Park Vista<br /> A separate scholarship intended for a woman who is returning to continue her education, was awarded to Nilza Madden.<br /> “This has made such a difference in my life,” Madden said. “When I graduate, I will be able to contribute to the health of our communities and also fulfill a longtime goal of making a difference to the well-being of everyone in the whole community.”<br /> <em>For more information, call 561-369-2300 or visit <a href="http://www.boyntonwomansclub.com">www.boyntonwomansclub.com</a>.</em></p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;">Impact 100 announces winners of $100,000 grants</span><br />Impact 100 Palm Beach County announced winners of its $100,000 grants for 2021-2022.<br />Recipients are: Young Singers of the Palm Beaches — South County Sings for Healing in the Arts, culture & historic preservation category; Friends of Foster Children — Kinship Care & Connections, in the family category; Marine Education Initiative — Sustainable Agriculture Education Initiative, in the environment & animal welfare category; Xcel Mentoring Network — Youth Training & Wellness Project that addresses career training and health, in the education category; the Soup Kitchen — Lift Up, in the health & wellness category.<br />Additional grant winners are Unicorn Children’s Foundation — Family Navigator Program; and Love Serving Autism — Serving with Heart in South Palm Beach County.<br />Impact 100 PBC is a group of philanthropic women who award grants to 501(c)(3) nonprofits to allow them to launch or expand high-impact initiatives or programs.</p>
<p><em>For more information, call 561-336-4623 or visit <a href="http://www.impact100pbc.org/contact-us">www.impact100pbc.org/contact-us</a></em></p>
<p><em>Send news and notes to Amy Woods at flamywoods@bellsouth.net.</em></p></div>Boynton Beach: City puts a century of history to workhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/boynton-beach-city-puts-a-century-of-history-to-work2021-06-02T14:53:34.000Z2021-06-02T14:53:34.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p> </p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:18pt;"><span style="font-size:14pt;">Old high school’s new uses reflect wider push for preservation</span> </span></p>
<p><strong>By Larry Barszewski</strong></p>
<p>The Boynton Woman’s Club made an impressive move almost a century ago, when it left its original Ocean Avenue location for a clubhouse designed by famed Palm Beach architect Addison Mizner.<br /> At the time, back on Ocean Avenue, students were attending the Boynton School. The new high school next door — then at the western fringe of town — was a year away from opening. Just east of the schools, the Jones and Magnuson families were enjoying their recently built homes.<br /> Those two schools, the clubhouse and the homes from Boynton’s past are still part of its present, with all but one of them receiving significant renovations and repurposing for the modern era:<br /> • The 1927 high school building reopened in October as the Boynton Beach Arts & Cultural Center.<br /> • The 1926 Woman’s Club building, whose ownership transferred from the Community Redevelopment Agency to the city in March, is being marketed as a venue for weddings, parties and other social events.<br /> • The 1913 Boynton School has operated as the Schoolhouse Children’s Museum & Learning Center since 2001.<br /> • The 1924 Jones cottage was moved by the CRA to a different spot on Ocean Avenue in 2011 and has since been home to several restaurants. It may reopen this year with new culinary fare.<br /> • The Magnuson house, built about 1919, faces a less certain future. Hopes of turning it into a restaurant, brew pub or other gathering spot have been all but erased given the cost of the restoration work that would be needed.<br /> Still, Boynton Beach has not been quick to give up on its history. The five buildings have all been owned at some point by the city or its CRA, which have sought to have them preserved and incorporated into downtown redevelopment.</p>
<p><br /> <strong>Boynton School (Boynton Elementary School)</strong><br /> The Schoolhouse Children’s Museum was one of the city’s first major history-saving projects on Ocean Avenue. The city received the building from the school district in 1994. That same year, the school joined the Boynton Woman’s Club on the National Register of Historic Places, the only two Boynton structures on the list.<br /> <a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9025694489,RESIZE_400x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-left" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9025694489,RESIZE_400x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9025694489?profile=RESIZE_400x" width="272" /></a>City officials in the 1990s could see how Old School Square in Delray Beach was helping turn around that city’s downtown — anchoring the redevelopment of Atlantic Avenue. They sought to use their old elementary school for Boynton’s own downtown rejuvenation and embarked on a $14 million restoration of the two-story structure designed by Baltimore architect William Maughlin.<br /> The city kept the school’s focus on children. The nonprofit Boynton Cultural Centre operates the downtown museum at 129 E. Ocean Ave. Interactive exhibits teach children about the area’s past, including the city’s first hotel, the exploits of the Barefoot Mailman and how the arrival of the railroad fueled South Florida’s growth.<br /> The museum was selected this year for a $100,000 grant from Impact 100, a women’s charitable organization that funds nonprofit initiatives in South Palm Beach County.</p>
<p><strong>Boynton Woman’s Club</strong><br /> Fortune smiled on the Boynton Woman’s Club in the 1920s when it decided to build a new clubhouse to meet its need for more space. The family of Maj. Nathan Boynton, the city’s namesake, had been looking for a way to honor the major and pledged $35,000 — more than $500,000 in today’s dollars — in his memory toward the building’s construction. <a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9025694667,RESIZE_400x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-right" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9025694667,RESIZE_400x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9025694667?profile=RESIZE_400x" width="271" /></a><br /> Mizner, meanwhile, donated his design services to the project.<br /> Built in the architect’s now-famous Mediterranean Revival style, it also included features designed specifically for the Woman’s Club. Its low-rising, wide stairs, for instance, made it easier for women decked out in elegant gowns and other finery to ascend to the second-floor ballroom.<br /> In 1979, the building at 1010 S. Federal Highway earned a spot on the National Register of Historic Places, a first for the city. It is the only Mizner building in the city.<br /> The Woman’s Club sold the building to the CRA for $110,000 in 2017 because the cost of upkeep had become too great for the organization. The building is now called the Historic Woman’s Club of Boynton Beach.<br /> “It was our identity. We poured so much into it and I don’t just mean monetarily,” former club President Kay Baker said. “They poured their hearts and souls into getting this building built, then modernizing it and keeping it there.”<br /> Historic preservation wasn’t part of the club’s original mission, though preservation work took up increasingly significant amounts of the club’s time and resources in recent decades.<br /> “Our focus is on education, giving scholarships, charitable contributions. It was difficult having that focus and also maintaining the property,” Baker said.<br /> The CRA, in deciding to transfer ownership of the building to the city, committed to spending $250,000 a year for the next three years for additional repair work in and around the building. In May, the CRA agreed to also pay up to $87,000 to cover the professional design costs of those improvements. <br /> The CRA previously spent about $700,000, including $127,000 in grants, on a new clay barrel-tile roof, refinishing the wood floors, painting the building and other improvements.</p>
<p><strong>Old Boynton High School</strong><br /> The $10.6 million renovation of the original Boynton High School building into the city’s arts and cultural center is part of the ongoing Town Square development that includes a new city hall — named City Center — across Ocean Avenue from the school.<br /> <a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9025697701,RESIZE_400x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-left" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9025697701,RESIZE_400x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9025697701?profile=RESIZE_400x" width="273" /></a>The building served as a high school until 1949, and later as a junior high and then an elementary school before closing in 1990. It was added to the city’s list of historic places in 2013, but stayed vacant until the arts and cultural center opening.<br /> Some rooms remain to be restored in the historic building at 125 E. Ocean Ave., but its luster is back already. The transformed main hallways on the upper and lower levels are now exhibit space. Remodeled and combined classrooms are used for art and dance instruction.<br /> The southern yellow pine ceiling of the second-floor gymnasium has a new roof overhead and vinyl flooring tile underneath, which replaced the gym’s original, unsalvageable hardwood flooring. The city eventually plans to rent out the gym — which was also the school’s auditorium and includes a stage — for events.<br /> Sue Beaman spent a lot of time in that gym. Beaman and her brother, Pat McGregor Murphy, were members of the Class of 1949, the last high school graduating class at the school. Their graduation took place in the gymnasium, where Beaman doesn’t think she missed a single one of the school’s basketball games.<br /> “It was just good being out with the other kids and having fun,” Beaman said. “High school kids during that time had little recreational opportunities other than basketball games and going to the beach.” <br /> Beaman remembers the school as “a wonderful place” and is grateful to everyone involved in giving new life to the building that she said “was within a tiny minute of being destroyed.”<br /> An official grand reopening has not yet been scheduled, city officials said. The center currently is hosting an art exhibit, Upcycled Fashion. It features the works of two artists who take discarded materials — including plastic bottles and tire inner tubes — and create art and wearable garments. The exhibit runs through June 25.<br /> The recent work on the school wasn’t its first restoration. That came little more than a year after it first opened, after the Hurricane of 1928 badly damaged the building and caused the gym walls to collapse, injuring people who were sheltering inside from the storm.<br /> “The building is significant architecturally as it is a fine example of the Mediterranean Revival style of architecture combined with elements of the early Art Deco style,” Michael Rumpf, the city’s development director, said in an email to The Coastal Star. <br /> After the hurricane damage, there was an effort to retain the building’s character and style, Rumpf said. “Both the original design and reconstruction of the damaged building was attributed to William Manly King, the architect of many Palm Beach County schools and other notable buildings,” he said.</p>
<p><strong>Oscar Magnuson House</strong><br /> The CRA attempted without success to find a restaurant or other use for the two-story Magnuson house at 211 E. Ocean Ave. The house’s future looked promising in 2016, when a Philadelphia entrepreneur bought it with plans for a restaurant, but the CRA took it back two years later after the project fell through.<br /> Renovations will be expensive, and no one has been willing to take on the task.<br /> <a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9025699858,RESIZE_400x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-left" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9025699858,RESIZE_400x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9025699858?profile=RESIZE_400x" width="271" /></a>City commissioners, who serve as the CRA board, have decided to let the house be for now, at least until something happens with the land. Demolition has not been ruled out.<br /> “The CRA has made numerous attempts to dispose of the property for reuse/redevelopment purposes via the Request for Proposal process,” CRA Executive Director Michael Simon said in an email to The Coastal Star. “However, once a selected entity performs their due diligence and determines the large amount of money needed to convert the residential building to a commercial use such as a restaurant, they terminate their interest. Future plans for the property will most likely involve its participation in the redevelopment of the adjacent parcels under a larger project scope.”<br /> The Magnuson house was added to the city’s list of historic places in 2012. It is built in the frame vernacular style, just like the Jones cottage. Both are examples of local homes during Boynton Beach’s pioneer days. The Magnuson house was also used as a commercial plant nursery in the 1980s.</p>
<p><strong>Ruth Jones Cottage </strong><strong>(Little House)</strong><br /> The Jones home, built at 201 E. Ocean Ave., now sits as vacant restaurant space at 480 E. Ocean Ave. It is also referred to as the Little House, the name of the first restaurant that it contained, or the Ruth Jones Cottage — although Ruth didn’t marry into the Jones family until the 1940s.<br /> The now privately owned cottage has an addition attached to it that makes it more functional as a restaurant. The building still bears the name of the last restaurant to operate there — Chez Andrea Gourmet Provence, a French restaurant with the unfortunate luck of opening in February 2020 just as the pandemic struck. It closed its doors in January.<a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9025719683,RESIZE_584x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-right" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9025719683,RESIZE_584x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9025719683?profile=RESIZE_584x" width="441" /></a><br /> Property co-owner Richard Lucibella, a former vice mayor in Ocean Ridge who purchased the building from the CRA in 2016 with Barbara Ceuleers, said he expects a new restaurant to be in operation later this year.<br /> “We’re entertaining three or four lease offers,” Lucibella said during a May 12 interview with The Coastal Star. “I think we’re going to have a lease signed in the next 30 to 60 days, and an operating tenant by the end of summer.”<br /> As for the building itself, Lucibella said he plans to make sure its exterior continues to exude its century-old feel. The building doesn’t have an official historic designation, he said.<br /> “It’s still the Ruth Jones Cottage. As owners, we’ll always control the general look of the outside,” Lucibella said. “It’ll remain the look of the little yellow cottage, I can guarantee you that.”</p></div>Boynton Beach: CRA agrees to buy Mizner-designed Woman’s Clubhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/boynton-beach-cra-agrees-to-buy-mizner-designed-woman-s-club2017-10-04T18:37:36.000Z2017-10-04T18:37:36.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p><strong>By Jane Smith</strong><br /><br /> The Community Redevelopment Agency board members agreed in late September to purchase the 91-year-old Boynton Woman’s Club building even after hearing the inspection results: The building has termites and needs a new roof. <br /> The $110,000 sales price is a good deal for the agency, whose board members also sit as Boynton Beach city commissioners. The agency staff had the historic building appraised in May, when it was valued at $2.4 million.<br /> “There are no major surprises,” said Michael Simon, executive director of the agency. The board agreed to purchase the building in an “as is” condition, with $200,000 for the needed maintenance available in the current financial year budget. <br /> The club will use the money to continue its 40-year-old scholarship program for high school seniors. <br /> The building was designed by famed architect Addison Mizner.<br /> In 1925, Boynton Woman’s Club members had used $35,000 from Maj. Nathan Boynton’s heirs to construct the two-story building with hardwood floors, French windows and doors and curved arches. The next year, the structure opened and serves as an example of the Mediterranean Revival style of architecture with original wrought iron work. <br /> The 16,262-square-foot building is on the National Register of Historic Places and the city’s register of historic places.</p></div>Installation of officers: Boynton Woman’s Club, Boynton Beach – May 5https://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/installation-of-officers-boynton-woman-s-club-boynton-beach-may-52016-06-29T14:47:10.000Z2016-06-29T14:47:10.000ZMary Kate Leminghttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/MaryKateLeming769<div><p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960666301,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960666301,original{{/staticFileLink}}" width="360" alt="7960666301?profile=original" /></a><em>Club members welcomed a new executive board during a ceremony in their historic landmark building. The seven-member slate of officers, five of whom were re-elected for a second term, was approved unanimously. The board consists of Michele Walter, president; Mary Fallon, first vice president; Rosemarie Patrone, second vice president; JoAnne Kriesant-Weld, treasurer; Pat Waldron, assistant treasurer; Maurcy Selko, recording secretary; and Lillian Ostiguy, corresponding secretary. ABOVE: (l-r) Parliamentarian Evelyn Weicker with Walter, Kriesant-Weld and Ostiguy. <strong>Photo provided</strong></em></p></div>Copacabana Gala: Boynton Woman’s Club, Boynton Beach – Feb. 20https://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/copacabana-gala-boynton-woman-s-club-boynton-beach-feb-202016-03-30T12:26:55.000Z2016-03-30T12:26:55.000ZMary Kate Leminghttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/MaryKateLeming769<div><p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960641256,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960641256,original{{/staticFileLink}}" width="448" alt="7960641256?profile=original" /></a><em>A vibrant celebration honored architect Roy Simon, who was responsible for restoring the club’s historic building. More than 150 guests watched as Simon received a plaque of appreciation. ‘Roy has always been there to help us, and we thank him for everything he did for us,’ says Lillian Ostiguy, gala committee member. ABOVE: (l-r) Club President Michele Walter, Ostiguy, Simon and gala Chairwoman Stephanie Steiner. <strong>Photo provided</strong></em></p></div>Boynton Beach: Grant money will help club restore windows and doorshttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/boynton-beach-grant-money-will-help-club-restore-windows-and-door2015-07-29T15:42:47.000Z2015-07-29T15:42:47.000ZChris Felkerhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/ChrisFelker<div><p><strong>By Jane Smith</strong></p>
<p> 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. <br /> The club will put that money with a $50,000 grant from the Boynton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency and $10,000 in donations.<br /> “It’s fantastic news,” said Warren Adams, Boynton Beach historic planner. He helped two club members prepare the state grant application. <br /> 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.<br /> 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.<br /> 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.”<br /> 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.<br /> 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. <br /> 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.<br /> Weddings, private celebrations and meetings take place there. <br /> The club will remain open during the restoration.</p></div>Runway for Scholarships Fashion Show and Luncheon: Boynton Woman’s Club – Nov. 20https://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/runway-for-scholarships-fashion-show-and-luncheon-boynton-woman-s2014-12-03T16:00:00.000Z2014-12-03T16:00:00.000ZMary Kate Leminghttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/MaryKateLeming769<div><p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960541282,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960541282,original{{/staticFileLink}}" width="360" alt="7960541282?profile=original" /></a><em>More than 130 attended the Boynton Woman’s Club’s annual fashionable fundraiser, resulting in more than $1,700 in scholarship money for the club’s scholarship fund. High-school students in Boynton Beach who plan to attend a Florida college are eligible to receive grants from the fund. ‘These students are so grateful to receive one of our scholarships,’ Co-Chairwoman Barbara Grimes said. ‘That’s what makes all our hard work so worthwhile.’ ABOVE: Co-Chairwomen JoAnne Kriesant-Weld and Grimes; members and models Denise Chamberlain and Donna Artes; and Past President Kay Baker. <strong>Photo provided</strong></em></p></div>Boynton Beach: City votes historic designation; grant money sought for Woman’s Clubhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/boynton-beach-city-votes-historic-designation-grant-money-sought-2014-10-30T14:48:28.000Z2014-10-30T14:48:28.000ZChris Felkerhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/ChrisFelker<div><p><strong>By Jane Smith</strong><br /> <br /> The Boynton Woman’s Club received another plume for its bonnet when it was designated a Boynton Beach historic site.<br /> The clubhouse, already on the National Register of Historic Places since 1979, was designed by Addison Mizner. It is the scene for weddings, private celebrations and meetings. <br /> “We’re very happy to have the designation,” said Michele Walter, Boynton Woman’s Club president, after the City Commission passed the ordinance 5-0 in early October. “And we’d like to thank Warren Adams, historic planner, as well as the CRA and city commissioners for their support for our restoration efforts. Their cooperation and support of the CRA grant helped us in the restoration of the three doors and windows in our second-floor ballroom.”<br /> Adams is helping the club members apply for a state matching grant that had to be filed by Oct. 31. The state will rank the grant recipients and send that list to the Legislature. “Then it depends on whether the Legislature appropriates the money,” he said. <br /> If the Woman’s Club gets the grant, it would have to raise a matching amount. Adams said the group would use the value of his time for a percentage of the matching amount. The money will be used to refurbish the original windows and French doors. <br /> “We have 41 openings to address, this includes double French doors, some with transoms, casement windows with and without transoms and a variety of single windows and doors,” said Barbara Wineberg, the club’s fundraiser. “We are hoping it will cover them all, but we won’t know for sure until we get an architect in there to examine each one.”<br /> The Woman’s Club building, sitting on the east side of Federal Highway between Boynton Beach Boulevard and Woolbright Road, is the city’s grandest structure. <br /> The family of Maj. Nathan Smith Boynton, the city’s founder, donated $35,000 in his memory to the project. <br /> Famed architect Addison Mizner did his design “pro bono” because the building would cost over $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.<br /> Celebrations at Boynton Woman’s Club schedules events and shares a percentage of the fees with the club. It uses the approximate $80,000 annually to pay for various insurances and the elevator maintenance contract, said Barbara Erlichman, who handles publicity for the club.</p></div>Boynton Beach: City seeking grants to help with Woman's Club restorationhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/boynton-beach-city-seeking-grants-to-help-with-woman-s-club-resto2014-06-04T17:13:03.000Z2014-06-04T17:13:03.000ZChris Felkerhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/ChrisFelker<div><p><strong>By Jane Smith</strong><br /><br /> The grande dame of Boynton Beach is showing her age — again. <br /> As the Boynton Woman’s Club nears its ninth decade, its 16 original windows and 20 sets of original French doors need to be redone. The cost would be between $300,000 and $400,000, said past-president Kay Baker. The group is soliciting bids to redo the windows and doors. Other repairs would bring the total renovation cost to about $500,000.<br /> In early May at the Boynton Beach Historical Society’s annual gala, the organization presented a $1,000 check to the Woman’s Club for its bulding fund campaign.</p>
<p> The city is helping by adding the building to its list of historic sites. If all goes according to plan, the building will go before the city’s Historic Preservation Board on June 9, says the city’s historic planner, Warren Adams.<br /> He also will help the club apply for grants from the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency and from the state’s historic preservation board. Both grants, though, require matching funds from the organization.<br /> In 1979, the Addison Mizner-designed building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.<br /> The Woman’s Club is raising money from its membership. “One member has offered to match what other members donate,” Baker said. <br /> The club of about 80 members has not sought new members but that will change soon, “We’ve been passive about (recruiting),” said current club president Michele Walter. “We will start advertising our activities, talk them up more and possibly hold a reception for interested women later this summer.”<br /> It really is a Palm Beach County jewel, Walter said. “It’s the only Mizner building that is open to the public.”<br /> The Woman’s Club building is the city’s grandest structure, sitting on the east side of Federal Highway between Boynton Beach Boulevard and Woolbright Road.<br /> To help with the building’s construction in the 1920s, the family of Maj. Nathan Smith Boynton, the city’s founder, donated $35,000 in his memory. Famed architect Addison Mizner did his design pro bono because the building would cost more than $50,000. <br /> 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.<br /> When the building was finished in the fall of 1926, it opened in time to house hurricane refugees. Then it housed the city’s first library for 40 years, hosted teas where women wore hats and white gloves, and allowed churches and civic groups to hold initial meetings. In recent years, it has been rented for weddings, bar and bat mitzvahs, quinceañeras and engagement parties.<br /> Celebrations at Boynton Woman’s Club — a catering company — schedules events and shares a percentage of the fees with the club. It uses the approximate $80,000 annually to pay for various insurances and the elevator maintenance contract, said Barbara Erlichman, who handles publicity for the club.<br /> The Woman’s Club is so gorgeous that when people drive by, “they fall in love with the building and want to join,” Baker said.<br /> The club leadership is hoping they can raise enough money to create an endowment that would allow the club to maintain the structure — and do some work on the interior. “Reupholster the furniture and things like that,” Baker said. “We don’t want a modern style, we want to freshen what we have.”</p>
<p><br /><em>For more information, visit boyntonwomansclub.com.</em><br /><br /></p></div>Boynton Woman’s Club Installation Luncheon: The Boynton Woman’s Club, Boynton Beach – May 8https://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/boynton-woman-s-club-installation-luncheon-the-boynton-woman-s-cl2014-06-04T17:09:39.000Z2014-06-04T17:09:39.000ZChris Felkerhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/ChrisFelker<div><p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960514482,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960514482,original{{/staticFileLink}}" width="480" alt="7960514482?profile=original" /></a><em>Michele Walter has been chosen to be the club’s president for the 2014-16 term. She takes over</em></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><em>duties from Kay Baker. The new Boynton Woman’s Club Executive Board (from left):</em></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><em>Evelyn Weicker, Pat Waldron, Barbara Wineberg, Maria Forastiero, Joan White, Lillian Ostiguy,</em></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><em>Michele Walter, Barbara Grimes, Barbara Erlichman, Chadda Shelly and Kay Baker.</em></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><br /><strong>Photo provided</strong></p></div>Boynton Beach: Woman’s Club takes catering partner to help oversee buildinghttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/boynton-beach-woman-s-club-takes-catering-partner-to-help-oversee2012-08-29T18:07:13.000Z2012-08-29T18:07:13.000ZDeborah Hartz-Seeleyhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/DeborahHartzSeeley<div><p><span><b>By Ron Hayes</b></span><span><br /></span></p>
<p>The historic Boynton Woman’s Club made history again recently.<span><br /></span> In July, the club’s members officially turned over daily management of their 86-year-old building to longtime local caterer Jim Guilbeault.<span><br /></span> Under the agreement, the club will retain ownership of the Mediterranean Revival building, with Guilbeault overseeing its rental and catering contracts for weddings, birthdays and other social events.<span><br /></span> Guilbeault said he will return 10 percent of his rental and catering fees to the club.<span><br /></span> The landmark at 1010 S. Federal Highway was designed in 1924 by famed architect Addison Mizner, who agreed to donate his services as long as the building was worth at least $50,000. </p>
<p>Construction began with money provided by the family of Maj. Nathan Smith Boynton, donated as a memorial to the city’s founder.<span><br /></span> The building was completed in 1926, and a cornerstone laid in 1932. Also home to the town’s library until 1963, it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.<span><br /></span> But a building that old demands more maintenance, which has prompted the new partnership.<span><br /></span> “As a club, our main focus is charitable interests and promoting education,” said club president Kay Baker. “But we were finding it very hard to give money to charities as we had to spend more to maintain a building that is 86 years old and needs constant maintenance. We were having to pull ourselves in two directions.”<span><br /></span> In 2011, the building’s market value was assessed at $462,501— down from $549,393 the year before — at the same time the club was struggling to cope with rising operating costs, which Baker estimated at $80,000 this year.<span><br /></span> In the past, members had offered to sell the building to the city, and when that was deemed impractical, there was some discussion that a simple deed transfer might be feasible. But that too never moved forward.<span><br /></span> Guilbeault, whose company, Catering Solutions, manages the food concessions at the city library and Ocean Inlet Park, said he had discussed a similar management plan in 2003, but while the club’s executive council approved, the membership rejected the deal.<span><br /></span> This time, the club’s 68 members agreed.<span><br /></span> “There’s always dissension,” Baker said, “but the vote was overwhelmingly in favor.” <span><br /></span> Both Baker and Guilbeault say the new contract will serve the club, the caterer and the public at large.<span><br /></span> To manage the new operation, Guilbeault has formed a separate company, Boynton Beach Catering Inc., with his partner, Chris Francois.<span><br /></span> A representative will be at the club Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., he said, and also available by appointment.<span><br /></span> “We used to be open only during the mornings, and only two or three days a week during the summer,” Baker noted. “I would get phone calls from people who said, ‘Can I come by now?’ And I’d have to say yes, but not this afternoon.”<span><br /></span> A grand opening will be held Sept. 21, Guilbeault said, with special events such as dinner and fashion shows, a wedding showcase and dinner shows planned.<span><br /></span> “We’re just going to be as civic-minded as we can,” he added. “It’s a gorgeous building, and we want to bring it back to its fully operational state.”<span><br /></span> Baker emphasized that any existing contracts will be honored as written, and building is still very much the club’s.<span><br /></span> “Boynton Beach Catering is not taking over our building,” she added, “or taking us over, or anything like that. If he wants to clean, he can clean. But if he wants to paint, he has to check with us.” <span>Ú</span></p>
<p><i><br /> For more information, visit <a href="http://www.boyntonwomansclub.com">www.boyntonwomansclub.com</a> or call Boynton Beach Catering at (561) 732-7887.</i></p></div>