Mary Csar is moving to a Jacksonville historic district, closer to her kids. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
By Mary Hladky
Mary Csar has been involved in preserving Boca Raton’s history almost from the moment she moved to the city in 1978.
She joined the Boca Raton Historical Society and soon was giving tours at The Boca Raton, the historic resort launched by famed architect Addison Mizner.
She changed her focus for a time, serving as president of the Junior League of Boca Raton, joining the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency and later working in community relations at the now-closed National Cartoon Museum.
And then the historical society beckoned again, hiring her to coordinate events for the society’s 25th anniversary. When the executive director’s position opened, she applied and was hired in 1999.
After almost 27 years in that role, Csar retired in December. Olivia Hollaus, a former society board president, has taken her place.
“It will be a very smooth transition,” Csar said.
Over her nearly three-decade tenure, the historical society has strengthened its finances, professionalized with the hiring of curator Susan Gillis, and completely renovated the Old Town Hall, which houses its history museum and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Gillis’ hiring was key. “That is when we really started documenting our collections and getting things in shape,” Csar said.
Csar launched the Boca Bacchanal in 2003, an annual fine wine and food event that is the society’s main fundraiser, to support its education and historic preservation programs.
Another early project was restoring two 1947 rail cars, a steam engine and a caboose, at the former Florida East Coast Railway station at 747 S. Dixie Highway.
The society sold the train station in 2020 so that it could invest in its biggest project — turning the Old Town Hall, at 71 N. Federal Highway, into a full-fledged museum.
That project was complicated by all the disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic. And its cost soared to $4 million after workers discovered that the old building had many unexpected problems, including disintegrated cast iron pipes that had to be replaced.
“We had no idea we would have to do so many renovations on the building. There were things that came up that we had to do,” Csar said.
That prompted Csar to ask the City Council for $1.2 million in financial help. Council members were reluctant but eventually provided the money.
“We have to credit the city for really helping us out,” she said.
Further help came from a $1 million donation from museum supporters Barbara and Dick Schmidt. The Schmidt Boca Raton History Museum is named in their honor.
The finished museum includes a city timeline from the pre-Columbian era to the 21st century that runs along an interior hallway. Individual rooms are dedicated to specific subjects.
Among the highlights are the first settlers, Addison Mizner and the Cloister Inn, the World War II Boca Raton Army Air Field, Florida Atlantic University’s groundbreaking, IBM’s production of the first personal computer, construction of the Town Center mall and the 2001 anthrax attack on the AMI building.
Csar said the museum, which is open Wednesday through Saturday, attracts many visitors.
“The exhibits are very intense,” she said. “There is a lot to see. Our lectures are very well attended.”
Csar is now ready for her next chapter.
She and her husband are moving to Jacksonville to be near their son, who lives there, and nearer to their two daughters in North Carolina and New Jersey. “It is time to focus on family,” she said.
But she is not forsaking history. The couple’s new home is in the Riverside historic district along the St. Johns River.
“The whole area is a preservation district,” she said. “That excites me to no end.”
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