More late-night options coming in renovated historic buildings
Patrons jam the bar for happy hour dinner and drinks in late August at Barcelona Wine Bar in Sundy Village. Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
By Jan Norris
With the openings of Double Knot this summer and Barcelona Wine Bar earlier this year, the $21 million Sundy Village has more downtown Delray Beach diners making their way westward on the city's popular Atlantic Avenue.
The 7-acre project is transforming the historic area southwest of the Atlantic Avenue and Swinton Avenue intersection with restaurants, retail and office space — anchored by the historic Sundy House, the project’s namesake, on its southern border.
The project could also spur an expansion of the bustling downtown’s entertainment district.
Sundy Village’s current businesses would benefit from the noise standards and hours of operation that would change if the area were designated part of the entertainment district, and it could also be a draw for future businesses.
The City Commission is holding talks with the public and businesses in the surrounding area about the idea.
Sundy Village’s first phase brought roughly 100,000 square feet of office space and 30,000 square feet of retail and dining space to the area just east of the city’s library, police station and county courthouse complex on West Atlantic Avenue. A 268-space underground parking garage also is operational.
Barcelona Wine Bar, originally of Colorado, and Double Knot, of Philadelphia, are attracting diners, along with Baya Bar. A craft brewery and more are preparing to take up other spaces in the project that spreads a block west of Swinton — from Atlantic Avenue south to the Sundy House at Southwest First Street.
Already neighboring businesses are pleased.
“We are thrilled. It’s absolutely beautiful,” said Elizabeth Grace, founder of The Buzz Agency public relations firm that’s been in the building west of the project for 16 years. “It elevates our area of Delray.”
Before the project arrived, there was a check cashing store, a vape store and little to attract other businesses, she said.
“We’re very glad to see them go.”
The project’s seaside town design features bright white concrete, landscaped courtyards and walkways between buildings, with balconies and French doors on upper levels.
“I think everybody’s very happy with it and how it turned out,” said John Miller, director of operations for the Delray Beach Historical Society.
The first phase of Sundy Village, map, above, at the corner of Atlantic and South Swinton avenues in downtown Delray Beach, offers about 100,000 square feet of office space and 30,000 square feet of retail and dining, below.
Block 61, as it is known, is part of the Old School Square Historic Arts District, which is both locally recognized and on the National Register of Historic Places. This means modifications to the structures must follow preservation codes.
Years of back and forth with the developer, the city and historic preservationists resulted in the project that will be completed during a second phase.
“It’s been a long process of proposals” over the years, said Miller.
The project began with Hudson Holdings in 2014, and then transferred to Pebb Capital, the current owner, in 2019. The plans underwent significant changes over the years, Miller said, satisfying the preservation group that the adjacent homes and structures would be maintained and upgraded.
Hudson first proposed a four-story building, and wanted to move the existing homes on top of a parking garage using artificial landscaping. After the City Commission objected, that changed to three-story buildings and an underground garage, and the vintage structures are now at ground level as before, Miller said.
These include the former rectory of the Methodist church, built in 1912, the 1903 Cathcart house and others on the block.
The City Commission on Aug. 18 approved allowing outdoor dining until midnight at Sundy Village’s historic structures next to the new buildings.
The dining will be on decks, porches and patios that were constructed around the buildings as part of the project, said Mike Covelli of Covelli Design Associates, the project’s agent.
“Everyone has seen the evolution of this project. Bringing some night dining into the area will actually bring more people in,” Covelli said. “If anything, it will be a catalyst for other redevelopment in the area.”
Van Leeuwen Ice Cream is among restaurants now open or set to open in the refurbished historical buildings on Swinton Avenue.
Among the restaurants planned for the historic buildings are The Taco Stand, Delray Craft Brewing, Maman cafe, and The Drinking Pig. Van Leeuwen Ice Cream is already open in one of the buildings.
“If you haven’t seen the renovations, this is the part of Sundy Village I think that everyone can universally be proud of, and it’s taken a lot of work,” Delray Beach Development Services Director Anthea Gianniotes said.
Mayor Tom Carney said the reuse of the once-deteriorating structures has given the area a boost.
“Most of you remember what these were like before,” Carney said. “It’s been a great, such a positive development for that part of Swinton and that part of the city.”
In a later phase, the 1902 Sundy House, named for Delray’s first mayor, John Sundy, will reopen as a hotel and restaurant.
The 1902 Sundy House, named for Delray’s first mayor, John Sundy — who served when Delray was a small town and “Beach” had yet to be added to its name — will be refurbished as a hotel, restaurant, bar and event space in the second phase of the project.
Sundy Village already is 90% leased, according to its website.
Office space leased in the three-story building includes the headquarters for Pebb Capital; Vertical Bridge, the largest private owner of cell towers in the U.S.; Digital Bridge, one of the largest international infrastructure investment firms; and Dragonfly Scan, a medical company that moved from East Atlantic Avenue.
The second phase of Sundy Village is expected to be completed by early 2027.
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