Drama Continues Over Palm Beach Theater
By Margaret Foster | Online Only | April 7, 2009
The town of Palm Beach, Fla., has been debating the fate of the Royal Poinciana Playhouse for years. This month, local officials could finally decide its fate.
On Apr. 15, the town council will meet to discuss the future of the 50-year-old theater designed by John Volk. A developer wants to raze the building, which closed in 2004, and rebuild the adjacent plaza.
At a meeting in February, the town's Landmarks Preservation Committee praised the Sterling Organization's plan to build five condo towers on the 12-acre lakefront site. "This is a very important piece of land," says Town Council President David Rosow. "It's at the entrance to our town. It doesn't look nice … Are we going to do something about that parcel or are we going to allow it to remain as it is?"
But supporters of the theater say that redevelopment is illegal. According to a 1979 property-use agreement, the theater can't be demolished, even due to economic hardship, and the site must be used for the performing arts. (Sterling officials, who did not return phone calls, do plan to build a small theater there.) Because the town council is one of two parties that created the 1979 covenant, it has the power to modify the agreement, Rosow says.
"This has been an enormous journey of almost a decade," says Patrick Henry Flynn, president of the not-for-profit Palm Beach Theater Guild, which successfully nominated the theater as a local landmark last fall. "We've defeated two developers, and now we're facing a third." So far, Flynn's group, which includes actor Christopher Plummer, has collected 600 out of 820 needed signatures—or 10 percent of all Palm Beach voters—on a petition that calls for a referendum so that residents can vote for or against demolition, instead of leaving the decision to the five-member town council. "Public integrity in Palm Beach is at stake," Flynn says.
His group wants to restore the building as a regional theater. Still, Rosow doesn't believe they can raise the necessary funds. "Show me the money," he says. "They have to raise money [to restore the theater]; otherwise, it's a pipe dream."
Residents on both sides of this debate dispute the current condition of the Royal Poinciana Playhouse. Rosow went through the theater last fall: "I found it in pretty deplorable condition," he says. "The stage was caved in, the wallpaper was peeling off the walls, and there was the smell of mold," he says. And last month, the Sterling Organization objected to plans that would have allowed the public to tour the vacant building, citing liability concerns.
But Councilman William Diamond calls their action "a smokescreen to prevent the public from seeing how good its condition is." Although the council is set to vote on the fate of the theater next week, he doubts the issue will be settled. "There will be appeals," Diamond says. "This thing never ends."
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Comments
Submitted by Tampa Cruis-A-Cade Boat Club at: April 8, 2009
I would just love for someone to get my word out Our Club was fee sinple deed 1959 from mayor. club founded 1954. Our city since as far back as I research 1991 has been thinking about taking it from us. Since then, (still in litigation) They have tried EVERYTHING! We've had a riverwalk project in process for prob 1971 and These fools think we dont know what they want the last piece of waterfront property left for? They Have dont some REAL NASTY THINGS and I am wondering why somone hasnt Said ENOUGH! Money,legal fees,court,manpower hours, not to mention the money where I it coming from to pay these cost. They denied prop tax exempt we had since started, knowing we cant pay, had to hire a lawyer for judgement. ANYWAY they have tried to paralized every step toward our moving forward and used it against us one way or another. This is quite an interesting and historic story. If interested let me know. Tim Lopez Commodore