18 May, 2018
On Friday, May 18th, the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach’s Bradley Park Beautification project was recognized for Meritorious Achievement in the field of Infill Design by the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation at its 40th Anniversary conference in Jacksonville. The award acknowledges a successful new construction or reconstruction project that appropriately fills a gap in the streetscape and is compatible within its context, or the redevelopment of a site that is sensitive to its surrounding built environment. The Florida Trust for Historic Preservation is the statewide nonprofit dedicated to protecting Florida’s extraordinary heritage and history. Founded in 1978, the Florida Trust has collaborated to save irreplaceable Florida treasures like the Historic Florida Capitol and is a statewide partner of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Over the past thirty-eight years, the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach has played a vital role in many projects that have enhanced the picturesque nature of Palm Beach. In addition to funding historic restorations like Town Hall, the organization has created urban “green space” through the construction of the Mediterranean Revival-style Earl E. T. Smith Park and Pan’s Garden, a botanical garden consisting of over 300 native Florida plant species. The beautification of Bradley Park is the largest landscape the Foundation has improved. Completed in December of 2017, the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach's $2.7 million beautification project at Bradley Park was the result of a public-private partnership with the Garden Club of Palm Beach and Town of Palm Beach. The project activates a formerly underutilized 4.4-acre public park located on the town's historic main street and showcases its historic and natural features. Formerly the location of Colonel E. R. Bradley's Beach Club and personal residence, the land was donated to the town in 1946. The Gilded Age buildings were demolished with the exception of the historic tea house and Artemis fountain. Previously lacking a comprehensive landscape design, the refreshed park is now a gathering place and a source of pride for the community that marks the northernmost entrance to the town. The project encompasses every aspect of the Preservation Foundation's mission to preserve the architectural and cultural heritage and unique scenic quality of Palm Beach.
