The historic Cramer House, located in Boca Raton’s original downtown district, was demolished on Friday, March 11.
The Cramer House stood on the site of a newly proposed development called Aletto Square, a project that includes a luxury apartment building, office space and a 357-spot automated parking garage.
Some residents believe Boca Raton has fallen victim to overdevelopment — as high-rise condos go up in the downtown area and high-end hotels such as The Mandarin are scraping the sky, longtime residents complain about Los Angeles-style traffic and lack of parking.
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A study of Millennials (people born between 1981-1996) conducted by the National Trust for Historic Preservation shows that more and more people have been choosing to live in urban places, and have been migrating to downtowns in pursuit of walkable neighborhoods, including older and historic buildings. In recent years, Boca Raton has looked to capitalize on that trend, with signs and flags claiming the city is the place to "Live, Work, Play" and celebrating "Downtown Boca History."
The residence, located at 136 East Boca Road, was built in 1925 by pioneer Harley Gates. He came to Boca Raton from Vermont in 1913 and purchased a five-acre property, part of which is now the Palmetto Park Road Bridge and the Intracoastal Waterway. Jack Cramer, the builder of the city's original town hall, added the two-story portion of the home in 1928. It became known as the Cramer House.
Residents have taken to social media to talk about the demolition. Recent comments include statements like “so sad,” “Boca has lost its charm,” “turning into a concrete jungle” and “maybe the downtown Boca history flags should just be removed along with the last pieces of history.”
The practice and process of preservation has become a challenge in places with hot real estate markets, such as South Florida. New investment often leads to the demolition of historic structures. And many developers and cities are saying the replacement of older structures are the only way to add needed density to urban spaces.
Historic preservation is one of the reasons Andrea Levine O’Rourke decided to run for Boca Raton City Council.
O’Rourke has been a resident of Boca Raton since 1979. She has served on the City Council since 2017 and currently serves as Deputy Mayor. She has been outspoken at City Council meetings and advocates for a blend of development and the preservation of Boca’s history.
In 2016, O'Rourke was a proponent of keeping the Wildflower property an open space. In 2020, she worked with developers Crocker Partners to stop a commercial building sign from being attached to the original IBM building. In an editorial submitted to The Boca Tribune she wrote: “Why must those who wish to create, and preserve a legacy with historical significance, face the callous name calling done by individuals that choose to falsely label anyone that dares stand in their way as “anti-growth” or “anti-business?” The name calling does not further the discussion. It destroys the discussion. Preserving Boca’s special qualities are the very thing that attract high-level businesses and headquarters to Boca Raton and to this very location of the original IBM campus.”
Historic preservation is one of the oldest and most successful activism movements in the United States. George Washington’s Home in Mount Vernon, Virginia was preserved due to the work of activists in 1858.
Susan Gillis has been the curator of the non-profit Boca Raton Historical Society for the past twenty years. The Historical Society’s mission is to collect, preserve and present information and artifacts relevant to the past and evolving history of Boca Raton, and to maintain a visible role in education and advocacy of historic preservation in the community.
“We’re an advocate for historic preservation and education, but we don’t have the power to protect historic buildings — unless they’re designated historic,” Gillis said. “Why can’t we live with these buildings instead of tearing them down?”
Boca Raton doesn’t have economic incentives for private and commercial property owners to preserve historic structures. Gillis said she and the Historical Society pleaded with the Aletto developers to build around the home.
“Why did they tear it down and not the other structures that surround it? Why the urgency? The proposed Aletto project hasn’t even been approved,” Gillis said.
Dr. Jane Day is a passionate and successful preservationist with over 30 years of experience as a consultant for the Town of Palm Beach Landmarks Commission. “Historic preservation has been neglected in Boca Raton despite the rich history of the town," she said. "There are very few structures that are designated, and the process to designate, evaluate and protect in a logical manner is broken.”
According to Day, one step toward a solution to enhance Boca’s historic preservation program would be to become a Certified Local Government. The program isa partnership between local, state and federal governments focused on promoting historic preservation through grants, education and tax incentives.
Day has been a resident of Boca Raton since 1997 and served as Chair of the City’s Historic Preservation Board for over two years. She retired from the board because she was frustrated. “Ultimately, I left the board because of the lack of support from the City government," she said. "They don’t advocate to strengthen our program, and it makes it difficult to save historic structures.”
The Boca Raton Resort and Club was built in 1925 and designed by Addison Mizner. It was purchased by New York based MSD Partners and is undergoing substantial renovations and significant structural changes. Many of the original features have been demolished. The Boca Raton Resort and Club has been renamed The Boca Raton. It is also not a designated site, so it is not protected.
Day recently published a book, From Palm Beach to Shangri La: The Architecture of Marion Sims Wyeth. “Wyeth’s significance is unparalleled," she said. "He designed the Mar-a-Lago mansion in Palm Beach. I believe he was one of Palm Beach’s most important 20th century architects.” Wyeth also designed the Palm Court (formerly the Royal Palm Patio) in 1931. The colonnade on the building's east end has been removed.
For a $1,500 fee owners of historic properties can apply to designate a house as historic. The city’s Historic Preservation Board can apply for designation for a property without the fee, but the application needs to be approved by both City Council and the property owner. The Boca Raton Historical Society has no legal power of its own to designate, or regulate, properties within the city.
Alan Neibauer and his wife, Victoria Milazzo live in Tower 155, across the street from the recently demolished Cramer House. “What we are seeing is development by neglect," Milazzo said. "They intentionally let these historic buildings deteriorate, and then play the ‘safety’ card as an excuse for tearing them down.”
There are few original buildings left along Boca Raton Road, east of Sanborn Square and a block south of Mizner Park. They are endangered. The Eubanks House built in 1946 was demolished to make room for Tower 155.
The 1927 Royal Palm Apartments were demolished to make room for another luxury high-rise, Royal Palm Residences.
And in 2011, the Giles House, home to Boca Raton’s well-known French restaurant La Vielle Maison, was demolished. The house was built in 1927 by Thomas Giles, an engineer for architect Addison Mizner. In 2006 it was sold for $3.1 million by then-owner Leonce Picot.
According to the Historic Preservation Board, the building was salvageable. But the City and the new property owner didn’t agree — they claimed it had been neglected too long. When the Historic Preservation Board asked the City Council to designate the house as historic, which would have prevented its demolition, the council denied the request.
