Boca Raton Resort & Club
Encyclopedia
The Boca Raton Resort, which opened February 6, 1926 as the Ritz-Carlton Cloister Inn, is a large resort
and membership-based club located in Boca Raton
, Florida
. Originally designed by California
-born architect
, Addison Mizner
, it was supposed to have been the latter of two hotels, the other being an oceanfront hotel. However the Ritz-Carlton Investment Corporation
became involved in the project, and wanted the oceanfront hotel redesigned, so construction began on the smaller 100 room inn on the west side of Lake Boca Raton. Throughout the Florida land boom of the 1920s
, Mizner visioned and began to plan Boca Raton as a major resort destination. http://www.bocahistory.org/_images/mizner/map.jpg To that extent a golf course and residential community, the Ritz-Carlton Park, was planned west of the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad
. Today this is the site of Sugar Sand Park
and Boca Del Mar
. Nevertheless, the resort didn't gain a full service country club until the acquisition of the Boca Country Club, seven miles northwest of the main hotel, immediately outside of the city limits.
Currently, the club is part of Waldorf Astoria Hotels and Resorts by the Hilton Hotels Corporation
, an affiliate of the Blackstone Group
. Before the Spring of 2009, LXR Luxury Resorts operated the resort.
had doubled the inn's size, and a cabana club was constructed where Addison on the Ocean condominiums now stands.
Subsequently, the U.S. Army
used the club as barracks
during World War II
. Touted by officials as "the most elegant barracks in history," it housed soldiers during the Boca Raton Army Air Field
's operation.
Within post-war times, the Boca Raton Club's ownership and ultimately name were changed. The Schine
family purchased the club in 1944, renaming it the Boca Hotel and Club. While it was affectionately known on brochures as The Boca Raton, the resort was part of the identical Schine portfolio which included the Biltmore
and McAllister
hotels.
Arthur Vining Davis
, whose brainchild was the Arvida Corporation
had been responsible for modernizing the hotel. Opening the Boca Raton Club Tower in 1969, the building is still considerably taller than any other building in southern Palm Beach County. In addition, its famous "Boca pink" color has made it more famous than its stature of 300 feet (ninety-one meters) and twenty-seven floors and is commonly referred to as the "pink hotel". http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=bocaratonclubtower-bocaraton-fl-usa
Arvida had also constructed the resort's beach club in 1980 on the site Mizner intended the main hotel to stand on. In February, 2009, the Beach Club finished a $150 million renovation, while the cloister and tower rooms were redesigned in 2006.
VMS Realty, Incorporated (Van Kampen, Morris, Stone), the successors to Arvida regarding ownership, purchased the property in 1983 and renamed the hotel to current the Boca Resort & Club in 1988. Today, it is simply referred to as its current name by Waldorf Astoria Hotels and Resorts.
Resort
A resort is a place used for relaxation or recreation, attracting visitors for holidays or vacations. Resorts are places, towns or sometimes commercial establishment operated by a single company....
and membership-based club located in Boca Raton
Boca Raton, Florida
Boca Raton is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, USA, incorporated in May 1925. In the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 74,764; the 2006 population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 86,396. However, the majority of the people under the postal address of Boca Raton, about...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. Originally designed by California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
-born architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
, Addison Mizner
Addison Mizner
Addison Cairns Mizner was an American resort architect whose Mediterranean Revival and Spanish Colonial Revival style interpretations left an indelible stamp on South Florida, where it continues to inspire architects and land developers. In the 1920s Mizner was the best-known and most-discussed...
, it was supposed to have been the latter of two hotels, the other being an oceanfront hotel. However the Ritz-Carlton Investment Corporation
Ritz-Carlton
The Ritz-Carlton is a brand of luxury hotels and resorts with 75 properties located in major cities and resorts in 24 countries worldwide...
became involved in the project, and wanted the oceanfront hotel redesigned, so construction began on the smaller 100 room inn on the west side of Lake Boca Raton. Throughout the Florida land boom of the 1920s
Florida land boom of the 1920s
The Florida land boom of the 1920s was Florida's first real estate bubble, which burst in 1925, leaving behind entire new cities and the remains of failed development projects such as Aladdin City in south Miami-Dade County and Isola di Lolando in north Biscayne Bay...
, Mizner visioned and began to plan Boca Raton as a major resort destination. http://www.bocahistory.org/_images/mizner/map.jpg To that extent a golf course and residential community, the Ritz-Carlton Park, was planned west of the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad
Seaboard Coast Line Railroad
The Seaboard Coast Line Railroad was a former Class I railroad company operating in the Southeastern United States beginning in 1967. Its passenger operations were taken over by Amtrak in 1971...
. Today this is the site of Sugar Sand Park
Sugar sand park
Sugar Sand Park is a municipal park located in Boca Raton, Florida. It was developed by the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District. It is operated by the City of Boca Raton...
and Boca Del Mar
Boca Del Mar, Florida
Boca Del Mar is a census-designated place located in an unincorporated area near Boca Raton in Palm Beach County, Florida. The population was 21,832 at the 2000 census...
. Nevertheless, the resort didn't gain a full service country club until the acquisition of the Boca Country Club, seven miles northwest of the main hotel, immediately outside of the city limits.
Currently, the club is part of Waldorf Astoria Hotels and Resorts by the Hilton Hotels Corporation
Hilton Hotels Corporation
Hilton Worldwide is a global hospitality company. It is owned by the Blackstone Group, a private equity firm. As of July 2011 Hilton brands encompass 3,750 hotels with over 600,000 rooms in 84 countries...
, an affiliate of the Blackstone Group
Blackstone Group
The Blackstone Group L.P. is an American-based alternative asset management and financial services company that specializes in private equity, real estate, and credit and marketable alternative investment strategies, as well as financial advisory services, such as mergers and acquisitions ,...
. Before the Spring of 2009, LXR Luxury Resorts operated the resort.
Ownership changes
When the real estate bubble's following economic depression ended, Philadelphia utility millionaire Clarence H. Geist purchased the inn via an auction in 1927, and expanded it into the Boca Raton Club. Architectural firm, Schultze and WeaverSchultze and Weaver
The architectural firm of Schultze and Weaver was established in New York City in 1921. The partners were Leonard Schultze and S. Fullerton Weaver.Leonard B. Schultze was born in Chicago, Illinois, on December 5, 1877...
had doubled the inn's size, and a cabana club was constructed where Addison on the Ocean condominiums now stands.
Subsequently, the U.S. Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
used the club as barracks
Barracks
Barracks are specialised buildings for permanent military accommodation; the word may apply to separate housing blocks or to complete complexes. Their main object is to separate soldiers from the civilian population and reinforce discipline, training and esprit de corps. They were sometimes called...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Touted by officials as "the most elegant barracks in history," it housed soldiers during the Boca Raton Army Air Field
Boca Raton Airport
Boca Raton Airport is a state-owned public-use airport located two miles northwest of the central business district of Boca Raton, a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States...
's operation.
Within post-war times, the Boca Raton Club's ownership and ultimately name were changed. The Schine
G. David Schine
Gerard David Schine, better known as G. David Schine or David Schine, was the wealthy heir to a hotel chain fortune who received national attention when he became a central figure in the Army-McCarthy Hearings of 1954 in his role as the chief consultant to the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on...
family purchased the club in 1944, renaming it the Boca Hotel and Club. While it was affectionately known on brochures as The Boca Raton, the resort was part of the identical Schine portfolio which included the Biltmore
Coral Gables Biltmore Hotel
The Coral Gables Biltmore Hotel is a luxury hotel in Coral Gables, Florida, United States. It was designed by Schultze and Weaver and was built in 1926 by John McEntee Bowman and George Merrick as part of the Biltmore hotel chain....
and McAllister
McAllister Hotel
The McAllister Hotel was a ten story high-rise hotel in Downtown Miami, Florida. It opened in 1917 and until 1925, was the tallest building in Miami. It was demolished in 1988, and the site is now the home to 50 Biscayne built in 2007 at . The McAllister Hotel is considered one of Miami's first...
hotels.
Arthur Vining Davis
Arthur Vining Davis
Arthur Vining Davis was an American industrialist and philanthropist.-Early history:Arthur Vining Davis was born in Sharon, Massachusetts, the son of Perley B. Davis, a Congregational minister, and Mary Frances...
, whose brainchild was the Arvida Corporation
Arvida Corp.
Arvida Corp., a Florida resort and real estate development company, was founded in 1958 by Arthur Vining Davis to develop his Florida land holdings, which included the historic Boca Raton Resort & Club, built in 1928....
had been responsible for modernizing the hotel. Opening the Boca Raton Club Tower in 1969, the building is still considerably taller than any other building in southern Palm Beach County. In addition, its famous "Boca pink" color has made it more famous than its stature of 300 feet (ninety-one meters) and twenty-seven floors and is commonly referred to as the "pink hotel". http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=bocaratonclubtower-bocaraton-fl-usa
Arvida had also constructed the resort's beach club in 1980 on the site Mizner intended the main hotel to stand on. In February, 2009, the Beach Club finished a $150 million renovation, while the cloister and tower rooms were redesigned in 2006.
VMS Realty, Incorporated (Van Kampen, Morris, Stone), the successors to Arvida regarding ownership, purchased the property in 1983 and renamed the hotel to current the Boca Resort & Club in 1988. Today, it is simply referred to as its current name by Waldorf Astoria Hotels and Resorts.