CityPlace West Palm Beach, Florida

CityPlace
West Palm Beach, Florida
Elkus Manfredi provided Master planning and
building design for the redevelopment of
approximately 72 acres of land in the heart of
the city.CityPlace features a vibrant
streetscape and a landmark city plaza. The
mixed-use plan includes approximately
600,000 square feet of retail, dining and
entertainment; 600,000 square feet of office
space; 600 units of housing; 600 hotel rooms
and parking.
CityPlace is a multi-block urban mixed-use development that
is comprised of 700,000 sq. ft. of retail, dining and
entertainment; hotel; office; housing; a convention center;
and cultural components. What was once a blighted area has
become the new regional focus for cultural, economic and
social life for West Palm Beach and surrounding
communities.
The master plan for the development creates new
streetscapes that feature highly detailed facades and a
variety of building scales, all while maintaining the original
street-grid network. At the heart of CityPlace, the streets
converge on a central European-style public plaza featuring
animated fountains, and ringed with two levels of dining,
shopping and entertainment.
The use of local and regional materials throughout the
architecture adds richness to the design while staying true to
the region's Mediterranean aesthetic heritage. Arcades,
shaded overhangs and balconies, terraces, lush landscaped
arborways and colonnades all give the feel of having evolved
over time. More than 12 varieties of palms are used in formal
rows to define public spaces, give vertical scale, act as a
natural screen, provide instant shade and to unify the
residential and commercial streetscape. Seasonal color is
provided by more than 400 decorative pots; annuals are
rotated to provide year-round color.
The Fountains
THE CITYPLACE FOUNTAIN
The CityPlace fountain is one of the world's most spectacular and
dynamic fountains. Every half hour the fountain performs one of
its many exciting, choreographed displays of liquid wonder.
Sometimes you'll witness a dynamic display of dancing light,
water and sound. While at other times the fountain show is
elegant and peaceful. Either way, the CityPlace fountain is always
a site to behold.
THE CITYPLACE FOUNTAIN STATISTICS
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Custom designed by the STO Design Group of Santa Ana, CA
Extravagant performances involving music and light
Performances take eight hours of programming for one minute of show
Over 2,500 square feet of water surface
Over 36,000 gallons of water are in use at all times
94 arching jets
79 individually activated vertical clear stream jets
12 air burst jets
One clear stream center jet
Total number of jets is 186
Over 190 lights
Four basins
Capable of producing fog effects
85 pumps, 79 of which are underwater
Stage area in front that is 25 feet by 12 feet and two and a half feet tall
THE VICENZA FOUNTAIN
The beautiful centerpiece on the north side of the Plaza is the
Vicenza fountain. Imported from Vicenza, Italy, this custom, handcarved stone structure stands 14 feet high. Water flows
majestically over three scalloped bowls into a magnificent pool,
which features symbols of Florida.
THE ANTIQUE WALL FOUNTAIN
Carved in the neoclassical style in the late 1880s, this antique
wall fountain is also from Vicenza, Italy. Its location in the arcade
passage between the main plaza and the residences offers
visitors and residents a scenic, relaxing oasis.
The Story of CityPlace
Beautiful fountains, old-world architecture and
sidewalk cafes brings visitors back to a small
European town as they stroll through West Palm
Beach's newest downtown project -- $550 million
CityPlace, off Interstate-95 near the Kravis Center
for the Performing Arts and minutes from the
airport, Worth Avenue, The Breakers Hotel and
Clematis Street Retail District.
This mixed-use development offers an
entertainment-retail concept with a restored 1920s
Spanish Colonial Revival church
adapted to a new role as the Harriet Himmel
Gilman Theater.
National retailers, regional specialty shops,
restaurants, a 20-screen Muvico cinema, premium
office spaces, a 400-room hotel, private town
homes, live/work lofts, and rental apartments for
the anticipated 1,000 residents complete the
ambitious 55-acre project.
The CityPlace story actually began in 1986 when
the late real estate magnate, Henry Rolfs and his
associate, David Paladino, quietly purchased 340
parcels of land in nine months, using 20 individual
real estate agents, to keep quiet their plans of
creating a project called Downtown/Uptown, which
was planned to be a gateway to Palm Beach.
to the group building the Kravis Center.
CityPlace, one of the most ambitious urban
developments in the country, was planned and
designed by acclaimed Boston architect and urban
planner, Howard Elkus, of Elkus/Manfredi
Architects. Its graceful, Mediterranean design
features a "town square", lanterns inspired by those
that illuminate Venice, and a spectacular "show"
fountain with 186 arching water and air jets
and 200 lights for a nightly show choreographed to
music.
The demand for downtown living was
overwhelming - all 51 townhomes were sold in 10
days, 33 garden condos sold out, and the market is
clamoring for the tower residences and courtyard
apartments. Young singles and couples,
professionals in their 30s to 50s, and retirees were
all attracted to CityPlace residences which feature
ivy and bougainvillea-covered balconies and
courtyards, old world tile, hand-forged wrought iron
fences and Mediterranean-style barrel tile roofs.
The Palladium Company, a leading developer of
urban mixed use projects, was responsible for
CityPlace. They have more than $4 billion projects
in various stages of planning and construction -Columbus Centre in New York City, Victory in
Dallas, Palladium Center in Bellevue, Washington,
The story takes a turn when the real estate
Palladium at Kenmore Square, Boston and
depression of the late 1980s created the downfall of Palladium in Birmingham, Michigan.
the project, resulting in multiple
foreclosures and personal losses of $55 million for CityPlace is drawing area residents for shopping,
Rolfs. He died impoverished a few years later but dining, and entertainment. Joan Sutton, a nearby
his vision was brought back to life by former
resident of Wellington,
mayor Nancy M. Graham.
states, "CityPlace has something for everyone
with its restaurants, movies, theater and shopping.
Graham wanted to see the razed acreage filled with I enjoy being able to browse at Barnes & Noble
a retail, office, cultural and residential project that and get a cup of coffee at the café. It reminds me
had public spaces that encouraged community
of a small hometown where you could stroll
interaction. The city of West Palm Beach issued a downtown, window-shop and enjoy the outdoors.
nationwide request for proposals and selected
For me, it is agreat place to escape the working
world and kick back.
CityPlace Partners. Four years later the city
celebrated thegrand opening of CityPlace,
CityPlace is a 'must' for entertaining my out-ofcomplete with a statue of Rolfs at the boundary
town guests."
of the five acres he donated