Will one of West Palm Beach's oldest cultural landmarks be stripped of historic charm?

Rick Gonzalez
Updated ·4 min read

It is with much sadness that I recently found out that the Related Companies of New York is planning an unsympathetic, major, non-historic renovation to the interiors and exterior of the magnificent historic and cultural landmark Harriet Himmel Theater, in downtown West Palm Beach, to convert it into an Italian Food Hall.

This 98-year-old historic building, a focal point of the CityPlace showcase development now known as The Square, was considered one of the largest Mediterranean Revival edifices in Florida when built in 1926. The Methodist Church occupied the building until the 1980s. It was abandoned for 10 years, in the 90s. I remember walking through the building in 1996 with my partner and father, architect Ricardo Gonzalez, Sr., and master planner architect Howard Elkus, both of whom are probably rolling in their graves, as CityPlace attorney Lynn Harris probably is, over the amount of damage about to occur.

So much care was put into this restoration.

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Fencing outside the Harriett Himmel Theatre at The Square in West Palm Beach was put up in late March as work surrounding the building and interior continues.
Fencing outside the Harriett Himmel Theatre at The Square in West Palm Beach was put up in late March as work surrounding the building and interior continues.

In 1996, 17 international and national development teams bid on the 55-acre site and Mayor Nancy Graham, our city's first strong mayor said: "Develop what you wish on these 55 acres, my only request is that you save, restore and adaptively reuse this iconic structure with a public use for the people of West Palm Beach, arts, culture and theater; a draw to all who come." The prior Methodist church community was reassured with these statements from the mayor and the selection process began.

The winners, Related Companies of New York, hired architect Elkus of Boston with his team, and local attorney Harris. They went about getting public input from all the diverse neighborhoods of West Palm Beach, always with a promise to keep the building restored as a community facility. Boy you should have seen the model of CityPlace... spectacular! 1996 was a special year in the city when the winners where announced: four national developers led by Steve Ross, Ken Himmel, Jorge Perez of Related and John O'Connor of the O'Connor Group. The cream of the crop!

The Harriet Himmel Theatre, created in 1926, is the centerpiece of The Square and has hosted numerous weddings and events through the years.
The Harriet Himmel Theatre, created in 1926, is the centerpiece of The Square and has hosted numerous weddings and events through the years.

Our firm, REG Architects and local contractor Dale Hedrick OF Hedrick Brothers Construction, were given the local assignment of the church restoration and adaptive reuse. Plans and permits were completed by 1998 and building exterior construction was completed by Oct. 1, 2000, just in time for the grand opening.

Local philanthropist Harriet Himmel donated millions so that the upper floors could be converted into a multipurpose hall. On the ground floor, Related added shops to activate the public areas.

Immediately we won several awards from the American Institute of Architects, among others.

The Urban Land Institute, in an article celebrating this urban renewal mixed-used project, called the Harriett Himmel the "heart and soul " of West Palm Beach. The historic building gave CityPlace authenticity, a European-like village center unlike any other place in Florida. The excellent example in placemaking was copied throughout the nation.

Rosemary Square, now known as The Square, in West Palm Beach in February 2021.
Rosemary Square, now known as The Square, in West Palm Beach in February 2021.

In the 2000s, all was good, and on any given weekend night you could enjoy proms, jazz concerts, boxing matches, lectures, films, weddings and just about anything else at the Himmel. The idea of "build it and they will come" was a huge success! People would come before or after an event and then linger to shop and dine. None of this would have happened if the city of West Palm Beach had not provided $88 million in public dollars for the public areas in a city bond. The project did so well that the bonds were paid off several years early.

At one point the building stopped being available for rentals, and for several years a church occupied the building with limited use on the weekends. Exterior maintenance was neglected, the appearance of this once shining star now cloudy and sad.

I give lectures on historic preservation and urban renewal in Florida and Colombia. President Trump appointed me to a 3-year term on the federal Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. So I do think I know a bit about the importance of preservation and have a passion for it.

I used to brag, we were different from Miami and Ft Lauderdale in that we respected our historic structures, appreciated them. Whether designated or not!

West Palm Beach is now a big city, and growing. I am afraid we are losing our charm. Mayor Graham used to say "we are not the largest city, we are the best size cultural city of Florida." For a while there, we achieved that goal. I do hope the Harriett Himmel Theater can be saved.

Architect Rick Gonzalez
Architect Rick Gonzalez

West Palm Beach Architect Rick Gonzalez, AIA, is a member of The Palm Beach Post Editorial Advisory Board.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: West Palm Beach's century-old Himmel faces update. Can charm be saved?