Photo tour: West Palm Beach

[Aessotariq]

Related UrbanPlanet.org topics: [

Miami/South Florida Forum {sodEmoji.{sodEmoji.|}} ]

West Palm Beach is the third major downtown in the South Florida metropolitan area. With a population of more than 95,000, it is the largest city in Palm Beach County and serves as its county seat. As its name implies, it is located west of the barrier-island town of Palm Beach, a resort-like town with renown for its opulence and exclusivity, located across the Intracoastal Waterway.

As of late, like many places throughout South Florida, the city has been experiencing a resurgence in its downtown, as the popularity of urban living has increased and the availability of open land has diminished. Perhaps the most pivotal transformation in downtown was the opening of CityPlace, which created a high-end live, work, and play environment while remaining within the city's existing street grid. Since then, downtown has never been hotter and new projects just keep on coming. This tour is divided into three major parts: Downtown core, CityPlace, and Clematis Street.

PART I - Downtown core

Welcome to West Palm Beach.

1.

2. One City Plaza

3. nice canyon effect, One City Plaza on left

4.

5.

6. The Prado

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8.

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12.

13.Right now it's kinda hard to get around...

14. ... with all this construction going on and more to come: Opera Place

15. The Harrick, coming soon

16. office building

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28.

29. Palm Beach County Courthouse

30.

[Aessotariq]

31. Downtown skyline

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PART II - CLEMATIS STREET

Clematis Street is West Palm Beach's main street and entertainment district. Once in disrepair and blighted, this street has blossomed and is alive with shops, restaurants, bars, and a fun nightlife.

35.

36.

37. Still plenty of work to do:

38

39.

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42. Final product

43. Centennial Square fountain

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45. and now we bring this part to a close:

CityPlace is next!

[Dale]

Spectacular, A ! WPB's growing leaps and bounds.

BTW, can anyone verify that Opera Place will be a new tallest ? I read something to that effect recently.

[Aessotariq]

PART 3 - CITYPLACE WEST PALM BEACH

46.

47.

48.

49. West Palm Beach trolley

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62. CityPlace offers a mix of retail shops and office space

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67. CityPlace is also a great place to live

68. Residences have on-street parking, angled...

69. or parallel...

70. And there is a parking garage neatly tucked behind the building.

71.

72.

73. Shopping is a short walk or drive away... This Publix store meets the street corner

74. Publix has embraced the urban market format.

75. The parking lot is off to the side, not facing the main street.

[Aessotariq]

76. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts

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78. Plenty of new projects coming to CityPlace

79.

80. 610 Clematis

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84. Montecito

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89. WPB skyline, looking northwest

90. old and new

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94. Second floor plaza

95. Nothing fishy going on here... or is there?

96.

97. West Palm Beach skyline

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[Aessotariq]

PART 4 - FLAGLER DRIVE AND PALM BEACH LAKES BLVD

West Palm Beach, as seen from I-95, contains approximately four skylines, the office buildings around Palm Beach Lakes Blvd/Australian Avenue, CityPlace, downtown core, and Flagler Drive.

100. Palm Beach Lakes Blvd, heading east toward downtown

101.

102. Flagler Drive is West Palm Beach's bayfront roadway. It runs along the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway.

103. town of Palm Beach

104. Flagler Drive has some neat and colorful buildings... MiMo?

105.

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110. downtown skyline, from the Palm Beach side

112.

113. Palladio Terrace, under construction

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More photos can be found here:

[bobliocatt]

Wow great pics. If there's one thing I like to see change in West Palm Beach its the amount of stucco being used as a primary exterior material. The WPB skyline could really use some glass.

[Urban Catalyst]

I don't think I've ever visited downtown West Palm Beach. But just from looking at those pictures, it looks like a great place to live. Great pictures! They make me want to move there.

[prahaboheme]

really great, comprehensive tour! WPB is really turning into quite a vibrant, fun place. Cityplace rocks.

[csmurphy8885]

Fantastic collection of images. I love the Marlin topped Palm tree scultures (#27) Is that a design other florida cities might be able to use?!? Tally could use some of that true florida culture.

[RiversideGator]

They have done a great job down there in WPB. But, all the colorful stucco makes me feel a little

I mean, how about some variety??

[peaceloveunderstanding]

awesome, the cityplace area looks really cool. I don't remeber all this from my last trip to Southern Flordia, I may have been in Palm Beach.

[Aessotariq]

Nice feedback, everybody!

The colorful stucco is definitely very South Florida... Live down here long enough and you get used to it. Palm Beach County's second major city, Boca Raton, is also stuccoed but in typical Boca fashion the colors are bland and uniform, ranging from light pink to a tannish color that looks like coffee with cream. Several buildings there have really nice glass fa

[Urban_Legend]

Awesome job, Aessotariq!!! Way to represent the (561) lol....

Downtown WPB is really one of the most liveable downtowns down here. I'm sure Cityplace contributes to that, but still, the views are magnificant.

I move to my college dorm up there in August and I can't wait! (you can see the college in pic #3)

Oh, and pic #18 is one of my favorites. I love that tree!

[asonj23]

Oh, and pic #18 is one of my favorites. I love that tree!

I was going to say the same about that tree. That is one of the coolest trees I have ever seen. What kind is it?

Also, thanks for the Pics. After all of those pics I don't think I need to make the trip down, I feel like I have already been there. Actually, I'm planning another South Florida trip in the fall. I can't wait to check out City Place. After city place the wife and I'll have to stop in FTL for a few drinks while gazing at the women.. err uh green ocean and white sandy beaches and then I'll be off to Hollywood for a beachside room.

[Dale]

Cit Place Tower will be all glass.

[Aessotariq]

Slipped my mind... Here it is:

Office space: 335,000 sq ft

Developer: CRT Properties/The Related Companies

Architect: Elkus/Manfredi Architects, Inc.

Related UrbanPlanet.org topic: South Florida P&C: CityPlace Tower

[Dale]

That would be the one !

I think it's a real beauty. And a welcome change-of-pace for WPB.

[Brickell]

I see a lot of parrellels between WPB and Coral Gables as well. Must be the stucco. I love the publix and townhomes. The infill is amazing.

[prahaboheme]

WPB plays off that Addison Mizner influence over in Palm Beach. I'd like to see more glass and different styles as well, though it doesn't bother me as much in West Palm as it does in other places.

[shelleyfish]

It's been awhile since someone posted to this thread, but I just recently discovered all these amazing photos. Really captures EVERYTHING in downtown WPB (which includes my soon-to-be residence, and even the office building where I work). And spending a lot of time downtown these days, and very familiar with all these landmarks, I can honestly say that some of these pictures look even better than the real thing! Great job!

Just hope when all of the construction is completed, it will be even more of an amazing and vibrant city, even on a small scale.

[Aessotariq]

Never a bad thing to dig up an older thread... thanks for the compliments! The weather was on my side (almost) that day. I had just been in Delray before I got to WPB, and by the time I got there, it began pouring. I waited it out in a garage for 10 minutes, and then it stopped. Typical Florida -- what fun.

When I have some time I'll put up the Delray pics too. Got quite a few of them as well

And now the shameless plug: a list of other photo threads can be found .

[Florida]

You've got a great eye "Picture guy".

[alslex1]

Great pictures of a great city! Both times I've been to Palm Beach I loved it. I see the city is growing nicely, with a lot of character. The street lamps in various pictures along with the palm lined streets are awesome! The last time I was there City Place was not built. I'll have to check it out the next time I'm there.

[Urban_Legend]

^I'm glad you mentioned the street lamps and all. That's one of my favorite things about West Palm, the infrastructure. Mind you, we've been under construction forever and still are, but it pays off when you get to walk clean new sidewalks and drive newly paved streets. Most of the main streets have historic-looking light fixtures and landscaping. (If only they'd do Quadrille....)