Historic Suburbs of South Florida

South Florida is a region of numerous lifestyles, including country clubs, active adult communities, modern resort-style projects by GL Homes and Toll Brothers, townhouse enclaves, condo towers with super-luxury amenities, and more. However, one category that flies under the radar of prospective homebuyers is the one containing historic districts, representing unique characteristics and exceptional opportunities.

What defines a historic district in Florida?

According to the Florida Division of Historical Resources, a national register reflects sites and properties of prehistoric or historical significance in time, architecture, archaeology, engineering, and culture. Florida has more than 1,700 properties and districts on the list, with the residential-centric ones featuring quite prominently. The latter group is the focus of this article because inclusion has no restrictions on the homeowner's usage or disposal rights. However, cases may require permission to renovate if it means impacting preserved exteriors.

The six best historic suburbs for residents in South Florida

Old Floresta of Boca Raton is east of the I95 - often confused with New Floresta in Central Boca (which is also a mature, well-established, and beautiful neighborhood). The name (Old Floresta) in English is "Old Forest," aligning closely with the flourishing tropical foliage, majestic palms, and abundant Cypress groves that flow through the neighborhood's backyard gardens and common areas. Unsurprisingly, the street names (e.g., Aurelia, Hibiscus, and Oleander) reflect the varieties of flora and fauna and the fantastic nature preserve setting seldom encountered on real estate footprints a mile or so from the Intracoastal and white sand beaches.

The iconic architect Addison Mizner initiated the development in 1925 with Coastal Mediterranean and Tuscan-influenced SF house designs, using twelve luxury floor plans  (ranging between 2,000 and 3,500 square feet under air). He paid particular attention to exterior details that still exist in many structures today, such as picturesque red clay barrel-tile roofs, plastered adobes, one-of-a-kind spacious wrought iron balconies and verandas, arched walkways, pristine lawns as a backdrop to master-crafted masonry, and rough-finished stucco.

El Cid nestles on the west side of South Flagler Drive in West Palm Beach Downtown (WPBD) across from the Intracoastal, consisting of 281 homesteads that began emerging in 1923 and continued on and off through the second world war. The architecture resembled Old Floresta, except house exteriors also covered Spanish Revival, Monterey Colonial, and Art Deco influences. The mature, sometimes one-acre lots of towering palms and South Florida's colorful tropical foliage create a unique garden-of-Eden spacious feel. Most are interior enclave residences, but a few occupy highly coveted lots facing the waterways directly.

Custom builders, investors, and interested ground-up construction homebuyers have converged on Old Floresta and El Cid to renovate, knock down & build from scratch. As a result, the Old Florida touch in both suburbs stands alongside sleek contemporary and modern mansions. For example, at the time of writing this, the MLS showed active/closed listings as follows:

• In Old Floresta: 
• Three glass and retro-concrete residences (5,500 to 6,700 square feet under air) offered with the inclusion of the latest building materials predominant inside and out. Prices between $5.5 million and $6.5 million revolved around valuations of $1,000 a square foot (UA).
• On the other end of the spectrum, a 2,600 square foot (UA) home (vintage 1926) with extensive internal remodeling went into contract at around $880 a square foot (UA). In addition, knockdown targets closed one after another in 2022 for between $1.3 million to $1.7 million. 

• In El Cid: 
• A new construction with unobstructed views of Lake Worth Lagoon selling for $24.9 million - close to $5000 a square foot (UA).
• Also, an out-of-the-box, ultra-modern mansion inside the enclave with garden vistas on the market for $2,500 a square foot (UA).
• Then, a 1925 untouched-exterior house with internal upgrades asking nearly $8 million ($1684 a square foot UA). 
• Finally, knockdown options (i.e., for lot value only) closed in 2022 at around $2.6 million (or $1,000 a square foot UA).

Thus, several structures over ninety years have given way to the new for a unique, eclectic look where no home looks like any other in El Cid and Old Floresta. Interiors embrace substantial homeowner remodeling that starts with the latest Avant Garde materials such as polished stone, granite, marble, synthetics, space-age metals, imported solid and engineered woods applied to wide-plank flooring, custom cabinetry, oversized islands, chef's kitchens, and modern-day fitted appliances.

The attraction of Old Floresta and El Cid, aside from the on-campus features described above, is their connections to the New Urban Lifestyle (NUL), providing residents with every big city convenience at their fingertips. Indeed, a bike ride, a short drive, or a jog is all it requires to connect to lively downtown activity around shopping centers, dozens of restaurants, supermarkets, boutique outlets, parks, golf courses, clinics, good schools, and more.

Magnolia Court

Magnolia Court is part of El Cid, on its west end, merging with S. Dixie Highway - near Okeechobee (to the north) - and virtually a neighbor of The Norton Museum of Art. It's exclusively a 3-story townhome complex (sixty in the community), representing a regenerative luxury in multifamily living after construction between 2004 and 2006 by Ironwood Properties.

Homeowners enjoy three bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms & 2-car garage accommodations (selecting from different floor plans), and a few 2-story units on Dixie erected atop commercial space. Moreover, they have access to a heated community pool, a surrounding sundeck (with loungers and cabanas), and a stunning tree-lined promenade that completes the suburb's in-town lifestyle. The developers were at pains to preserve the historical connotations of homes in the expansive suburb of El Cid, delivering townhouses in a Key West style with metal roofs, balconies, and stucco finishes.

The rare appearance of Magnolia Court units on the MLS is testimony to their popularity. Once homeowners settle in, they can't get enough of NUL (described above) while living in luxury provided by quaint balconies, integrated high-impact windows and sliders, gourmet chef's kitchens, beautiful hardwood flooring (and on the stairs), vaulted 10' foot ceilings, custom crown moldings & baseboards, and more. As a result, these average size 2,600 square feet (UA) residences seldom change hands at less than $1 million and usually at $480 to $510 per square foot (UA). Thus, it takes patience to buy in here, but well worth the wait.

Other historic neighborhoods in West Palm Beach

Flamingo Park, Northwood, and North Shore Terrace are NUL-notable ungated SF estate home neighborhoods, all registered as historic by The National Register of Historic Places, where reconstruction is in full swing. Values range from $550 to $1,485 per square foot (UA) for SF homes 900 and 3,000 square feet under air. Opportunities arise here all the time, unlike Magnolia Court. Moreover, buyers interested in these suburbs benefit from copious tropical foliage mixed in with stress-releasing Intracoastal vistas and an eclectic mix of homesteads. The indelible connection to Florida's historical development is an additional attraction.

Conclusion

So there you have it. Historical suburbs in South Florida offer an engaging lifestyle to well-heeled prospective buyers who want Old Florida or Ultra-Modern luxury accommodation within stunning green spaces with city action on one's doorstep.

Reconstruction from the ground up or renovating existing structures is all on the table and represents viable options. Notably, the pinpointed neighborhoods (except Magnolia Court) are HOA-free, and beaches are a stone's throw away. So, what's not to like if you can afford it? Magnolia’s maintenance fees are around 40 cents per month per square foot of unit ownership (UA).

Finally, several long-standing suburbs like Palm Beach Farms, Hidden Valley, and Library Commons are on the edge of the category, with amazing reconstruction projects emerging weekly. We recommend including them in your searches.