How the Yellow Poincianas came to Flamingo Park
Joel Crippen (neighbor and horticulturalist)
Royal Poincianas or Flamboyant trees (Delonix regia) grace Georgia Ave through the northern end of the neighborhood as part of the traffic calming project. After these areas were constructed, Poincianas, an iconic tropical flowering tree, were chosen to encircle each intersection from Kanuga to Claremore Drives. Typically, these trees are recognizable by their striking scarlet (orangish-red) masses of flowers which consume the trees in late spring through the summer. While scarlet is by far the most common, if you drive around, especially in the older neighborhoods from West Palm Beach to Miami, you’ll notice the varying shades of the tree’s flowers ranging from scarlet to bright orange (500 block of Flamingo Dr). Poincianas can be seen, rarely it may be, in bright clear yellow, gold and a deep true red.
While a horticulturist at Mounts Botanical Garden I was given seeds of the rare yellow colored Poinciana from which I grew several. Three of those seedlings were given to the neighborhood for three of the corners at Georgia Ave and Claremore Drive. Since Poincianas are promiscuous, just because I had seeds from a yellow tree doesn’t mean the seedlings will be. This is very evident of these three trees, the SW corner one is a bright clear yellow like its parent while, the NE corner tree is more golden, and the SE tree is apricot colored.
The Poinciana is native to the seasonally dry and sun-drenched area of Madagascar which makes it at home in South Florida and through the Caribbean. The tree is named for the once French governor of Saint Kitts, Phillippe de Longvilliers de Poincy. It is believed seeds were brought to the islands by enslaved Africans during the plantation era (1500-1800s).
June 7 – 15 is the 88th annual Royal Poinciana Festival in Miami. Check out www.royalp.org for details.
A Miniature Golf Course in Flamingo Park?
We don’t know for exactly how long or many of the details, but do you remember the old Moose Lodge that was on the NE corner of Belvedere and Parker for a long time? Of course it was recently torn down to make room for a new marijuana dispensary coming at that corner. But….back in the day (1955), there was a Miniature Golf Links course at Belvedere and Parker advertising Ladies Night in the Pam Beach Post. The address given was 845 Belvedere. The address of the Moose Lodge was 835 Belvedere Rd. The Moose (as I remember it after moving here in 1985) had a large parking lot just west of their building which is probably where that miniature golf course was located. It apparently wasn’t there for too long, because in 1956 there was an ad in the Palm Beach Post that the golf course was for sale.
Felder-Bell Warehouse
There once was a local appliance company named Felder-Bell that had an appliance store/showroom at 310 S. Dixie (now the Professional Building). This photo of this building at 433 Flamingo Dr. (built in 1945) was the warehouse for Felder-Bell appliances. It was owned by Chihuly for a while and used by art galleries. (Not in use as of this posting) Notice in the photo that there was a railroad spur so that the freight cars could off-load appliances at this location. Now that west side is only accessible by a small box truck.
Armory Art Gallery
While not within the actual boundary of the Flamingo Park subdivision, the Armory Art Center is listed as a contributing property within the Flamingo Park Historic District (and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (1992)). Neighborhood association volunteers helped to save the abandoned building when it was going to be brought back to life as an arts center. This was about the time the Flamingo Park Historic District boundaries were being established. We wanted to help give it the support afforded by being under our district umbrella which provides oversight and protection while the National Register designation does not).
Flamingo Park Neighborhood History
Flamingo Park Historic District has two legacies, both much appreciated in the 21st century.
First is the green one: Before the area was platted in 1921 for construction of single-family homes, today’s Flamingo Park was a pineapple plantation and mango orchard. Between and around the homes today, hundred-year-old mango trees tower over our streets, sidewalks and houses.
Botanical artifacts abound, such as the magnificent kapok tree at the intersection of Lake Avenue and Biscayne Drive (being reviewed by the City to be designated as historic) and two monstrous banyan trees on Ardmore Road. While gardening in the 21st century is nothing like the 1920s, many homeowners plant native and xeriscaped yards to conserve water and help surrounding nature survive our hurricane seasons well into the future.
The second legacy arose from the 1920s Florida and boom, when Mediterranean Revival and Spanish Mission homes filled out what was a “suburban” strip of land perched on the Atlantic coastal ridge south of downtown West Palm Beach.
Indeed, with nearby Dixie Highway bustling with shops and businesses, Flamingo Park became THE place to buy or build a new home. Alfred Comeau, developer of West Palm Beach’s first “skyscraper” (the Comeau Building), built his home here at 701 Flamingo Drive.
As in many urban areas, the 1970s and ’80s drew many residents out of the city to newer suburbs. The ensuing urban downturn continued until the early-1980s, when energetic buyers saw the value of solid old homes and began to restore them. Thus the rejuvenation of central West Palm Beach was underway.
In 1987, some of those tireless neighbors formed the Flamingo Park Neighborhood Association. The restored homes became important as “contributing properties” in awarding the local Historic District designation in 1993. Now homes built as late as the 1950s have “grown up” into historically contributing properties.
Time does fly, doesn’t it?
We watch — with decades behind us, as nearby Dixie Highway revs up again with new restaurants and shops and the Norton Museum of Art turns its face toward us — and we marvel at what changes and what doesn’t. Quite a few of those 1980s homeowners remain — still helping ensure Flamingo Park is the vibrant place we love. Thanks to them, to others who alighted awhile and moved on, and to the “new folks” who have taken their place, our Flamingo Park reigns as a gleaming gem of a neighborhood.
About our neighborhood association
The Flamingo Park Neighborhood Association is a voluntary homeowners organization formed by residents in 1987. West Palm Beach’s urban neighborhoods had been heavily impacted by westward development when, in the early 1980s, enterprising homebuyers saw the appeal of the Florida land boom housing stock on the Florida coastal ridge and began to fix up homes in the older sections of town. Neighborhood activists in Flamingo Park formed the FPNA, as the eventual mission statement would say, “to encourage and promote the safety, welfare and quality of life of residents in Flamingo Park.”
Board of seven
A board of seven elected resident homeowners administers its budget, with funds raised from membership fees, event and cookbook profits, ad revenue and donations. FPNA works with the city as appropriate to further the interests of Flamingo Park and all the historic neighborhoods throughout West Palm Beach.
The association also owns and maintains vintage-style light- and sign-poles throughout the neighborhood. It maintains street-side trash bins and doggie-waste stations. FPNA hosts activities year-round for members and guests. It publishes the Flamingo Flyer six times annually for all residents and friends of Flamingo Park and maintains this website. Flamingo Park became a West Palm Beach historic district in January 1993. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.
Public events
FPNA puts on neighborhood-wide home tours, garden tours and yard sales that are open to the public. The Holiday Historic Home Tour began in 1991 and has been held almost annually since, typically on the first Sunday in December.
The first Flamingo Park Garden Tour was held in 1996. Eleven were held in intermittent years, before hitting a lull. The spring event was revived in 2014 and repeated in 2016, 2018, 2022 and 2024. Flamingo Park typically holds Garden Tours every two years.
The Flamingo Park Yard Sale Extravaganza is held on the Saturday of Presidents Day weekend, rain or shine, if at least 25 residents sign up to hold individual sales. A map and “teaser” list are circulated online to help shoppers zero in on the delightful finds to be had in this quirky neighborhood.
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, FPNA welcomes tax-deductible donations from residents and friends of Flamingo Park. Join our community today and experience all that Flamingo Park Neighborhood Association has to offer. As a member, you will have access to our community amenities and events, as well as the opportunity to build lasting friendships with your neighbors.