The architectural commission unanimously greenlights a Colonial-style house proposed for 171 El Pueblo Way on the North End of town.
Diego Diaz LasaPalm Beach Daily News
In a rare move, the Palm Beach Architectural Commissionasked for no modifications when it unanimously approved a North End couple’s proposal for an island Colonial-style house during the project’s first appearance before the board.
Commissioners, notorious for their stringent vetting process, had few complaints when representatives of homeowners Kevin and Carolyn Ryan presented plans for the two-story house designed to replace a 1950s-era single-storyhome at 171 El Pueblo Way.
In fact, Vice Chair Richard Sammons was so impressed by the May 29 presentation that he made it a point to compare the project to a previous design presented by a different architect for the same property in March 2023. The board had immediately killed that design, in part because they said the house would have been out of character with the neighborhood.
Sammons was effusive in praising the new design.
Designed by Atlanta-based architect Stan Dixon — who won the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach’s 2023 Schuler Award for excellence in new architecture — the proposed house would be 2,808 square feet in size and have four bedrooms. The architecture was inspired by theisland Colonial and Regency styles, Dixon noted during the May presentation.
“I think it’s nice to compare and contrast this to the previous proposal, because rarely do we have a project that shows such good manners to the neighborhood and to architecture in general,” Sammons said, citingthe two letters of support the project received from neighbors. “I think it’s lovely.”
Both proposals involve building a two-story house on the lot the Ryans bought in July 2022 for roughly $8.38 million. But the previous proposal wasexcoriated during last year’s meeting, when neighbor and real estate agent Liza Pulitzer criticized it as charmless, unfit for the neighborhood and too large for its lot, which measures just over a fifth of an acre.
Neighbors last year also voiced their concern about the impact construction would have on a rare buttonwood tree growing on the neighboring property just north of the lot.
The previous project also would have required four zoning-code variances, primarily necessitated by the size of the proposed house, which would have encroached on the town’s height and setback limitations.
“I don’t know that we even need to discuss this project, do we?” Sammons said during the meeting last year, ending the commission discussion as soon as it started and making a motion to deny the project.The panel voted 5-2, with Commissioner Ken Karakul and alternate Commissioner Dan Floersheimer, who was acting as a regular voting member, dissenting.
In a letter to the commission, the Ryans said they took the board’s rebuff to heart and set out to devise a proposal that could alleviate the concerns brought forward by neighbors.
They hired Dixon after falling in love with a house he designed on 217 Mockingbird Trail, which won the architect the Schuler Award. The Ryans rounded out their new design team with landscape architect Don Skowron of BGS Landscape, Architecture and Engineering.
The house the board approved in May would feature a wood-shingle roof detailed with coral-stone accents and a neutral-colored stucco exterior. Green shutters would accent window frames painted taupe to match the exterior doors. The grounds of the lot would feature a host of native plants, including sabal palms, sea grapes and thatch palms. The latter would help define the motor-court entrance.
Dixon said his design addressed three main challenges. The first was ensuring that a two-story house would fit in with the neighborhood, as the Ryans wanted the extra space for their two children and visiting family.To accomplish this goal, he explained, the bulk of the house would be pushed back from the intersection of El Pueblo Way and North Ocean Way to the northeast portion of the lot, reducing the visible impact of the additional story.
That meant shifting the pool from the backyard on the north side of the property to the northeast corner on what would be an expanded front yard.Shifting the pool also would help protect the buttonwood tree, which Dixon said was the project’s second major challenge.
Skowron also noted that the design team had spoken to the town arborist, Richard Maxwell, to determine where the buttonwood’s root system could be, and to reduce the project’s impact on the tree.
“Removing that pool and moving it into the southwest corner alleviates having to dig around that pool, and it actually gives more soil and more space for the roots to grow and be healthier in the future,” Dixon said.
The last challenge, Dixon noted, was to ensure the project would not require any zoning variances.
The commission was particularly taken with the home's entrance, a single-story enclosed courtyard, framed by the chimney structure on its right, as well as the engraved scrollwork and lantern details on the wall just above the custom wooden doors.
“I think this front elevation is really wonderful and charming, and so cute,” Commissioner Elizabeth Connaughton said. "The details are great — I love the entry pavilion, I love the volume.”
The commissioners’ critiques were limited to small details of the project, yet board members acknowledged that such comments were tantamount to nitpicking.
“I mean, there are some things that could change ... but it's done so skillfully that I'm not going to worry about it,” said Sammons.
The commission voted unanimously to approve the project as presented. On Wednesday, the Town Council voted unanimously at its development review meeting to grant a "special exception" to allow the house to be built on a lot that does not meet today's code requirements.
The Architectural Commission is generally tasked with approving the look of all architecture in town, with the exception of projects involving historic buildings overseen by the Landmarks Preservation Commission.
Diego Diaz Lasa is a journalist at thePalm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him atdlasa@pbdailynews.com.
