Renewing the Legacy of the Royal Poinciana Playhouse
Iconic places are grounded in the history of their communities. They evoke memories of the past while facilitating a continuation of shared values. At the entrance to Palm Beach, on the shores of Lake Worth, The Innovate is reinvigorating the place where the legendary Royal Poinciana Playhouse presented sparkling theatrical performances with renowned actors and world class productions.
During the nineteenth century this was also the location of Henry Flagler’s Royal Poinciana Hotel and the center of Palm Beach’s Gilded Age social life. After the hotel was demolished, the new owners had the foresight to commission renowned twentieth-century architect John L. Volk (1901-1984) to build a new shopping plaza and theater.
Granted artistic license by his employers, Volk developed a plan worthy of his expertise. By choosing the Regency Revival style of architecture, Volk anchored his buildings to Palm Beach’s traditional past while building for the future. The Royal Poinciana Plaza was an instant shopping and dining success. The plaza’s companion piece, the Royal Poinciana Playhouse opened to great applause on February 3, 1958, adding an important theatrical component to the town’s cultural life. From the start, opening nights began on a glamorous red-carpet. Season tickets were sold-out. The Royal Poinciana Playhouse epitomized quality entertainment and Palm Beach style.
One hundred and thirty-one years since Flagler’s hotel opened its doors and sixty-six years since Volk’s Royal Poinciana Playhouse wowed audiences, Jill and Avie Glazer have picked up the baton and are moving this historic site firmly into the twenty-first century. John Volk’s design was landmarked by the Town of Palm Beach in 2008 recognizing its importance to the community and the region. The Innovate is building on this celebrated foundation of Palm Beach history and set to reopen in 2025 with a new vision for the future and an expanded year-round celebration of the arts.
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