In present-day Palm Beach Shores, the first settlers were anglers and squatters that named their community Inlet City. The fishermen were drawn to the area by the island’s proximity to the Gulf Stream. While squatters were attracted to the lack of government oversight, allowing them to build wherever they desired. When Inlet City existed, back in 1908, Singer Island and Palm Beach were still connected. Early settlers hand-dug a series of waterways to Lake Worth, but the federal government did not dredge the current inlet until 1918. These early settlers used the canal that existed at the time in Riviera Beach to separate the single men from the families. They built a store and a church that doubled as a school.
Paris Singer, Singer Sewing Machine heir, made the second attempt at building a community on the island. He envisioned a popular tourist destination with two hotels and a 36-hole golf course. He hired famed architect Addison Mizner to start construction on the Blue Heron Hotel. Mizner’s services did not come cheap; Singer agreed to pay him $6,000 a year for life to focus the rest of his career on the Palm Beach area. In 1925, he constructed a wooden bridge to the mainland to provide easy passage for his future hotel guests. The project was projected to cost four million dollars, an astonishing figure for the 1920s. Singer planned to fund construction by selling lots throughout the island. Sadly, Singer was met with a series of unfortunate events. The Florida land boom began to slow in 1925, a hurricane destroyed his bridge and caused damage throughout the island in 1928, and the stock market crashed in 1929. The Blue Heron Hotel was never completed; the partial structure stood for fourteen years until it was demolished for scrap steel. Singer went from riches to rags and spent the rest of his life on a houseboat in the Nile River.
Where Singer met defeat, A.O. Edwards found great success. Edwards made his fortune building railroads and hotels abroad before setting his sights on Singer Island. In 1947, he purchased 240 acres after his first visit to the island. Edwards divided the land into 631 lots with commercial and apartment buildings along the shorelines. Lots sold quickly, and by 1951 the town of Palm Beach Shores was incorporated, and Edwards became the first mayor. The Palm Beach Shores of today is not much different from the city that Edwards planned in the 1940s. The Town Commission strives to preserve Palm Beach Shores as “the best little town in Florida.”
Simply scroll down to the Featured Neighborhoods section on this page to explore the Palm Beach Shores 55+ Community. You can find active listings, association rules & regulations (including detailed pet restrictions), monthly maintenance dues, and amenities. Click the “Explore Nearby” box to discover shops, restaurants, nightlife, entertainment, hospitals, and transportation in the surrounding neighborhood. Happy Browsing!
