With landmarks commission's OK, Breakers to revitalize Mediterranean Courtyard

A project to revitalize an outdoor space at the heart of The Breakers resort in Palm Beach is set to become reality.

The town's Landmarks Preservation Commission voted unanimously April 17 to approve the plans for the historic resort's Mediterranean Courtyard to create more seating and shade within while also making repairs and creating new access consistent with Americans with Disabilities Act standards.

More: Council approvals set stage for Breakers' Mediterranean Courtyard renovation

The project is "the last piece of the preservation puzzle for us," Paul Leone, chief executive of The Breakers, told the commission. Over the past three decades and under his leadership, Leone has overseen the piece-by-piece renovation and revitalization of each part of The Breakers — except for the Mediterranean Courtyard, he said.

"We had to remain relevant where so many of these heirlooms were just holding onto the past," Leone said, referring to comparable historic hotels. "There is no other resort like this in the country performing at this level."

Once completed, the Mediterranean Courtyard will become a more welcoming space for guests, he said.

The plans include adding a 1,763-square-foot conservatory on the courtyard's west side that will have glazed walls, large sliding doors and a glazed roof. Inside, there will be bars for drink and barista service, with areas for seating. More seating will be available in the courtyard.

The new conservatory will allow The Breakers to repair and restore the large arched windows in the resort's lobby. The doors from the lobby to the courtyard will be kept open to create a more inviting flow, Leone said.

"The courtyard is just not very inviting," he said. "It's not very functional, for a lot of reasons."

Once completed, the Mediterranean Courtyard will be "one of the most dramatic and used parts of the property," he said.

A similar project completed in the Palm Courtyard in the late 1990s transformed that space into one that is used and enjoyed daily by guests, with ample seating and shade, Leone said.

On the north and south sides of the courtyard, new covered pavilions of about 625 square feet each will provide more protection from the elements, with openwork trellises and glazed pergola roofs, the plans show.

A new service elevator to the basement would be built in the courtyard's southeast corner, and a storage space will go into the northeast corner, according to the plans.

The Mediterranean Courtyard sits in a unique location within the massive complex that is The Breakers, said David Rau, partner and architect with Hart Howerton, the firm behind the courtyard revitalization's design.

The towers that sit on three sides of the courtyard create an almost urban scale, he said.

One of the challenges in creating the design was to address some issues and code deficiencies that have developed over the years, Rau said. That includes creating ADA-compliant ramps on the north and south sides of the courtyard.

The project also includes a full restoration, in the original materials, of the central part of the courtyard, which features a fountain, balusters, railings and stairs.

The tree canopy will be changed to become more robust, adding shade for those who would like to sit or stroll in the Mediterranean Courtyard, Rau said.

What is now a "barren space" will have more, larger palms with broader canopies, and colorful ground cover, he said. The landscaping also will be updated to predominantly native vegetation, Rau said.

To protect the historic stone structure of The Breakers, the conservatory will be self-supporting, only connecting to key stucco areas on the main building, he said.

The pale green color chosen for the conservatory was sourced from original drawings and an early review of The Breakers in The New York Times, which referred to most of the metal work in the resort being a pale green color, Rau said.

The Landmarks Preservation Commission's vote follows Town Council approval April 10 that granted two special exceptions and site plan approval. The exceptions will allow for the new bar in the conservatory addition and for the outdoor seating in the courtyard.

Work is scheduled to begin in May of 2025, Leone told the council.

Kristina Webb is a reporter for Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at kwebb@pbdailynews.com. Subscribe today to support our journalism.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Breakers in Palm Beach gets OK to revitalize Mediterranean Courtyard