1923 Tropical Sun Print Promotional Brochure of West Palm Beach, Florida

Buildng West Palm Beach.

This is an unrecorded c. 1923 promotional booklet for West Palm Beach, Florida, issued by Tropical Sun Print. It was produced in the early stage of the 1920s Florida Land Boom, when West Palm Beach developed extremely rapidly and adopted much of its distinctive layout and architecture.

A Closer Look

The booklet consists of a colorful cover illustration, a double-page map, and twelve panels of text and photographs. The map depicts Florida and highlights Palm Beach, West Palm Beach, and Palm Beach County. The Florida East Coast Railway, owned by Henry Flagler (1830 - 1913), who was also the driving force behind the development of Palm Beach and West Palm Beach, is also highlighted. A panoramic photograph captures the downtown or business district of West Palm Beach, and additional photographs showcase the community's advantages, with a focus on recreational activities such as golf, swimming, fishing, and musical concerts. Promotional text extols the city's school system, hotels, housing, water supply, and postal service.

Building West Palm Beach

The early history of West Palm Beach is inextricably linked with the vision of Henry Flagler, the Standard Oil tycoon who saw the untapped potential of Florida's Atlantic coast. Before the city's official incorporation in 1894, the area was a rugged frontier inhabited by a few dozen settlers. Flagler's original intent was to create a 'servant city' to support his grand Royal Poinciana Hotel and other hotels on the neighboring island of Palm Beach. However, West Palm Beach quickly outgrew its secondary status.

With the arrival of the Florida East Coast Railway, the city became a bustling commercial hub, serving as the southernmost terminus of the railway for a time and drawing in laborers, merchants, and entrepreneurs who transformed the pine scrub into a structured urban grid. West Palm Beach blossomed during the Florida Land Boom of the 1920s. This era saw an explosion of Mediterranean Revival architecture, the construction of the iconic El Cid and Flamingo Park neighborhoods, and the establishment of Clematis Street as a premier shopping destination. This golden age of development defined the city's aesthetic and economic foundation. However, it would soon face the challenges of the 1926 Great Miami Hurricane, the end of the Florida Land Boom, and the Great Depression.

Publication History and Census

This booklet was printed by Tropical Sun Print in West Palm Beach, likely for the local Bureau of Information. It is undated, but from the text within (particularly in the second panel), it can be presumed to be from 1923. We have been unable to find any examples of this booklet in institutional collections.

Condition

Very good. Slight wear on old fold lines.