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More about Boca Raton corporate housing
Early explorers, cursing the dangerous rocks that shielded its bay, equated this coastal locale with a
rat's mouth. The colorful Spanish phrase, "boca de ratones," gave rise to the city's name. First populated
by Calusa Indians, who fell victim to disease and raiding, the area also attracted settlers from the
Carolinas and Georgia, who hoped to build their lives on agriculture. In the 1920s, notable Palm Beach
architect, Addison Mizner, bought thousands of acres of land, intending to develop the area into a new
Venice. Shortly after Mizner completed the Cloister Inn (a city landmark now known as the Boca Raton
Resort and Club), several dozen homes in Old Floresta, and Camino Real (an expansive avenue with a
gondola-strewn canal running down its center), the real estate market went bust, and his extensive plans
were never brought to fruition.
However, the hotel survived the decline, and in the 1960s, Florida Atlantic
University brought new life to the area, as did increased tourism. As Boca grew, Mizner's style was
repeated in new construction, giving the town a unified aesthetic and a decidedly pink tint (it was
Mizner's preferred color). Nowadays, technology industries call Boca home, and its population runs towards
the upscale, the affluent, and the style-conscious. Elaborate shopping venues, stunning beachfront parks,
innovative restaurants, and an atmosphere of cultivated leisure appeal to these residents, while visitors
are enticed by both the spectacle and the realization that the good life does indeed exist.
Boca Raton Facts
Boca Raton corporate housing Fact 1:
Exclusivity does have its drawbacks. Unfortunately, they're often at the general public's expense.
The prestigious Boca Raton Resort and Club, the opulent, Mizner-designed resort, boasts incredible
resident restaurants. Widely acknowledged for their excellence, the establishments are, however, sadly
reserved for the pleasure of members and hotel guests. As a result, don't anticipate dining at 27 Ocean
Blue, Nick's Fishmarket, Lucca, or the Club's other venues sans membership or room reservations.
Boca Raton corporate housing Fact 2:
In 1966, IBM bought acreage in Boca to construct
a company facility, helping to institute the city's prominence as a center for technology industries. One
of the items developed by the company's employees was the IBM PC, a little machine that in years since has
changed the face of American society immeasurably.
Boca Raton corporate housing Fact 3:
He's in what? Addison Mizner, the visionary
architect who developed Boca Raton and Palm Beach, was also inclined to eccentricity. Prone to wearing
silk pajamas in public and walking about with a contingent of monkeys and chows, he was a figure for the
ages, both for his personality and the impeccable style with which he endowed South Florida.
Boca Raton corporate housing Fact 4:
Boca, like so many South Florida locales, was
once a major player in the theme park game. Back in the 1950s, the town was home to Africa U.S.A., a
compound devoted to wildlife from the Dark Continent. On 300 acres, jungle vegetation and water features
were installed, and native animals were collected from Africa and shipped to Florida to live in a natural,
cageless environment. Political disagreements and the threat of African red ticks forced the eventual close
of the park - one of the area's most popular attractions for years - and the land was developed afterwards
as the Camino Gardens subdivision.
Boca Raton corporate housing Fact 5:
During the WWII era, the federal government
established an army base at Boca, capitalizing on its prime location and convenient airfields. Officers
attended radar training classes at the Boca Raton Club, which was co-opted to serve as barracks and
classrooms during the conflict. Citizens also took an active role in the fight, keeping watch from a
coastal tower for German submarines and ships.
Boca Raton corporate housing Fact 6:
It's fascinating to imagine the city that might
have sprung up had economic conditions not thwarted Mizner's vision for Boca Raton. Although the Cloisters
Inn, the Town Hall, and Camino Real were constructed, other flights of fancy will only ever exist in the
imagination. Among them are Mizner's own home - a castle built on an island in a lake - and a cathedral
erected to honor his mother.
Boca Raton corporate housing Fact 7:
The first home in Boca was built in 1895 by
Thomas Moore Rickards, a civil engineer and surveyor for Henry Morrison Flagler's railroad. When the
railway was completed, the area was opened to settlers from elsewhere in the Deep South. They were
joined shortly afterwards by Japanese immigrants, who established a pineapple farming settlement that,
although ultimately unsuccessful, gave rise to the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens in nearby Delray
Beach.
Boca Raton corporate housing Fact 8:
Whoever said that cartoons were just for kids?
The International Museum of Cartoon Art legitimizes and catalogs the wide-ranging art, taking great pride
in its collection. Political and entertainment drawings illustrate the scope of subject matter, so whether
you adore Disney's Mickey Mouse, appreciate the artistry of Al Hirschfeld's caricatures, or delight in Mike
Lukovich's political commentary, you'll cultivate a new appreciation for this prolific art in all its
forms.
Boca Raton corporate housing Fact 9:
Although Addison Mizner was a skilled architect,
his social skills and abilities of persuasion also worked in his favor. In his attempts to build Boca
Raton into a world-class resort, he courted such esteemed figures as sewing machine heiress Paris Singer,
cosmetics queen Elizabeth Arden, composer Irving Berlin, actress Marie Dressler, and a scattering of
Vanderbilts and Du Ponts.
Boca Raton corporate housing Fact 10:
In the late 19th century, Boca - although
largely unsettled - fell on a postal route served by the "barefoot mailmen." This group of 11 men covered
the coastal territory between Palm Beach and Miami, often trudging along the beach with a loaded mail sack
and as little clothing as possible. The 136-mile round-trip journey included both boat and foot travel
and was tackled each week for a duration of approximately 7 years. The weekly trek brought in a salary
of less than $60 a month.
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