In words and photographs, the story of visionary architect Addison Mizner * Introduced the Mediterranean Revival and Spanish Colonial Revival styles to southern Florida * Designed and developed the resort town of Boca Raton * Designed the exquisite Everglades Club in Palm Beach Addison Mizner transformed Palm Beach and South Florida with his visionary architecture. He designed, among many others, the landmark Everglades Club in Palm Beach and the Boca Raton Resort and Club in Boca Raton. In this detailed biography, Stephen Perkins and James Caughman examine Mizner's life and origins, and explore how the events of his life influenced his marvelous architectural legacy.

An architect who excelled at transforming an architectural fantasy into a practical, livable home, Addison Mizner was one of the most original and influential designers America has produced. The houses, clubs, and shops he built for the wealthy of Palm Beach and Boca Raton, Florida, evince a brilliant grasp of how to blend a building with the environment, how to adapt it to the climate and how to situate it in order to make the best use of the elements of sea, light, and air. This lavishly illustrated volume recaptures the genius of Addison Mizner. It contains over 180 photographs — both interiors and exteriors — depicting more than 30 residences, including Mizner's own, plus those of Harold Vanderbilt, Rudman Wanamaker, A. J. Drexel Biddle, Jr., Edward Shearson, Mrs. Hugh Dillman, and many more. Also covered are such landmark Mizner creations as the Everglades Club, Via Parigi, the Singer Building, The Cloister at Boca Raton, the Riverside Baptist Church at Jacksonville, and many others. A superb appreciation by author and journalist Ida M. Tarbell offers fascinating glimpses into Mizner's early life and background, and how it prepared him to develop architecture that "belonged" in the Florida landscape. Inspired by the beauty and charm of the villas and palaces of the Mediterranean, Mizner designed in a Spanish Colonial style far better suited to the subtropical sun and climate of Florida than the transplanted houses of the North at first so common in the state. A new Introduction by Mizner scholar Donald W. Curl offers an additional appreciation of the architect and his innovative and imaginative conceptions, which continue to win new admirers among connoisseurs of classic design. Reproduced from a rare edition much sought after by collectors, this inexpensive volume will be welcomed by architects, students and historians of architecture — and anyone interested in the life and achievements of Addison Mizner.

This is the first complete biography of the inimitable society architect Addison Mizner, whose Spanish Revival buildings created a new style of resort architecture for Palm Beach and south Florida during the boom years of the 1920s. By 1925, Mizner ranked as one of the country's most prominent architects, as important in his own time as Richard Morris Hunt and Stanford White had been in theirs. The book's 150 illustrations include plans and historical photographs - many published for the first time - showing Mizner's handling of space, the relation of his houses to the landscape, and the many picturesque buildings that combined the comfort and convenience expected by his clients. Donald W. Curl is Professor of History at Florida Atlantic University. The Architectural History Foundation American Monograph Series.

Mizner was a playwright, raconteur, entrepreneur, and swindler. He frequented New York, Hollywood, and Florida. He was known for his witticisms.

Palm Beach County is a unique destination on an outstanding peninsula. It promises "The Best of Everything" -- and delivers with legendary resorts, world-class shopping, pristine beaches, delectable cuisine, award-winning parks, the ancient Everglades, top-flight golf and much more. Local authors tell you from experience how to find the brightest and the best in more than 450 pages in The Insiders' Guide "RM" to Boca Raton & the Palm Beaches.