Historic Andrews House: board asks City Commission to pursue Ocean Avenue relocation next to Magnuson House

The Boynton Beach Historic Preservation Board voted to ask the City Commission to relocate the Andrews House to a site adjacent to the Magnuson House on Ocean Avenue and to pursue city or CRA ownership, the board decided during a staff presentation and a period of public comment.

The board’s actions follow a presentation from Richard Hoffer, assistant director of Public Works, who reviewed three potential relocation sites and early technical findings, including building-code and fire-safety separation requirements that could affect some options. “The presentation I’m giving this evening is actually the same presentation that was given at the last commission meeting,” Hoffer said, and he outlined site constraints, zoning designations and preliminary budget estimates.

The nut of the discussion was site feasibility and preservation. Hoffer told the board the city narrowed an initial list of five candidate lots to three, and that one site next to the Magnuson House raised issues because the two wood-frame structures would need a 20-foot separation under feedback from fire and building officials. Hoffer said that raised potential costs for increased fire-rating of walls and other upgrades. He also presented a contractor price range for physically moving the house and a broad budget estimate for foundation, utilities and site work: moving alone was quoted at roughly $75,000–$150,000; foundation and utilities and site work were presented in the $225,000 range; and with contingencies the total project budget could approach the low hundreds of thousands (Hoffer described a potential range near $290,000–$390,000 as an order-of-magnitude estimate).

Public commenters and board members urged prompt action to save the building. Susan Oyer of Boynton Beach told the board she favored the Ocean Avenue location and urged caution about placing intensive uses such as full-service restaurants in historic structures; she said, “You need to have the least intensive use possible on a building of this age so that you can maintain it.” Tom (vice chair, citizen committee to save the Andrews House and a member of the Boynton Beach Historical Society) described the house as a local “treasure” and urged that the house be used for public purposes. Ben Lowe, a professor of history at Florida Atlantic University, recommended hiring a historic planner and supported the Magnuson-adjacent site to form a walkable heritage cluster downtown.

Board members discussed zoning and technical fixes, noting options such as rotating the structure or shifting it on a lot to meet the 20-foot rule. Staff said those options — including exploring use of a public right-of-way or obtaining variances — would require further review with planning and building officials and that the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) and city commission would be involved because at least one candidate lot is CRA-owned.

Following the presentation and public comment, board members made and passed three motions: (1) to request the City Commission choose Location 2 (adjacent to the Magnuson House on Ocean Avenue) as the preferred relocation site; (2) to request that the City Commission pursue ownership of the Andrews House by the city and/or the CRA; and (3) to request that the City Commission repurpose the Andrews House for public use (broadly described by the board to include museum, welcome center or light commercial uses that serve the public rather than intensive restaurant operations). The board’s motions were carried by voice vote; the public-record minutes do not list individual roll-call votes.

Next steps identified by staff included follow-up with the CRA and a scheduled CRA meeting where staff will present the same material as an informational item; staff said further city commission hearings and planning reviews will be required for any site change, ownership transfer, design work or permits.

Board members and members of the public pressed for more transparency on permits and demolition activity. Several speakers said a demolition permit had been issued for the property and asked why the board had not been notified earlier; staff replied they would gather permit timelines and respond via email. Board members and commenters urged rapid action to preserve the building and suggested the board’s recommendation be forwarded to the CRA and city commission.

Votes at a glance

- Motion: Request City Commission choose Location 2, adjacent to the Magnuson House on Ocean Avenue — Outcome: approved (voice vote; counts not recorded). - Motion: Request City Commission pursue ownership transfer of the Andrews House to the city and/or CRA — Outcome: approved (voice vote; counts not recorded). - Motion: Request City Commission repurpose the Andrews House for public use (museum/welcome center/light commercial) — Outcome: approved (voice vote; counts not recorded).

Ending

Staff said the CRA agenda would include further discussion; the board requested prompt public follow-up by staff on permit timelines and technical reports cited during the meeting. The board also asked that staff return with updates at the next meeting and that the City Commission be informed of the board’s recommendations.