Delray Beach Historic Preservation Board names 2026 award winners

The City of Delray Beach Historic Preservation Board on April 15 reviewed completed projects and selected its 2026 Historic Preservation Board Award winners, across residential, commercial and individually designated property categories.

Michelle Hoyland, principal planner for the record, opened the evening’s deliberations and walked the board through nominees drawn from local historic districts, noting that all nominees had Certificates of Occupancy and that May is National Historic Preservation Month.

In the category for residential contributing additions and rehabilitation, the board selected 108 Northwest 4th Avenue in the West Settlers Historic District. Staff described the property as a completed rehabilitation with a modest addition; board members said the recent work had rescued a resource that might otherwise have been lost. The motion to name 108 NW 4th Ave the winner was made by Board member Chris Cabezas and carried on a roll-call vote with six yes votes and one member absent.

For residential contributing exterior alterations, the board chose 503 Northeast 2nd Avenue in the Del Ida Park Historic District. Members praised the restoration of a Streamline Moderne porthole window and careful exterior work that retained character-defining features. The board approved the selection by roll-call vote.

In the residential non-contributing category (new construction/addition/rehabilitation), the board selected 209 Northeast 5th Street (Del Ida Park). Members noted that the new construction was designed to fit the scale and character of the street despite starting from an empty lot; the motion passed on roll call.

The commercial exterior alterations award went to 403 North Swinton Avenue (a corner conversion into offices and refreshed landscaping). The board praised the building’s transformation, especially the landscaping and updated fenestration, and approved the winner.

For the commercial/multifamily non‑contributing category the board selected 98 Northwest 5th Avenue, a CRA project that added ground-floor commercial space, an elevator and upgraded streetscape and paving; members said the project has reactivated that corridor.

The board named two joint winners in the category for commercially individually designated properties: the Sandaway House (142 S. Ocean Blvd.), noted for its visitor and education programming and careful porch enclosure work, and the Colony Hotel (525 E. Atlantic Ave.), recognized for restrained rehabilitation that preserved historic character while adding functional maintenance space. The board moved and approved a motion naming both properties as co-winners.

Board members discussed several recurring themes during deliberations: the value of retaining contributing structures that otherwise risk neglect or demolition, the role of landscaping in perceived project quality, and the difficulty of assessing new construction versus rehabilitation. Staff noted a few site-specific issues raised during review, including a reported neighbor dispute and an alleged $6,000 water-bill claim tied to a tree removal during the duplex project’s earlier ownership, which was described to the board by staff as part of the project’s history.

The board will present certificates and a brief presentation for award winners at its May 6 meeting; staff also plans to highlight winners at an upcoming City Commission presentation. Members were advised to watch for upcoming outreach on Frog Alley, a proposed historic-district study for a historically Black neighborhood in the southwest of the city.

Votes at a glance: 108 NW 4th Ave — motion by Board member Chris Cabezas, seconded and approved by roll call (6 yes, 1 absent); 503 NE 2nd Ave — approved by roll call; 209 NE 5th St — approved by roll call; 403 N Swinton Ave — approved by roll call; 98 NW 5th Ave — approved by roll call; 142 S Ocean Blvd & 525 E Atlantic Ave — approved as joint winners by roll call. (Where roll calls were recorded, one board member, Richard Casper, was absent.)

The meeting adjourned after staff reminders about the May 6 awards presentation and a short preview of the Frog Alley outreach process.