Singer Island is a peninsula on the Atlantic coast of Palm Beach County, Florida, in the South Florida metropolitan area. Most of it is in the city of Riviera Beach, but the town of Palm Beach Shores occupies its southern tip. Its latitude of is 26.784 N and its longitude is −80.037; Florida's easternmost point is in Palm Beach Shores. Before the Palm Beach Inlet was created, Singer Island was connected to the island of Palm Beach to the south.[1]
 Sailfish Marina on Singer Island, Lake Worth, West Palm Beach, Florida | |
  Singer Island Singer Island  Singer Island Singer Island (North Atlantic) | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | North Atlantic |
| Coordinates | 26°47′06″N 80°02′15″W / 26.78500°N 80.03750°W |
| Administration | |
| County | Palm Beach |
History
edit
Named after Palm Beach developer Paris Singer, a son of the Singer Sewing Machine magnate Isaac Singer, Singer Island has parks, marinas, hiking and bike paths, as well as 4.7 miles (7.6 km) of white sand beach[2] that has been considered one of the top five beaches in Palm Beach County.
Singer Island is 3 miles (4.8 km) from North Palm Beach, 5.4 miles (8.7 km) from West Palm Beach, 5.4 miles (8.7 km) from Palm Beach Gardens, 6.2 miles (10.0 km) from Juno Beach, and 10.6 miles (17.1 km) from Jupiter.
Singer Island was originally planned by Paris Singer as a development called Palm Beach Ocean.[3] Along with Addison Mizner, Singer intended to build a luxury resort hotel called the Paris Singer Hotel on the south end of the island, and a more typical resort called the Blue Heron toward the north, with homes and a golf course in between.[4] Due to problems clearing titles, Singer's plans changed, and he decided to build only the luxury hotel on the island's south end and to call it the Blue Heron.[1] Virtually every home lot in Palm Beach Ocean was sold, and $2 million (the equivalent of approximately $28 million in 2018) was poured into the Blue Heron.[3] However, due to the abrupt end of the Florida land boom of the 1920s, not a single house was built on any of the lots, and the Blue Heron was left uncompleted.[3] Its shell was razed in 1940.[4] The Hilton Singer Island Oceanfront Resort now stands in its place.
Notable residents
edit- John D. MacArthur
- Michelle McGann, professional golfer
- Clarence Clemons, member, E Street Band
Singer Island is home to thousands of condos.[citation needed] The tallest building is the 42-story "Tiara", which was severely damaged by two hurricanes in 2004, with residents displaced from 2004 to 2008,[5][6][7][8] reportedly restored.[9]
Singer Island is the setting of several Frederick Exley novels.[10][11]
See also
editParks
editJohn D. MacArthur Beach State Park, a coastal and tropical hammock and mangrove forest, this barrier island provides a haven for several rare or endangered native tropical and coastal plant species[12]
References
edit- ^ a b "Singer Island History". Singer Island Civic Association. Archived from the original (Microsoft Word) on 29 July 2007. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
- ^ Photos on Flickr
- ^ a b c Ballinger, Kenneth (1936). Miami Millions: the dance of the dollars in the great Florida land boom of 1925. Miami: The Franklin Press, Inc. p. 95.
- ^ a b "History of Singer Island". singerisland.com. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
- ^ Tiara condo association sues insurer over hurricane repairs
- ^ Hurricane Jeanne; Hurricane Frances; Oct 15, 2004; Florida Department of Environmental Protection
- ^ TIARA TOWER NOT SAFE FOR RESIDENTS - Sun Sentinel
- ^ Musgrave, Jane (27 July 2008). "Tiara residents eager to return to restored condo on Singer Island". The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved 20 May 2012.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Doris, Tony (29 September 2004). "High-rise damage altering old views". The Palm Beach Post. Archived from the original on 12 February 2012. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
- ^ Kazin, Alfred (20 April 1975). "Pages From a Cold Island". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
- ^ "Frederick Exley Papers". rbscp.lib.rochester.edu. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
- ^ https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/john-d-macarthur-beach-state-park [bare URL]