In the 1920s, legendary architects Addison Mizner and Maurice Fatio transformed much of Palm Beach into a Spanish-Moorish fantasy. Front doors were designed as grand statements of wealth and security. Mizner favored heavy wooden doors made of dark pecky cypress or oak. Frequently he used acid and wire brushes to artificially age the wood, giving new doors a 400-year-old Spanish castle aesthetic. Such doors often feature small viewing windows (rejas) protected by intricate wrought-iron grilles. These offered ventilation while maintaining fortress-like security. Doors were often framed by massive ornate archways, made of local coquina stone (porous sedimentary rock primarily composed of ancient shell fragments) or cast concrete designed to look like Spanish limestone, embellished with carved family crests.
In complete contrast, just across a bridge in the designated historic districts of Lake Worth Beach, the streets are lined with colorful 1920s cottages. Palm Beach built palaces, while Lake Worth provided homes for working-class settlers and artisans. There, entryways became canvases for vibrant pastel and tropical colors— aquamarine, coral, and Key Lime green—set against classic white stucco or wood-siding façades.
Whether baronial or domestic, all front doors intrigue passersby and baronial or domestic, all front doors intrigue passersby and invite speculation about the hidden worlds within.
