Addison Mizner
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Addison Mizner (1872-1933) was a resort architect born in Benicia, California. Mizner did not have formal training. As a child he traveled around the world with his father, who was the United States minister to Guatemala. Mizner began his architectural career in San Francisco and later worked in New York City.
Mizner was the brother and sometime partner of businessman and con artist Wilson Mizner.
At age 46, he moved to Palm Beach, Florida, for his health, and his Spanish Revival architecture won the attention of wealthy clients in West Palm Beach, Florida and Palm Beach, Florida.
When Mizner moved to Florida, Boca Raton was a tiny, unincorporated town. Mizner aspired to transform it into a luxurious resort community. In 1925, he started Mizner Development Corporation and purchased more than 1,500 acres (6 km²), including two miles (3 km) of beach. He mailed out promotional material that boasted a 1,000-room hotel, golf courses, parks and a street wide enough to fit 20 lanes of traffic. Mizner's example was followed by other developers and eventually Boca Raton became all that he envisioned. He ended up bankrupt years later and died in 1933 of a heart attack. An 11-foot tall statue of Addison Mizner by Columbian sculptor Cristobal Gaviria was erected in Boca Raton in March 2005 (Mizner Blvd. and Federal Highway (U.S. Route 1) to commemorate his contributions to Boca Raton and Florida architecture.
External links
Mizner also designed and built the historic Riverside Baptist Church in Jacksonville, FL, which he completed in 1926. Because he promised to build the church in honor of his mother, Mizner refused payment for his services. The church is Mizner's only piece of religious architecture.link=*[link]
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