Florida Historical Markers Programs - Marker Detail

Description: Boston entrepreneur Harry S. Kelsey founded Kelsey City in 1921.He envisioned his town as a resort mecca and winter retreat for wealthy northeners.The Town Hall was designed by architect Bruce Kitchell in 1927 and was built by the Arnold Construction Company.Constructed of stuccoed brick and clay tile,this Mediterranean Revival jewel has stylistic features reflective of the late Italian Renaissance,including a rusticated frontispiece,decorative window surrounds and a water table supported by brackets.The Town Hall originally housed the Police and Fire Departments,Town Administration,Library,and Municipal Courtroom.The land boom collapse in the mid 1920s and the Hurricane of 1928,in which the Town Hall served as a shelter for residents,nearly devastated the city.Service organizations provided diversions for those who remained.The Fire Department sponsered dances here in the Mirror Ballroom on the second floor.The ballroom was used for many other social events,such as theatrical performances by the Palm Beach Junior College,which occupied the Town Hall in the 1950s.In 1939 the town changed its name to the Town of Lake Park.Lake Park Town Hall was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1981.