Singer Island Florida: It may surprise many that their daydream of the picture postcard South Florida resort surrounded by spacious sandy beaches and warm turquoise waters will be found on Singer Island, and not in adjacent Palm Beach. Founded by sewing machine magnate Paris Singer, stunning Singer Island is the #1 destination for those vacationing in the Palm Beaches and desiring a first-class beachfront hotel. Here you will the pristine beaches, sunny weather, world class fishing, crystal clear snorkling and SCUBA diving that out-of-state visitors can only daydream about.
The warm Gulfstream waters and balmy Atlantic Ocean breezes combine to provide an ideal year round climate. Singer Island's long sandy beaches are considered by many to be the best in Florida. Simply relax in the sun, or enjoy boating, cycling, snorkeling, sailing, scuba diving, and blue water fishing. Minutes away are the world famous golf courses at PGA. Singer Island is also close to shopping and entertainment at historic Clematis Street, CityPlace, Worth Avenue and the Palm Beach Gardens Mall.
Singer Island was named for Paris Eugene Singer, the famous developer of Palm Beach and 23rd child of Isaac Singer, the sewing machine magnate (Paris also fathered a son with legendary dancer Isadora Duncan in 1910*). In 1920, he visited Palm Beach and met Addison Mizner. He agreed to pay the architect a $6,000 a year retainer for life if his work was confined exclusively to the Palm Beach we know today with its Spanish architecture, picturesque streets and exclusive shops. Singer often took his friends on picnics to the beautiful island directly north of Palm Beach. In anticipation of the Florida real estate boom, he and Mizner planned to develop a luxurious resort (the Paris Singer Hotel) on the south end of the island and a modest hotel (the Blue Heron) on the north end with a 36 hole golf course between the two structures. area.
With Mizner, he created the
The estimated price was four million dollars - a fantastic amount in those years. Mizner was to design the hotels, but it is said Singer was so eager to start, construction of the Blue Heron was begun before the drawings were started. The opening date was set for 1926. The hotel's service wing was the first and the last to be completed. Singer's original plan was to finance the building from the sale of lots throughout the island. The Florida land boom was already slowing down in 1925, and the combination of 1928 hurricane and 1929 stock market crash dealt a mortal blow to Singer's finances. The shell of the Blue Heron remained for 14 years, until Paris Singer's dream finally came to an end when the the abandoned, incomplete hotel was razed in 1940 (the Hilton Hotel stands there now).