College Park Neighborhood
The College Park subdivision was created by plats filed
between December 1924 and May 1925. Edgewood Realty Co. of West
Palm Beach opened the College Park development. Since the original
development was marketed during the Florida Land Boom (1919-1929),
within three hours 90% of the lots were sold. In order to maintain
an upscale residential atmosphere, the developer restricted the
minimum lot width to 50 feet and all newly constructed residential
dwellings were required to cost a minimum of $5,000.
Unique to “College Park” is the naming of each street
after prominent American colleges or universities instead of numbers
or letters. Several of the older homes within College Park were
built during the Florida Land Boom that ended with the 1928 hurricane
and the national economic depression. Several of these homes are
notable for their Mediterranean Revival and Mission Style architecture.
A second building boom occurred in the 1940’s after World
War II which included many single story, slab on grade masonry
houses. These homes are characterized by their Masonry Vernacular,
International and Ranch architectural styles.
Homeowner’s Association Incorporation
The College Park Homeowners Association incorporated
in 1996 under the direction of the first president Robert Lepa.
College Park became the first homeowners association in Lake Worth.
The homeowner’s association was originally formed to address
traffic issues specifically with cut-through traffic between Federal
and Dixie Highways. An official copy of the association by-laws
is available at the City of Lake Worth, and an unsigned draft
copy is available here.
Local and National Historic Districts
As the association evolved it was decided that the College
Park neighborhood should apply for historic places designation.
A survey of contributing historic structures was prepared using
a 50% cost share between the association and the City of Lake
Worth. Based on the survey two historic districts were formed.
The National Register of Historic Places recognizes the homes
within the bounded by Wellesley Dr, Maryland Dr, Pennsylvania
Ave and the alley behind the Dixie Hwy business as a National
Historic District. The homes bounded by Wellesley Dr, Maryland
Dr, Federal Hwy and the alley behind the Dixie Hwy business are
part of a Local Historic District. The portion of College Park
between Federal Highway and the Intracoastal Waterway did not
have enough contributing historic structures to qualify.
Neighborhood Master Plan
Since a portion of College Park was designated a historic
district, matching grant funds were made available from the Federal
Historic Preservation Fund. In 1999 the homeowner’s association
and the City of Lake Worth provided $2,500 each that was matched
by grant funds to commission the development of College
Park Design Guidelines and a Community Master Plan
(large file) for the Local Historic District. Jan Abell Kenneth
Garcia Architects was commissioned to provide these services.
Through a process that included community workshops with residents
and site visits of the neighborhood the findings of the final
report include:
- Background on the development history architecture and landscape
character of College Park,
- Guidelines to assist each property owner in preservation
of architectural heritage; recommendations for new construction
and renovation that respect the community of College Park,
- Essential reading for all architects, builders, real estate
agents and persons planning to build or purchase property and
residents who wish to maintain and renovate their houses.
The principal features of the streetscaping portion of the master
plan was a narrowing of the streets with the use of bulb-outs
or wider swales. In addition medians on Pennsylvania Avenue and
two roundabouts at the intersections of Pennsylvania Ave and Fordham
and Cornell. The roundabout on Fordham was constructed in 2002
using matching funds from the association, but none of the other
features of the Master Plan were implemented. In order to update
the information contained in the Master Plan, another survey of
residents was completed in 2004 which largely reinforced the neighborhoods
interests in narrowing the streets with wider swales or bulb-outs.
The results of the augmented Master Plan were submitted to the
City in 2004, which was the same year the City instituted a Capital
Improvements budget.
Spillway Park
Spillway Park is a park space leased by the city from the South
Florida Water Management District. It was originally used for
construction staging activities for the construction of the S-155
water control structure on the C-51 Canal. Spillway Park can be
accessed by car at the western end of Maryland Drive and by pedestrians
from Columbia Drive via the easement behind the Courtyards at
College Park townhouse development. Spillway Park includes a wooden
pier for recreational access by fisherman to the eastern side
of the S-155 structure. In 2005, the association surveyed residents
and developed a plan for improving the available amenities at
Spillway Park. The primary features of the plan included a mulched
walking trail, additional picnic tables and a playground for children
between the ages of 2-5. Also included in the plan was a request
for additional lighting and vegetation maintenance to increase
overall park safety. The Final
Plan
was submitted to the City of Lake Worth for review and funding.
Annual Home Tours
Annual home tours have been held in the spring or winter
to showcase some of the unique homes and gardens found within
College Park. These events are also fundraisers for the association.
Past Presidents
Mary Lindsey - 2011 and Current President
for 2012
Brent Whitfield - 2007 / 2008 / 2009 / 2010
Cathy Casella - 2006
Erica Whitfield - 2005
Jeff Clemens - 2004
John Paxman - 2002 / 2003
Paul Picard III - 2000 / 2001
Keith Enis - 1999
Robert Lepa - 1996-1998
