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 / 2012 / 2013 / 2014

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