Some places take true vision to become the incredible destinations that they are now; it takes the ability to see the diamond in the rough. An incredible oasis of 24-hour entertainment beset by desert on all sides, Las Vegas required such vision.
Still others are meant to be. This is not to belittle the immense effort put forth by the forebears of Singer Island, Florida as we know it today, but rather to express the profound luxury of this remarkable destination. With pristine beaches, bold vegetation, and peerless weather, that Paris Eugene Singer saw this humble island as a paradise is really no surprise at all. It always has been.
The area known today as Singer Island has only been settled since 1906, when a cobbled community of fishermen and squatters from Riviera Beach and even the Bahamas moved in and named the place Inlet City. The proximity to Gulf Stream waters was much desired by the Fishermen at the time.
In 1920, the 23rd son of sewing machine magnate Isaac Singer, Paris Eugene Singer, visited Palm Beach and the island and developed an immediate love of the area. Singer met local architect Addison Mizner, whom he promised to pay a yearly stipend of $6,000 if Mizner would work exclusively in the Singer Island area. Together the two set about the task of establishing the island as a luxury resort almost immediately, with plans for two hotels, one upscale and one modest, separated by a 36-hole golf course.
His passion far exceeding the reality of the times, Singer’s dreams were endangered by a slowing economy from 1925 and finally finished by the double-whammy of a major hurricane in 1928 and the 1929 stock market crash. The last of Singer’s material contributions, the unfinished Blue Heron hotel, was razed in 1940. (The Hilton Singer Island Oceanfront Resort now stands where the Blue Heron once did).
All was not done for Singer Island, however. Beginning in 1940, a flurry of new interest came to town, most notably the purchase of 240 acres by hotel and railroad tycoon A. O. Edwards. Going far beyond Paris Singer’s comparatively-humble plans, Edwards built roadways, walkways, and parks, as well as the Inlet Court Hotel (later named the Colonnades). Not long after, he built a steel and concrete two-lane bridge which allowed passage over and through the Intracoastal Waterway.
After Edwards’ death, Chicago billionaire John D. MacArthur took up the task of Singer Island visionary and continued to develop the island, although his most important contribution was likely the donation of parklands made upon his death. In 1989, the MacArthur Beach State Park opened as a direct result.
All this time, from the mid-1950’s onwards, Singer Island has continued to see the growth of resorts, timeshare condominiums and other luxury facilities, slowly becoming the world-class vacation destination that it is today.
At the heart of the new Singer Island is the Hilton Singer Island Oceanfront Resort. Come discover luxury over 100 years in the making!
