From Mizner’s Dream City to Mizner Park
Before anyone was drinking coffee under the palm trees on Plaza Real, Boca Raton was mostly just a big idea in Addison Cairns Mizner’s mind.
Born in 1872 and gone by 1933, he never saw Mizner Park, never walked by its fountains or colorful buildings, yet the place still shows what he liked: arches, tiles, and a bit of European style added to the Florida landscape.
In the 1920s, he became a well-known architect, giving South Florida a new look with building styles inspired by the Mediterranean and old Spanish designs. These styles made it feel like a bit of Spain had moved in…