Palm Beach’s notoriously hard-nosed Architectural Commission recently took one look at a Spanish-style house designed for a Midtown ocean-block lot — and loved it.
It’s rare for a project to not only pass muster with the design board on its initial presentation but also to win unanimous accolades in the process. Yet that’s what happened at the board’s most recent meeting, as commissioners reviewed page after page of a hefty presentation packet detailing the house proposed for 129 Chilean Ave. for financier George Mykoniatis and his wife, Joyce.
“What’s not to like?” Vice Chairman Richard Sammons said after hearing Palm Beach architect Kyle Bartholemew Fant of Bartholemew + Partners present the project.
It was high praise from Sammons, a fellow architect who ran the meeting in the absence of Chairman Jeff Smith. Sammons is known for meticulously pointing out problems with proposed houses regarding scale and questioning the historical authenticity of details.
But Sammons had only a few suggestions for minor refinements to Fant’s design, including advice to make sure the walls looked appropriately thick at window and door openings.