Mizner Park is a high-end shopping, residential, and entertainment district located in the affluent downtown neighborhood of
Boca Raton, Florida
Boca Raton ( ; ) is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The population was 97,422 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and it ranked as the 23rd-largest city in Florida in 2022. Many people with a Boca Raton Address, ...
. The district consists of a collection of high-end shops and restaurants with luxury apartments built in a Mediterranean Revival architectural style. The mall opened in 1991 on the site of the former Boca Mall, which opened in 1974.
The Centre for the Arts at Mizner Park is located on the north end of the development, which includes an
amphitheatre
An amphitheatre (American English, U.S. English: amphitheater) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ('), meani ...
and the
Boca Raton Museum of Art.
Cooper Carry designed Mizner as a classical
Mediterranean Revival town center. It is named for architect
Addison Mizner, founder of Boca Raton.
History
The site of Mizner Park was previously a conventional enclosed shopping center called Boca Mall, which opened in 1974. Boca Mall was originally anchored by
Britt's and
Jefferson Ward. The former closed in 1982 and was temporarily occupied by
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation (using the trademark IBM), nicknamed Big Blue, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational technology company headquartered in Armonk, New York, and present in over 175 countries. It is ...
offices until 1985, when it was converted to
Levitz Furniture. In 1989, Levitz relocated and Jefferson Ward closed. The colloquial term "
dive bar" may have entered widespread use as a result of a bar located in the mall in its final days. The closure of these anchors led to the mall's demolition and redevelopment.
Mizner Park opened in 1991, expanding in 1996 with a
Jacobson's department store. Jacobson's closed in July 2002 after the chain declared bankruptcy, and its location became Robb & Stucky Interiors in 2003. After Robb & Stucky also declared bankruptcy, its store was closed as well. The building was converted to
Lord & Taylor in 2013.
It was home to the
National Cartoon Museum from 1992 to 2002.
In 2017, Ouzo Bay opened at Mizner Park. It closed in 2019.
Amphitheater
The Mizner Park Amphitheater (originally known as the Count de Hoernle Amphitheater) is an outdoor amphitheater located in Boca Raton, Florida. It can be found in the northeast corner of Mizner Park, an outdoor shopping center in
Pearl City. It was named after the
Count and Countess de Hoernle.
The mid-sized venue cost $6.2 million to construct. It consists of a stage surrounded by a
colonnade
In classical architecture, a colonnade is a long sequence of columns joined by their entablature, often free-standing, or part of a building. Paired or multiple pairs of columns are normally employed in a colonnade which can be straight or curv ...
with a statue and fountain at the entrance of the lawn area. The venue seats 3,520, which can be expanded to 4,200 in a general admission setting.
The venue opened in November 2002 with an inauguration ceremony by Henrietta Rach de Hoernle, followed a concert by
Florida Symphony Orchestra. The city took ownership of the amphitheatre in September 2010, changing the venue's name as well.
It is the summer home to the Boca Raton Symphonia.
Gallery
Image:MiznerBoca2Mch06.jpg, The street median functions as a promenade
Image:MiznerBocaPelican.jpg, Sculpture of an anthropomorphic
Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics to ...
pelican
External links
Mizner Park Cultural CenterArchived site for the amphitheatreArchived site for the Centre for the Arts
References
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Brookfield Properties
Shopping malls in Palm Beach County, Florida
Shopping malls established in 1991
Pedestrian malls in the United States
Buildings and structures in Boca Raton, Florida
Planned communities in Florida
1991 establishments in Florida