Two new identification signs for the Glazer Hall cultural arts center have won design approval from Palm Beach’s landmarks board.
At its Sept. 17 meeting at Town Hall, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted unanimously to approve the overall design of the signs, one of which will be installed on the east façade of the 24,000-square-foot building, and the other on the west.
A planned third sign for the center’s north façade was withdrawn prior to the board’s meeting.
Glazer Hall, which is under construction at the landmarked Royal Poinciana Playhouse site at 70 Royal Poinciana Plaza, is expected to open in time for the 2025-26 season, though the main theater may not be ready until early next year.
“We’re very happy to be nearing the finish line here,” said Jamie Crowley, an attorney with the Gunster law firm and the land-use counsel for the project.
The landmark board’s approval came one week after the Town Council granted three variances tied to the signs at its development review meeting Sept 10.
A sign identifying Glazer Hall will be installed on the west side of the cultural arts center, as shown in this rendering.
In a 4-1 vote, council members agreed to permit signs on both the east and west façades without street frontage, three identification signs on the east side totaling 24.04 square feet instead of 1, and additional signs on the parapet above the east façade roof, according to town documents.
The two new signs approved by the landmarks board will feature black matte lettering installed with pin mounts, James Murphy, the town’s assistant director of planning, zoning and building, told commission members. They will not be illuminated.
The sign on the center’s west façade, which overlooks the Intracoastal Waterway, will be installed below the roof line and will identify the location of the theater, Crowley said. The existing historic “Royal Poinciana Plaza” sign higher on that side, designating the plaza property, will continue to be displayed.
The sign on the center’s east façade will be placed on the parapet roof above the main theater entrance. It will be located south of and slightly lower than the historic “Playhouse” sign above Cartier, and can be seen from various entry points within Royal Poinciana Plaza.
Longtime town resident Jill Glazer, who along with her husband, Avie, will operate Glazer Hall, told the Daily News Sept. 24 the signs could be in place within three weeks.
Glazer Hall will be Palm Beach’s first new nonprofit arts organization in more than 60 years.
When complete, the waterfront space will host year-round performing arts events, educational outreach, and community and social programming. It will include a fully configurable, 400-seat theater, a state-of-the-art audiovisual system, a wall of windows overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway and exclusive private spaces.
The lobby will be the first space to be completed, Glazer told the Daily News in August, followed by the north terrace.
The north side includes the venue’s kitchen and private upstairs space, which totals about 1,800 square feet, Glazer said.
The venue’s theater will take the longest to complete because of all the electrical equipment that needs to be installed to stage productions there, including cameras, lights, film projectors and sound systems, Glazer said.
Additionally, the theater’s seats are being imported, making more time necessary to complete that area.
While construction work continues, Glazer Hall executive director Allison Stockel and her team are busy planning the venue’s programming.
Glazer Hall will serve as a hub for the performing arts, Stockel told the Daily News in June, with programming set to include dance, music, films and film festivals, Broadway cabaret-style performances, authors and more. Dance also will play a major role in the center’s programming, along with comedy, guest speakers, family-friendly events and arts-education initiatives for students.
Jodie Wagner is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at jwagner@pbdailynews.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Palm Beach board approves two signs for Glazer Hall cultural arts venue