Palm Beach By Design: Then and Now — Architectural Panel at the Historic Courthouse

Palm Beach By Design Then and Now brings a concentrated hour-and-a-half of design conversation to the historic courthouse at 300 N. Dixie Hwy. in West Palm Beach. This panel pairs leading local practitioners—Robert Bell, Lisa Erdmann, Joe Morin, and John Melhorn—with moderator Jeff Sophir to map how architecture, landscape, and luxury construction shape the face of Palm Beach today. Expect grounded professional talk about civic scale, residential detail, and the material choices that endure in coastal Florida.

The program opens with remarks by Shanon Materio and unfolds on the courthouse’s third floor, a civic interior that frames the conversation in plaster, woodwork, and period light. The venue itself is part of the story: hearing about design inside a preserved municipal building makes the past-and-present comparison tangible, from façade rhythm to window proportions. Guests will leave with a clearer sense of how regional climate, palm-dominated planting palettes, and shoreline pressures influence decisions from hardscape to interior finishes.

This event suits architects, designers, preservation advocates, and curious travelers who want context beyond the brochure. Topics tend to range from landscape strategies for salt-prone species to the economics of luxury residential construction, and the panelists’ varied perspectives create a practical through-line: how to design well for place, not just for image. The format—one moderated conversation followed by a reception—makes it easy to ask focused questions and follow up with presenters afterward.

Logistics are simple: check in on the third floor; the historic courthouse address is 300 N. Dixie Hwy., West Palm Beach, FL 33401. The space is wheelchair accessible. Bookings for members may require a seven-digit HSPBC member number to receive a discount; if you need help, email [email protected]. No specialized gear or physical exertion is required—just bring business cards and a notebook if you plan to network.

Photographers and writers will appreciate the courthouse’s architectural details and natural light during the afternoon reception, while design students can catalog real-world examples mentioned during the talk. Because conversations focus on the local built environment, attendees gain immediate takeaways to apply at home or on-site visits across Palm Beach and neighboring neighborhoods. For anyone keen on how place shapes practice, this short program is a concentrated primer on living and building in coastal South Florida.

Attendance is often free for members of HSPBC, a detail worth confirming at booking; nonmembers can still attend by reserving a spot through the event link. The reception that follows creates a low-pressure setting to compare notes with practitioners and local advocates, trade business cards, and spot local design trends firsthand. Whether you are evaluating a renovation project, studying regional landscape design, or simply curious, the panel condenses years of practice into actionable ideas you can test on-site with confidence.