Old Northwood West Palm Beach: Buying Into the City's First Historic District

Old Northwood West Palm Beach is the city's first locally designated historic district, and buying there works differently from buying anywhere else in Palm Beach County. You get 1920s Mediterranean Revival and Mission houses on alley-served blocks a few streets from the Intracoastal. You also get a preservation board with a say in your windows. Both halves of that trade are real, so this guide covers both.

Key Takeaways

• The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 14, 1994, under reference number 94000368.
• It was platted in the 1920s by the Pinewood Development Company under David F. Dunkle, who later served as mayor of West Palm Beach.
• The National Register boundary runs roughly between Broadway, North Dixie Highway, and 26th and 35th Streets.
• Exterior work needs a certificate of appropriateness, and that approval comes before the city issues a building permit.
• The surrounding 33407 zip code holds 210 active listings with a median asking price near $429,000, though restored historic houses inside the district trade above that.

What Old Northwood West Palm Beach actually is

The neighborhood predates the boom that built it. Reverend Elbridge Gale retired to this stretch of land in 1884 and cultivated mango trees here, work connected to the development of the Haden variety that later spread across South Florida. The houses came later. In the 1920s, the Pinewood Development Company under David F. Dunkle purchased and platted roughly 400 acres, and the district's contributing structures went up between 1921 and 1929.

Roughly 170 of those original structures still contribute to the district's historic character, according to the Old Northwood Neighborhood Association. The National Park Service records two periods of significance, 1900 to 1924 and 1925 to 1949, with 1921 flagged as the single most significant year. The neighborhood held its status as a prestigious middle-class address into the 1960s, slid through two decades of decline, and came back when individual buyers started restoring houses in the mid-1980s. The neighborhood association formed in 1987, the city granted local historic designation in 1991, and national listing followed in 1994.

The architecture you are actually buying

Three styles dominate: Frame Vernacular, Mission, and Mediterranean Revival. The builders were not anonymous, either. John Volk, Gustav Maass, William Manley King, and T.B. Eissfeldt all worked here, alongside more than fifty individual builders, which is why the streets read as varied rather than tract-built. King's name also attaches to Palm Beach High School and the Armory Arts Center.

One practical quirk shapes daily life: the district was laid out with a rear alley network, so garages and service access sit behind the houses rather than in front of them. That is why the streetscapes stay uninterrupted by driveways, and it is a feature buyers coming from newer suburbs tend to notice immediately.

What historic designation means for your renovation plans

This is the part that surprises people, so read it before you write an offer. Exterior work on a designated or contributing property requires a certificate of appropriateness from the city, and that historic approval must be in hand before any building permit is issued. The procedures live in Section 94-49 of the city's zoning and land development regulations.

Review is tiered rather than absolute. Historic preservation staff can administratively approve minor work: routine maintenance, exact material replacement, small changes not visible from the street. The Historic Preservation Board, which meets monthly, handles the bigger items such as additions, major alterations, demolition, and anything touching the front facade. Roofs, windows, and siding are the most commonly requested alterations, which is worth knowing because those are exactly the items an aging 1920s house tends to need.

The standards applied are the city's preservation ordinance, the West Palm Beach Design Guidelines, and the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation. None of that makes renovation impossible. It makes it slower and more specific, and it rewards buyers who plan the work before closing rather than after. There is an upside worth asking about too: Section 94-51 of the city code establishes a historic preservation property tax exemption program, so confirm the current terms with the city before you assume your rehab carries no tax benefit.

Location, Northwood Village, and the Currie Park question

Northwood Village sits immediately adjacent, seven blocks of independent shops, galleries, cafes, and restaurants along Northwood Road, a street originally laid out in the early 1920s as the city's intended second main street. Art Night Out runs there on the last Friday of each month. Downtown West Palm Beach and Clematis Street sit roughly two miles south, as does the Brightline station at 501 Evernia Street, which opened for revenue service in January 2018.

Currie Park is the wildcard. The 16.5-acre waterfront park at 2400 North Flagler Drive, deeded to the city in 1920 by former mayor George Graham Currie, is in the middle of a $35.5 million redevelopment. Its boat ramps and parking lot closed on September 2, 2025, with reopening expected in spring 2027. The plan includes a waterfront promenade, an events pavilion, a fishing pier, a splash pad, tennis and pickleball courts, and a waterfront restaurant. If you buy now, you buy through the construction and into whatever that park becomes.

One correction to how the neighborhood often gets described: Old Northwood is near the Intracoastal, not on it. The National Register boundary runs to inland streets, so treat any listing that implies waterfront as a claim to verify rather than accept.

What it costs

Precision matters here, because the easy numbers mislead. Across West Palm Beach as a whole, our MLS feed currently shows 1,950 active listings with a median asking price near $319,000. Inside the 33407 zip code that contains Old Northwood, there are 210 active listings with a median near $429,000. Census figures for the same zip put the median value of owner-occupied housing at about $342,000 in the 2024 American Community Survey five-year estimates, with a margin of error of roughly $20,000.

None of those three numbers is an Old Northwood price. The 33407 boundary covers far more ground than the historic district and includes considerably cheaper areas, so restored historic houses inside the district consistently sell above the zip median. Ask for comparable sales drawn from the district itself rather than the zip code, and treat any published neighborhood estimate with suspicion. Our West Palm Beach market page and the Northwood community page show what is actually listed right now.

Who it fits, and who it does not

Old Northwood works for buyers who want architecture with provenance, walkability to a real commercial street, and a short drive to downtown and the train. It works for people who find the review process reassuring rather than restrictive, because the same rules that govern your windows also govern your neighbor's.

It does not fit buyers who want turnkey newness, large modern floor plans, or the freedom to reskin a house on their own schedule. Anyone weighing that trade should also price out newer inventory elsewhere in the county before committing, and our guide to the cost of living in West Palm Beach is a reasonable starting point. Buyers drawn specifically to period houses can browse historic homes across South Florida to see how the district compares on price.

Frequently asked questions

Is Old Northwood a good investment?

The district has appreciated substantially since the 1980s restoration wave, and designation limits the supply of comparable housing, which supports value. That said, historic houses carry higher maintenance and insurance costs than newer construction, and the review process lengthens any renovation timeline. Run the numbers on carrying costs, not just purchase price.

Can I add on to a historic house in Old Northwood?

Often yes, but additions go to the Historic Preservation Board rather than staff, and they are judged against the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation. Design the addition with those standards in mind from the start. Retrofitting a rejected plan costs far more than drawing it correctly the first time.

How far is Old Northwood from Palm Beach island?

Close. The district sits a few blocks west of the Intracoastal, and the island is reached by bridge from West Palm Beach. Confirm the specific route and timing for any address you are considering, since bridge openings affect it.

Is Old Northwood walkable?

To Northwood Village, yes, and that is much of the appeal. Downtown and the beach still involve a drive. Treat it as a walkable pocket inside a car-oriented city rather than a fully walkable neighborhood.

Considering a historic house in West Palm Beach? We can pull district-level comparable sales, flag which properties are contributing structures, and connect you with the city's preservation staff before you write an offer. Contact Pure Equity and we will tell you what the renovation will actually involve.

Sources

• National Park Service, National Register record 94000368
• City of West Palm Beach, Historic Preservation
• West Palm Beach Code of Ordinances, Section 94-78
• Old Northwood Neighborhood Association, neighborhood history
• Census Reporter, ZCTA 33407 American Community Survey profile

Listing counts and median prices reflect active BeachesMLS data at the time of writing and change constantly. Historic district rules, review procedures, and tax exemption terms are set by the City of West Palm Beach and can change. Verify current requirements with the city's planning division before purchasing or beginning work.