Construction is expected to begin May 1 on the renovation of two major buildings on the Society of the Four Arts campus.
The expansion and upgrade of the Rovensky Administrative and O’Keeffe Gallery buildings, on the west side of the 10-acre campus, is estimated to reach completion by November 1, 2027.
The Four Arts should be ready to fully reopen in time for the 2027-28 season, Keith Spina, of Spina O’Rourke and Partners of West Palm Beach, told the Palm Beach Town Council Wednesday.
The renovation and expansion will allow for better exhibitions and performances in the O’Keeffe building and more space for the Children’s Library in the Rovensky building, the Four Arts has said.
Spina described the construction schedule as “pretty aggressive” and said the job site will be completely screened.
The screening will include a standard six-foot fence with green construction screening. Behind that will be a 20-foot-tall lighter green screening with silhouettes of palm trees on the west and south sides of the campus. The screening on the east and south sides of the Rovensky Building will have a printed image of that building, Spina said.
As the Lake Trail heads south toward the Four Arts campus, it will be routed along Seaview Avenue to Cocoanut Row, then back along Royal Palm Way to the traditional Lake Trail entrance.
Construction workers will park outside of town and be bused to the work site to reduce the number of employee vehicles and minimize traffic impacts, Spina said.
Construction will follow the hourly schedule set by the town, he said. The town allows construction from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. on weekdays, with no work on weekends or holidays, during the peak season months of April through December.
Summer construction hours are 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. Saturday work is generally prohibited, or limited to interior-only work from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.
A construction management agreement between the town and the Four Arts, governing traffic mitigation and other controls over the construction site, is nearly completed, according to Zoning Director Wayne Bergman.
Mayor Danielle Moore said she anticipates the Four Arts will continue to work with the town to minimize traffic impacts.
“They have a huge site in which to stage their trucks,” Moore told the Civic Association Friday. “Within 200 yards of the [Royal Park] bridge, they are off the main road. You could not have a better scenario.”
David Darby, head of marketing and communications at the Society of the Four Arts, told the Civic Association that the Four Arts’ King Library, Dixon Education Building, Philip Hulitar Sculpture Garden and Four Arts Demonstration Garden, all located on the east side of the campus, will remain open to the public throughout the construction period.
The Children’s Library, which is normally in the Rovensky building, will be temporarily relocated into the Dixon Education Building and remain open to the public.
During the construction period, two other venues in Palm Beach will host Four Arts’ speakers and concerts, Darby said. Details of these engagements are being ironed out.
The Rovensky and O’Keeffe buildings were designed by architect Addison Mizner in the 1920s and modified by architect John Volk in the 1940s. The Four Arts, which was founded in 1936, purchased the O’Keeffe building in the 1940s and the Rovensky building in the 1990s.
The Four Arts has said the construction and renovation of the aging buildings, estimated at a cost of $200 million, is long overdue and will greatly enhance the guest experience of the auditorium and Children’s Library.
At the O’Keeffe, the changes include an expanded auditorium with a new backstage space and fewer seats; improved acoustics in the auditorium; a new air-conditioning system; more restroom space; and more space on the second floor for arts storage and conservation.
The Rovensky building plans call for a 10,356-square-foot, three-story addition on the building’s north side that will occupy space now used as a staff parking lot; a larger Children’s Library, moved to the first floor with a dedicated entrance; new staff offices and a boardroom with a terrace; and new offices for the Garden Club of Palm Beach.
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