Palm Beach officials have sent a proposal for a historical marker honoring fashion icon Lilly Pulitzer back to the drawing board.
The City Council voted unanimously at the Oct. 14 meeting to reject the proposed sign, which was requested by the Florida Women’s Historical Markers Initiative and would have been in front of the current Lilly Pulitzer store at 240 Worth Ave.
While council members said they supported the concept and appreciated the late Pulitzer’s contributions to the city, they questioned the location of the sign, the precedent of allowing a historical marker for a person instead of a place, and the sign’s 6-foot height.
“I think maybe there’s a place where this could work, but where it’s proposed now has nothing to do with Lilly Pulitzer, and Via Mizner is a much more charming, quintessential Palm Beach design venue,” said council President Bobbie Lindsay. “So even with the size, which is a little hard for me to understand, there may be a place there where it could fit well.”
Pulitzer was a longtime resident of Palm Beach and died in 2013 at age 81. He established his clothing line while running a juice stand near Worth Avenue in the 1950s. He became famous for designing dresses with bright prints because they masked juice stains. His first clothing store was at number 11 Via Mizner.
“She had a story that everyone loves and is known around the world,” said Lynette Long, founder of the Florida Women’s Historical Marker Initiative.
The council encouraged Long to look at a possible location on Via Mizner, rather than on Worth Avenue, across from a store that may not be the long-term home of the Lully Pulitzer brand, which was sold in 1993 to Sugartown Worldwide LLC. Via Mizner is privately owned.
“I would like to deny it, as much as I hate to do that to you,” Councilwoman Julie Araskog told Long. “But I think it sets a terrible precedent and as much as I would like to do it, there are a lot of people who would like to be recognized and we could finish them off all over the place.”
Get more Palm Beach: SIGN UP today to receive our daily newsletters and news alerts
The marker’s proposed text includes information about Pulitzer’s time in Palm Beach and details about the early years of its namesake brand.
Long said she launched her efforts to place a historical marker honoring a woman in each of Florida’s 67 counties in 2017, after learning that only six of the 950 markers in the state had been placed for women.
This Lilly Pulitzer advertisement appeared in The Palm Beach Post on April 14, 1973.
Since then, markers have been erected for women such as Julia Tuttle, Betty Mae Tiger Jumper and Amelia Earhart. On Nov. 4, the initiative will dedicate a marker to long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad in Fort Lauderdale, Long said.
For a historical marker to be placed in Florida, someone must nominate a person to be honored, and that nomination is submitted to the Florida Historical Marker Program and reviewed by a panel of experts, Long said. As part of his process, Long said he has to get the support of whoever owns the property where the marker is planned to be placed. In this case, the right of way in front of the Lilly Pulitzer store on Worth Avenue belongs to the town.
Long obtained glowing letters of support for the marker from Lilly Pulitzer CEO Michelle Kelly and Worth Avenue Association President Frank Steinhart.
“Everyone loves the idea” of a Pulitzer marker, Long said. “For me, it’s putting women back in a history book,” she said.
Palm Beach would not have to pay for the scoreboard or its maintenance, he said. Any costs would be covered by a donor and maintenance would be covered by the state, Long said.
Nothing has been submitted to the state, because the city would have had to approve it first, he said.
There are six Florida historical markers in Palm Beach, and they are all for places, not people, council members noted.
Lindsay spoke with members of the Pulitzer family who love the idea of ​​a marker but “recognize that this was not its original location,” he said.
Council President Pro-Tem encouraged Long to contact the Palm Beach County Historical Society to find other potential candidates who may not be in Palm Beach. The council is more likely to approve the request if the marker is proposed to be placed on private property, he said.
“But at this point, I think putting it on Worth Avenue isn’t the best idea, especially in that pole format,” Crampton said.
The marker was originally scheduled to be considered at the Sept. 9 council meeting, but representatives from the Florida Women’s Historical Marker Initiative requested a one-month delay because they were unable to attend.
Kristina Webb is a reporter for the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. She can be reached at kwebb@pbdailynews.com. Subscribe today to support our journalism.
This article originally appeared in the Palm Beach Daily News: Palm Beach Council Denies Lilly Pulitzer Historical Marker Request