LUFF HOUSE IN THE 1920'S
Foreclosed on last January 2010, the Luff House at 390 East Palmetto Park Road is one of the city’s earliest bungalow-style homes, one of Boca Raton’s 10 oldest surviving structures. Not wanting to maintain the house, the current owners want it off the property by the end of the year or demolished.
The house was built in the early 1920’s using coral rock, unique to South Florida. The exterior appearance has changed over the years as you can see in the two pictures above. With no historic designation for the house, the owners can demolish the house if they wish, but the Boca Raton Historical Society feels it is important enough to be relocated and used.
Suggestions for a new location include Sugar Sand or Spanish River Park, if the historical society or someone else could have it moved. Cost is estimated for the move at $175,000. Eligible for state and federal grants, such as from the Florida Bureau of Historic Preservation, those funds have dwindled as the economy has.
Perhaps a group within the area will agree that this property is steeped in historical value and worth saving and reusing, and find funding to get this gem moved and used as an educational facility or for their own personal use. It has been occupied by several businesses – antiques, watches, jewelers, and was the home of community agencies such as the Junior Service League and first home of the Boca Raton Historical Society.
Anyone interested in helping can contact the Boca Raton Historical Society at (561) 395-6766, extension 106.
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