Monkey Man
Addison Mizner is the iconic architect of Boca Raton and Palm Beach, and it is his vision that defined the Boca Raton Resort & Club in the early years of the Florida land boom. Aside from his legendary architecture, Addison Mizner is also known for his love of exotic pets, specifically a spider monkey named Johnnie Brown. Legend has it that Mizner—clad in silk pajamas, with Johnnie Brown on one shoulder and a macaw or a toucan on the other—would wake the hotel’s chef late at night for a midnight snack he invented, the “Bocaroon,” a chocolate, orange and coconut macaroon. Mizner ate the chocolate himself, gave the monkey the orange and shared the coconut with his bird. Today, Johnnie Brown is buried in Palm Beach—one of only two graves on the island. He was laid to rest in the courtyard of Via Mizner, Addison Mizner’s selfstyled home off Worth Avenue. His epitaph reads: “Johnnie Brown, the human monkey.”
1991: The Boca Raton
Resort & Club undergoes an $11 million renovation, bringing the total refurbishing expenditures to $55 million since 1983.
Sweet ChOCOlaTe S’mOReS Cake at 501 east. This campfire classic has taken a contemporary turn—toward delicious!
Just Desserts Golden Opulence at Serendipity. Dig into in a Guinness World Record breaker consisting of 50 scoops of gourmet ice cream, handmade chocolate spire and imported French chocolate truffles. Did we forget to mention the edible 24-karat gold leaf?
1993: The Boca Raton
Management Company replaces VMS Realty Corp. as the general partner for the Boca Raton Hotel & Club Limited Partnership.
1996:
Guest rooms in the Cloister and Tower undergo renovation, and a $10 million tennis and fitness center opens as construction begins on Mizner Center, a $40 million meeting facility.
“To Die For” ChOCOlaTe BlaCk OuT Cake at Seagrille. Whoever coined the saying “Now I can die a happy man” must have partaken in these layers of moist chocolate cake, warm chocolate syrup and fresh whipped cream. Big enough to share and delicious enough to take on your own, no matter how you slice it this dessert is out of this world.
1997: H. Wayne Huiz-
enga and Florida Panther Holdings Inc., now Boca Resorts Inc., purchases the resort for $325 million, and Gene Bates completes a $6.5 million redesign of the Resort Golf Course.
1998: Mizner Center
opens as a comprehensive meeting and conference facility, featuring four unique ballrooms and 80,000 square feet of flexible function space.
mizner’s dream
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