{{Short description|Hotel in Palm Beach, Florida, US}} {{about|the hotel in Palm Beach, Florida|the hotel in Long Beach, California|Breakers Hotel (Long Beach, California)|the hotel in Sandusky, Ohio|Hotel Breakers}} {{Use American English|date=July 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2025}} {{Infobox NRHP | nrhp_type = | name = Breakers Hotel Complex | image = Breakers CIMG0089.JPG | caption = | location = 1 South County Road <br /> [[Palm Beach, Florida]] | coordinates = {{coord|26|42|50|N|80|2|17|W|display=inline,title}} | locmapin = Florida#USA | built = 1925<ref name=fhtic>{{cite web|url=http://www.flheritage.com/services/sites/fht/record_t.cfm?ID=672&type=c&index=50|title=The Breakers|date=February 28, 2007|work=Florida Heritage Tourism Interactive Catalog|publisher=Florida's Office of Cultural and Historical Programs|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070310221901/http://www.flheritage.com/services/sites/fht/record_t.cfm?ID=672&type=c&index=50|archive-date=March 10, 2007}}</ref> | architect = [[Schultze & Weaver]]<ref name=fhtic/> | architecture = [[Renaissance Revival]],<ref name=fhtic/> Late Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Revivals, [[Queen Anne style architecture in the United States#Shingle Style|Shingle Style]] | website = {{URL|https://thebreakers.com/}} | added = August 14, 1973 | area = {{convert|105|acre}} | refnum = 73000598<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2009a}}</ref> }} '''The Breakers Palm Beach''' is a historic, [[Renaissance Revival]] style [[luxury hotel]] with 534 rooms. It is located at 1 South County Road in [[Palm Beach, Florida]]. During the 1895–96 winter season, business tycoon [[Henry Flagler]] opened the first Breakers resort, then the only oceanfront lodging south of [[Daytona Beach, Florida|Daytona Beach]], to accommodate additional tourists due to the popularity of his [[Royal Poinciana Hotel]]. Known as the ''Palm Beach Inn'' upon its original opening, it was renamed ''The Breakers'' in 1901 after guests requested rooms "over by the [[breaker wave|breakers]]". While the Royal Poinciana Hotel permanently closed in the 1930s due to the [[Great Depression]], The Breakers became a primary resort in Palm Beach, hosting many famous guests throughout the years. The current structure is the third incarnation of the hotel, having opened in December 1926 following two earlier structures on the same site that burned down in 1903 and 1925.
Since 1973, The Breakers has been listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]]. Today, the hotel and grounds occupy {{convert|140|acre}} and employ over 2,300 people. The Breakers has also received high acclaim from organizations and media agencies such as the [[American Automobile Association]], [[American Institute of Architects]], [[Forbes Travel Guide]], and the ''[[U.S. News & World Report]]''.
==Early history== After experiencing success in the first few years of operation of the nearby [[Royal Poinciana Hotel]], business tycoon [[Henry Flagler]] sought to accommodate more travelers on his [[Florida East Coast Railway]] and began construction on a second hotel in [[Palm Beach, Florida|Palm Beach]] in 1895.<ref name="look-back">{{cite web|url=https://www.thebreakers.com/about-breakers/look-back/|title=The Breakers - More Than a Century of History|publisher=The Breakers Palm Beach, Inc.|access-date=May 22, 2023}}</ref> This hotel, originally known as the Wayside Inn and later the Palm Beach Inn, was a [[Georgian architecture|Georgian Revival]]-style building.<ref name="the grand hotels">{{cite web|url=https://www.pbchistoryonline.org/page/the-grand-hotels-the-breakers|title=The Grand Hotels: The Breakers|publisher=Historical Society of Palm Beach County|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230409112715/https://www.pbchistoryonline.org/page/the-grand-hotels-the-breakers|archive-date=April 9, 2023|access-date=May 22, 2023}}</ref> While some sources indicate that the Palm Beach Inn opened on January 16, 1896,<ref name="look-back"/> a ''[[New-York Tribune]]'' advertisement in December 1895 indicates that the hotel opened before then.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/new-york-tribune/125130132/|title=The Florida East Coast Hotel System|date=December 22, 1895|page=23|newspaper=[[New-York Tribune]]|access-date=May 22, 2023|via=Newspapers.com}} {{free access}}</ref> Regardless, the Palm Beach Inn reached full occupancy for most of its first season. Unlike the Royal Poinciana Hotel, which sat along the [[Lake Worth Lagoon]], the Palm Beach Inn was an oceanfront hotel, the first of its kind south of [[Daytona Beach, Florida|Daytona Beach]]. This led to the construction of a 1,000 foot (300 m)-pier at the hotel and the opening of the original Port of Palm Beach, which allowed guests to travel to [[Havana]], [[Nassau, Bahamas|Nassau]], and [[Key West]] via steamboat.<ref name="look-back"/>
The Palm Beach Inn underwent an expansion in 1901, at which time Flagler renamed it ''The Breakers'' due to guests requesting rooms "over by the [[breaker wave|breakers]]".<ref name="look-back"/> By the early 1900s, the hotel property also included accommodations for 600 guests,<ref name="Gretna">{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/103412247/the-gretna-breeze/|title=Palatial Hotel at Palm Beach, Fla., Quickly Destroyed by Fire Last Week|date=June 19, 1903|page=2|newspaper=[[Gretna Breeze]]|access-date=May 22, 2023|location=Gretna, Nebraska|via=Newspapers.com}} {{free access}}</ref> cottages, a casino, a saltwater bath,<ref name="the grand hotels"/> and the first 18-hole golf course in Florida.<ref name="100 facts">{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-palm-beach-post/125166880/|title=The Breakers 100: One hundred facts about one century of splendor|date=January 14, 1996|page=6D|last=Ponce|first=Jim|newspaper=[[The Palm Beach Post]]|location=West Palm Beach, Florida|via=Newspapers.com}} {{free access}}</ref>
However, during the fourth expansion of The Breakers on June 9, 1903,<ref name="look-back"/> fire broke out in the casino kitchen,<ref name="Gretna"/> which became visible as far away as [[Fort Pierce, Florida|Fort Pierce]] and [[Miami]]. Efforts by the East Coast and West Palm Beach fire departments proved futile, with the hotel, a cottage, the casino, and several nearby stores burning down. Dynamite used on the verandas on the northside of the hotel prevented the fire from spreading much farther,<ref name="the grand hotels"/> while the ''[[Gretna Breeze]]'' noted that the Royal Poinciana Hotel "caught [fire] in half a dozen places, but superhuman efforts prevented its destruction."<ref name="Gretna"/> Losses from the fire totaled approximately $730,000 (1903 [[United States dollar|USD]]).<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/chattanooga-daily-times/125133195/|title=$730,000 Fire Loss at Palm Beach|date=June 10, 1903|newspaper=[[Chattanooga Times Free Press|The Chattanooga Daily Times]]|page=1|access-date=May 22, 2023|via=Newspapers.com}} {{free access}}</ref>
Within two weeks of the 1903 fire, Flagler announced his intentions to rebuild the hotel. This new structure was a four-story, wood frame, Colonial-style building containing 425 rooms and suites. The Breakers re-opened on February 1, 1904. Rooms started at $4 per night, including three meals a day (in 2018, rooms started at $1,050 per night).<ref name="the grand hotels"/> [[Beriah Wilkins]], an editor for ''[[The Washington Post]]'', and [[Mary Caroline Blair]], [[Duchess of Sutherland]], became among the first guests to register at the hotel.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/evening-star/125166315/|title=Notable Home Folks|page=19|date=February 16, 1904|newspaper=[[The Washington Star|The Evening Star]]|location=Washington, D.C.|access-date=May 23, 2023|via=Newspapers.com}} {{free access}}</ref> Other notable guests arriving in subsequent years included [[Andrew Carnegie]], [[William Thomas Grant]], [[William Randolph Hearst]], [[J. P. Morgan]], [[James Cash Penney|J. C. Penney]], and members of the [[Astor family|Astor]], [[Rockefeller family|Rockefeller]], and [[Vanderbilt family|Vanderbilt]] families.<ref name="look-back"/> Seagull Cottage, the oldest home in Palm Beach, was moved to the north side of The Breakers in 1913 and became one of the hotel's cottages. In January of the same year, Flagler suffered a serious fall at his residence, [[Whitehall (Henry M. Flagler House)|Whitehall]]. He spent the next few months at The Breakers' Nautilus Cottage, but succumbed to his injuries there on May 20.<ref name="100 facts"/>
Since Flagler forbade motorized vehicles on the property, patrons were delivered between the two hotels in wheeled chairs powered by employees.
==Pre-Negro leagues, Winter League baseball team==
In the winter of 1915–1916, the Breakers Hotel hired [[Cyclone Joe Williams]] and fellow members of the [[Lincoln Giants]] pre-Negro leagues baseball team to compete against another pre-Negro leagues team made up of [[Indianapolis ABCs]] players and hosted by the Royal Poinciana Hotel. The games featured [[Negro league baseball]] stars of the day, including [[Ben Taylor (Negro leagues)|Ben Taylor]], [[C.I. Taylor]], [[Candy Jim Taylor]], [[John Donaldson (pitcher)|John Donaldson]], [[Ashby Dunbar]], [[James Courtney Jeffries|Jim Jeffries]], [[Jimmie Lyons]], [[William Francis (baseball)|Bill Francis]], [[Blainey Hall]], [[Dick Wallace]], [[Louis Santop]], and [[Spot Poles]].<ref name="poinciana1916">{{Cite news |url=http://johndonaldson.bravehost.com/pdf/00738.pdf |title=Palm Beach Notes|newspaper=[[Indianapolis Freeman]]|date=February 12, 1916|page=4|last=Sissle|first=Noble|access-date=May 23, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926002333/http://johndonaldson.bravehost.com/pdf/00738.pdf |archive-date=September 26, 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> One newspaper column claimed that "Astors, Vanderbilts, Morgans, and hundreds of others, who never see a ball game outside of Palm Beach... (are) rooting hard for their favorite team."<ref name="breakers1916">{{Cite news |url=http://johndonaldson.bravehost.com/pdf/01662.pdf |title=Palm Beach Weekly Review|newspaper=Indianapolis Freeman|date=February 19, 1916|page=5|last=Sissle|first=Noble|access-date=May 23, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926000935/http://johndonaldson.bravehost.com/pdf/01662.pdf |archive-date=September 26, 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref>
==1925 fire to World War II== [[File:The Breakers Hotel on fire- Palm Beach, Florida (8383811926).jpg|thumb|The Breakers on fire, March 18, 1925]] Twelve years after Flagler's death, The Breakers caught fire again on March 18, 1925, attributed to an electric [[curling iron]] that had been left on in a room occupied by the wife of [[Mayor of Chicago|Chicago mayor]] [[William Hale Thompson]].<ref name="100 facts"/><ref name="hotel fires">{{cite web|url=http://www.pbchistoryonline.org/page/hotel-fires|title=1925 Hotel Fires|publisher=Historical Society of Palm Beach County|access-date=May 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230409114227/http://www.pbchistoryonline.org/page/hotel-fires|archive-date=April 9, 2023}}</ref> The hotel had more than 400 guests at the time, including [[Sinking of the Titanic|Titanic survivor]] [[Margaret Brown]], actress [[Billie Burke]], and [[General Foods]] owner [[Marjorie Merriweather Post]],<ref name="hotel fires"/> although ''[[The Palm Beach Post]]'' noted on the following day that "more than 1,000 guests and servants were rendered homeless."<ref name="pbp 31925p1">{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-palm-beach-post/125168370/|title=Furious Blaze Razes Breakers and Palm Beach|date=March 19, 1925|page=1|newspaper=The Palm Beach Post|location=West Palm Beach, Florida|access-date=May 23, 2023|via=Newspapers.com}} {{free access}}</ref> People staying at the hotel tossed their expensive possessions out the window, but most of these items were stolen or lost.<ref name="hotel fires"/> The attempts at looting resulted in the deployment of militiamen and the arrests of 25 people. In turn, some newspapers reported that Palm Beach declared [[martial law]], which police chief Joseph Borman denied.<ref name="nyt32025">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1925/03/20/archives/loss-is-7000000-in-palm-beach-fire-all-guests-escaped-many-failed.html|date=March 20, 1925|title=Loss is $7,000,000 in Palm Beach Fire|page=3|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=May 24, 2023}}</ref> Approximately 10,000 spectators watched the flames burn buildings in Palm Beach.<ref name="sheboygan">{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sheboygan-press/125203924/|date=March 19, 1925|title=Martial Law For Miami Beach After Destructive Fire|agency=United Press International|page=3|newspaper=[[The Sheboygan Press]]|access-date=May 23, 2023|via=Newspapers.com}} {{free access}}</ref>
Although the fire departments of [[Fort Lauderdale, Florida|Fort Lauderdale]], [[Fort Pierce, Florida|Fort Pierce]], [[Lake Worth Beach, Florida|Lake Worth]],<ref name="sheboygan"/> [[Miami]],<ref name="hotel fires"/> [[Palm Beach, Florida|Palm Beach]], and [[West Palm Beach, Florida|West Palm Beach]] arrived at the scene, efforts to save The Breakers from burning down failed again. As with the 1903 fire, flames spread well beyond the hotel. Four cottages at The Breakers burned down.<ref name="strenuous">{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/103756665/the-miami-herald/|date=March 19, 1925|title=Flames Are Controlled After Strenuous Fight|agency=Associated Press|page=7-A|newspaper=Miami Herald|access-date=June 14, 2022|location=Miami, Florida|via=Newspapers.com}} {{free access}}</ref> Additionally, embers blowing across the island ignited fires at many other buildings, destroying [[Edward R. Bradley]]'s beach club,<ref name="sheboygan"/> the original [[Palm Beach Hotel (Palm Beach, Florida)|Palm Beach Hotel]], and 11 shops near that hotel, and threatening several other structures near [[Royal Poinciana Way Historic District|Main Street]]. The [[Royal Poinciana Hotel]] also appeared to be in danger, but a wind shift spared the building.<ref name="pbp 31925p16">{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-palm-beach-post/125220803/|title=Furious Blaze Razes Breakers and Palm Beach|date=March 19, 1925|page=16|newspaper=The Palm Beach Post|location=West Palm Beach, Florida|access-date=May 24, 2023|via=Newspapers.com}} {{free access}}</ref> Damage totals from the fire ranged from $2.5 million to as much as $7 million.<ref name="pbp 31925p1"/><ref name="nyt32025"/> Some newspapers reported multiple deaths as a direct result of the fire,<ref name="sheboygan"/> but according to ''The Palm Beach Post'', Breakers manager John Greene was unaware of any injuries or deaths.<ref name="pbp 31925p16"/>
In the immediate aftermath of the fire, the Royal Poinciana Hotel accommodated approximately 450 guests and 300 employees of The Breakers and the Palm Beach Hotel,<ref name="pbp 31925p16"/> while many other of the now-homeless guests and staffers found shelter at the residences of friends or the Rosa May Apartments.<ref name="pbp 31925p16"/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-palm-beach-post/125223287/|title=At The Rosa May Hotel|page=11|date=March 21, 1925|newspaper=The Palm Beach Post|access-date=May 24, 2023|via=Newspapers.com}} {{free access}}</ref> On March 22, four days after the fire, Florida East Coast Hotel vice president H. E. Bemis announced the company's intentions of rebuilding The Breakers, with plans to abandon the wooden construction for [[fireproof]] [[concrete]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-palm-beach-post/125223683/|title=Finer Breakers to Replace Old FEC Decides|date=March 23, 1925|newspaper=The Palm Beach Post|page=1|access-date=May 24, 2023|via=Newspapers.com}} {{free access}}</ref> The architectural firm hired by the Flagler heirs, [[Schultze and Weaver]], modeled the 550-room replacement building after the [[Villa Medici]] in [[Rome]], Italy. The firm worked with New York-based [[Turner Construction Company]], hired on December 4,<ref name="look-back"/> and a well-known local Palm Beach contractor, Eugene Hammond, who built the first theater in West Palm Beach and worked on the Palm Beach estate built for [[Rodman Wanamaker]] by [[Addison Mizner]] (which would become a [[Joseph P. Kennedy Sr.|Kennedy]] winter retreat in 1933).
In January 1926, construction began on the new Breakers hotel, which required over 1,200 workers. Overall, rebuilding the hotel cost approximately $7 million. The lobby ceiling was painted by 72 artisans,<ref name="look-back"/> including Alexander Bonanno, a classically trained New York City artist who taught at [[Cooper Union]].<!-- no citations --> The Breakers reopened on December 29, 1926, to considerable acclaim.<ref name="look-back"/> This hotel influenced the [[Hotel Nacional de Cuba|Hotel Nacional]] in [[Havana]], [[Cuba]].<!-- no citations --> In addition to the Florentine dining room, a new feature of the 1926 hotel, a second dining room opened two years later, known as The Circle, which ''The Palm Beach Post'' described in 1996 as "Perhaps the most breathtaking room at The Breakers".<ref name="100 facts"/> In September 1928, the [[1928 Okeechobee hurricane|Okeechobee hurricane]] ravaged the Australian pine walkway linking The Breakers and the Royal Poinciana Hotel.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/95643662/the-palm-beach-post/|date=October 13, 1928|newspaper=The Palm Beach Post|title=Royal Poinciana Not to Be Opened in Coming Season|page=1|access-date=May 24, 2023|location=West Palm Beach, Florida|via=Newspapers.com}} {{free access}}</ref> The former lost most of its roof, windows, and the pier,<ref name="100 facts"/> while the north and south wings suffered water damage.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-palm-beach-post/5754813/|title=Few Buildings Escape Damage From Hurricane|page=1|newspaper=The Palm Beach Post|date=September 18, 1928|location=West Palm Beach, Florida|access-date=May 24, 2023|via=Newspapers.com}} {{free access}}</ref> Additionally, ''[[The Miami News]]'' reported {{convert|4|ft|m}} of standing water inside the building and sand being deposited as high as the third floor.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-miami-news/125248851/|title=All Flood Zone to Be Cleared of Residents|page=2|newspaper=[[The Miami News]]|date=September 20, 1928|access-date=May 24, 2023|via=Newspapers.com}} {{free access}}</ref> However, The Breakers opened for business on December 10, earlier than the previous winter season by several days.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-palm-beach-post/125248547/|title=Opening of Breakers is Signal For Start of Winter Activity At America's Premier Resort|date=December 9, 1928|newspaper=The Palm Beach Post|page=9|access-date=May 24, 2023|via=Newspapers.com}} {{free access}}</ref>
During the summer of 1942, Florida East Coast Hotel company officials considered keeping The Breakers closed for the upcoming season due to [[Blackout (wartime)|blackout orders]] in response to [[World War II]], before announcing that the hotel would open on December 24. However, on December 11, [[United States district judge|United States District Judge]] [[John W. Holland]] issued an order granting possession of The Breakers to the [[United States Army]], who planned to use the building as a temporary hospital facility.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-palm-beach-post/125252745/|title=Breakers Hotel Becomes Army Hospital; Order is Signed in Miami Friday|date=December 12, 1942|newspaper=The Palm Beach Post|page=1|location=West Palm Beach, Florida|access-date=May 24, 2023|via=Newspapers.com}} {{free access}}</ref> The order also included The Breakers' pools and casino, but excluded the cottages and golf course.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-miami-herald/125252890/|title=Breakers at Palm Beach Becomes Army Hospital|newspaper=Miami Herald|date=December 12, 1942|page=1|access-date=May 24, 2023|via=Newspapers.com}} {{free access}}</ref> On November 8, 1943, the U.S. Army named the facility the ''Ream General Hospital'' as a tribute to [[Major (rank)|Major]] William R. Ream, a [[flight surgeon]] who died during [[World War I]] as a result of a plane crash.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-palm-beach-post/125225420/|date=November 9, 1943|newspaper=The Palm Beach Post|page=5|title=Hospital Named For Major Ream|location=West Palm Beach, Florida|access-date=May 24, 2023|via=Newspapers.com}} {{free access}}</ref> The U.S. Army transformed the ballroom into a recreation hall, the Coconut Grove room into a dental clinic, the south [[loggia]] into an officers' lounge, and the [[mezzanine]] section into operating rooms, while also creating a maternity ward,<ref name="Palm Beach WWII">{{cite web|url=https://www.pbchistoryonline.org/page/us-military-in-palm-beach|title=U.S. Military in Palm Beach|publisher=Historical Society of Palm Beach County|access-date=May 24, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405165658/https://www.pbchistoryonline.org/page/us-military-in-palm-beach|archive-date=April 5, 2023}}</ref> where more than a dozen babies were born.<ref name="look-back"/> At its peak, the Ream General Hospital included 400 staffers and approximately 750 patients, many of whom suffered injuries during the [[North African campaign]].<ref name="Palm Beach WWII"/> An agreement filed with the [[United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida]] on September 26, 1944, stated that Ream General Hospital would be returned to civilian use on December 10, with the Florida East Coast Hotel company receiving $800,000 in compensation.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-palm-beach-post/125256054/|title=Return of Breakers Slated for Dec. 10|date=September 27, 1944|newspaper=The Palm Beach Post|page=1|location=West Palm Beach, Florida|access-date=May 24, 2023|via=Newspapers.com}} {{free access}}</ref> Thereafter, Palm Beach architect and engineer John Volk and two Miami firms quickly restored The Breakers,<ref name="Palm Beach WWII"/> allowing some guests to check-in as early as December 24 but not fully re-opening until January 7, 1945.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-palm-beach-post/125256612/|title=Old-Time Guests Await Day When Breakers Will Reopen|newspaper=The Palm Beach Post-Times|page=19|date=December 3, 1944|location=West Palm Beach, Florida|access-date=May 24, 2023|via=Newspapers.com}} {{free access}}</ref>
==Subsequent years== The Flagler System, owners and operators of The Breakers, announced in April 1969 the addition of the new Breakers West Golf Club along [[Florida State Road 704|Okeechobee Boulevard]] and [[Florida State Road 7|State Road 7]], approximately {{convert|10|mi|km}} west of the hotel.<ref name="major addition">{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-palm-beach-post/125260853/|last=Gordon|first=Pete|title=Breakers Plans Major Addition|date=April 6, 1969|page=F1|newspaper=The Palm Beach Post|access-date=May 24, 2023|location=West Palm Beach, Florida|via=Newspapers.com}} {{free access}}</ref> The Flagler System sold some of the land to the Mayacoo Lakes Country Club Inc. in 1972. Around the mid-1980s, homes began being constructed within the Breakers West Golf Club. A 2008 profile of the Breakers West Golf Club in ''The Palm Beach Post'' indicated the existence of 548 homes spread across "670 acres [270 ha] with tall pines and old Florida vegetation.", along with two golf courses and country clubs.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-palm-beach-post/125261204/|title=Inland enclave, ocean view|date=May 3, 2008|last=Clarke|first=Elizabeth|newspaper=The Palm Beach Post|location=West Palm Beach, Florida|page=6H|access-date=May 24, 2023|via=Newspapers.com}} {{free access}}</ref>
During the same announcement in April 1969, Flagler System also stated their plans to add 174 rooms to the hotel and create The Breakers Beach Club on the former site of the casino, which closed in 1968.<ref name="major addition"/> In 1970, The Breakers added an air conditioning system throughout the building.<ref name="look-back"/> The hotel remained opened throughout the entire year for the first time in 1971, averaging approximately 50 guests per day that summer.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-palm-beach-post/125263077/|title=The 'New' Breakers|page=F13|last=Price|first=Paul|date=November 28, 1971|newspaper=The Palm Beach Post|access-date=May 24, 2023|location=West Palm Beach, Florida|via=Newspapers.com}} {{free access}}</ref> The Breakers Hotel was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] NRHP in 1973. The {{convert|105|acre|adj=on}} listed area included 15 [[contributing building]]s – the hotel and its 14 cottages – and one other contributing object.<ref name=nris/> Despite the NRHP designation, workers demolished all cottages on the north side of the hotel to clear space for the Two Breakers Row condominiums in 1984.<ref name="100 facts"/> However, [[Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach]] chair [[Earl E. T. Smith]] prevented demolition of the Seagull Cottage, with the organization spending more than $500,000 to relocate the cottage to near the Royal Poinciana Chapel and render restoration work prior to re-opening it to the public in late 1985.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/palm-beach-daily-news/125328898/|last=Hunter|first=Chris|title=Seagull Cottage Goes on Display|date=December 9, 1985|page=1|newspaper=[[Palm Beach Daily News]]|access-date=May 25, 2023|via=Newspapers.com}} {{free access}}</ref>
On April 18, 2012, the [[American Institute of Architects|AIA]]'s Florida Chapter ranked the hotel seventh on its list of "Florida Architecture: 100 Years. 100 Places".<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aiaflatop100.org/Current-Standings.cfm |title=Florida Architecture: 100 Years. 100 Places |access-date=April 26, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120429200439/http://www.aiaflatop100.org/Current-Standings.cfm |archive-date=April 29, 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> Today, the hotel and grounds occupy 140 acres (57 hectares) beside the [[Atlantic Ocean]].
==Awards== The Breakers is currently a [[American Automobile Association|AAA]] five diamond rated resort and has maintained this rating since 1996.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.palmbeachdailynews.com/news/local/two-palm-beach-hotels-honored-with-five-diamond-aaa-rating/Ufhg209bewp8iBmQePdWhI/ |title=Two Palm Beach hotels honored with five-diamond AAA rating |access-date=April 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180413125231/https://www.palmbeachdailynews.com/news/local/two-palm-beach-hotels-honored-with-five-diamond-aaa-rating/Ufhg209bewp8iBmQePdWhI/ |archive-date=April 13, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref>
''U.S. News & World Report'': Best Hotels in the USA & Florida<ref name="Awards and Distinctions">{{Cite web |title=Awards and Distinctions |url=https://www.thebreakers.com/press-resource-center/general-information/awards/ |access-date=May 11, 2022 |website=www.thebreakers.com}}</ref>
''Forbes'' Travel Guide: The Breakers Palm Beach, Four-Stars & The Spa at The Breakers, Five-Stars<ref name="Awards and Distinctions"/>
In June 2024, Americas Great Resorts added the hotel to its Top Picks as a landmark property.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Legacy Of Luxury: The Breakers Palm Beach Reviewed |url=https://www.americasgreatresorts.net/a-timeless-retreat-a-review-of-the-breakers-palm-beach/ |access-date=July 13, 2024 |website=www.americasgreatresorts.net |language=en-US}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==Further reading== * [https://www.thebreakers.com/about-breakers/look-back/ The Breakers: More Than a Century of History] * ''Florida'', DK Eyewitness Travel Guides, 2004, pg. 119
==External links== {{Commons category|The Breakers (Palm Beach, Florida)|The Breakers}} *{{official website|https://thebreakers.com/}} *[https://web.archive.org/web/20070310140242/http://www.flheritage.com/facts/reports/places/index.cfm?fuseaction=ListAreas&county=palm%20beach Palm Beach County listings], Florida's Office of Cultural and Historical Programs *[https://web.archive.org/web/20090304015650/http://members.forbes.com/fyi/2006/0424/126.html "It's De Limit"] Forbes article by Finn-Olaf Jones on The Breakers' architects Schultze & Weaver, April 24, 2006 *[https://web.archive.org/web/20070313042915/http://www.thebreakers.com/press_room/current_press_releases/index.cfm?task=detail&id=PR_030623_06171693_WNW17 The Breakers Historical Timeline] *{{HABS |survey=FL-228 |id=fl0174 |title=The Breakers Hotel, South County Road, Palm Beach, Palm Beach County, FL |photos=33 |color=1 |dwgs=1 |data=28 |cap=3 |supp=yes}} *{{HABS |survey=FL-223 |id=fl0175 |title=The Breakers Hotel, Cottage, South County Road, Palm Beach, Palm Beach County, FL |photos=6 |data=7 |cap=1 |supp=yes |link=no}}
{{National Register of Historic Places in Florida}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Breakers, The}} [[Category:Florida East Coast Railway]] [[Category:Historic American Buildings Survey in Florida]] [[Category:Hotel buildings completed in 1925]] [[Category:Hotel buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Florida]] [[Category:Hotels in Palm Beach, Florida]] [[Category:Mediterranean Revival architecture in Florida]] [[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Palm Beach County, Florida]] [[Category:Railway hotels in the United States]] [[Category:Seaside resorts in Florida]] [[Category:Shingle style architecture in Florida]] [[Category:Hotels established in 1925]] [[Category:1925 establishments in Florida]] [[Category:Burned hotels in the United States]]