Palm Beach officials have sent a proposal for a historical marker to honor fashion icon Lilly Pulitzer back to the drawing board.
The Town Council voted unanimously at the Oct. 14 meeting to deny the proposed sign, which was requested by the Florida Historical Women’s Marker 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 town, they questioned the placement 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 that there’s perhaps a location where this might work, but where it’s proposed right now has nothing to do with Lilly Pulitzer, and Via Mizner is a much more charming and quintessential design location of Palm Beach,” Council President Bobbie Lindsay said. “So even with the size, which is a bit hard for me to grasp, there might be a spot in there where it might fit fine.”
Pulitzer was a longtime Palm Beach resident who died in 2013 at age 81. She established her clothing line while running a juice stand near Worth Avenue in the 1950s. She famously designed brightly patterned dresses because they masked the stains from the juice. Her first clothing boutique was in 11 Via Mizner.
“She had a story that everybody loves, and she’s known worldwide,” said Florida Women’s Historical Marker Initiative founder Lynette Long.
Mrs. Jerome Earl, from left, Mrs. Herbert “Lilly” Pulitzer, Mrs. Mary Alice Firestone and son Mark. Singing Christmas Carols on Worth Avenue in Palm Beach.
The council encouraged Long to pursue possible placement in Via Mizner, instead of on Worth Avenue in front of 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 move to deny it, as much as I hate to do that to you,” Council Member Julie Araskog said to Long. “But I think it sets a terrible precedent, and as much as I’d like to do it, there are a lot of people who would want to be recognized, and we could end up with them all over the place.”
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The proposed text of the marker includes information about Pulitzer’s time in Palm Beach and details about the early years of her eponymous brand.
Long said she launched her efforts to put one historical marker honoring a woman in each of Florida’s 67 counties in 2017, after she learned that only six of the 950 markers in the state had been placed for women.
This ad for Lilly Pulitzer 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 for record-setting 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 her process, Long said she has to obtain support from 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.
“Everybody loves the idea” of a marker for Pulitzer, Long said. “For me, it’s putting women back in a history book,” she said.
Palm Beach would not have to pay for the marker or its maintenance, she said. Any costs would be covered by a donor, and maintenance is provided by the state, Long said.
Nothing has been submitted to the state, because the town would have had to sign off first, she said.
There are six Florida historical markers in Palm Beach, and all are for places, not people, council members noted.
Lindsay spoke with members of Pulitzer’s family who love the idea of a marker but “recognize that this wasn’t her original location,” she said.
Council President Pro-Tem encouraged Long to contact the Historical Society of Palm Beach County to find other potential candidates who may not be in Palm Beach. The council might be more likely to approve the request if the marker is proposed to be put on private property, he said.
“But at this point, putting it on Worth Avenue I think is not the best idea, especially in that pole format,” Crampton said.
The marker was originally scheduled for consideration at the council’s Sept. 9 meeting, but representatives for the Florida Women’s Historical Marker Initiative requested a one-month delay because they were unable to attend.
Kristina Webb is a reporter for Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at kwebb@pbdailynews.com. Subscribe today to support our journalism.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Palm Beach council denies request for Lilly Pulitzer historical marker
