Wellbrock House – An historic house is relocated from the seashore and reimagined in Downtown Delray Beach…
Built in 1937, the Wellbrock House was designed by the city’s first registered architect, Samuel Ogren Sr., in a style that’s come to be known as Florida Vernacular Architecture.
Historic building preservation and modernization is one of our most highly sought services, as we cherish and pay homage to the past but meticulously transform to meet today’s building criteria and tomorrow’s future. As such, we are proud to partner with Delray Beach’s Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), whose mission of conservation goes hand in hand with the provision of public services.
Located at 22 North Swinton Avenue, the Wellbrock House is now an integral part of the city’s Old School Square Historic Arts District and is protected by the Delray Beach Local Register of Historic Places. At 1,800 square feet, the two-story structure was placed and paired with CRA’s existing headquarters in the central downtown area. Both buildings are foremost exemplars of Florida Vernacular Architecture, and is part of Samuel Ogren’s design legacy of more than 250 structures created by him between 1924 and 1950, shaping Delray Beach’s unique charm and timeless delight.
The makeover by SRS respects the materials and craftmanship of the past while adapting the structure to current construction criteria and codes for sustainability and endurance. The interior floor plan has been modified by an upgraded kitchen/lounge and modern bathrooms to serve staffers and visitors, while the bedrooms and living and dining rooms have been reconfigured for administrative offices and conference uses. Nineteen-thirties-era installations of a wood-burning fireplace, brick chimney, single-hung windows, and hardwood floors remain intact while restored to their original luster.
Florida Vernacular style details include exterior horizontal wood lap-siding with vertical wood trim at the corners, vertically aligned windows with proportional shutters, covered porches, and decorative railings, all painted in sunny pastels befitting a seaside destination.
