When I was in Stuart, Florida this past summer, I drove a number of times down to West Palm Beach and through the CityPlace neighborhood, which has been described as a "New Urbanist mixed-use development architecturally composed of Mediterranean and Venetian elements." This complex has been heralded as reviving West Palm Beach and turning it into a very dynamic city. The developers saved a number of historic buildings at the complex, including the Harriet Himmel Theater, a former Methodist Church built in 1926 and seen in the photograph above. When Related Companies, the owners, started a major renovation of that building, many West Palm Beach residents were up in arms about it, but the company assured everyone it would bring the building back to its former glory. However, driving past it last summer, a sign announced that it was the future home of Eataly, a chain of upscale Italian food halls consisting of restaurants, food and beverage counters, bakeries, retail, and a cooking school. Their website says it is planning a fall opening. It will be interesting to see how Eataly is received by the public. Not as tacky as turning the Olinger Mortuary and Crematorium in Denver into a restaurant called Linger, but pretty close.
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