West Palm Beach Norton Museum wins final approval for cultural park

• The Norton Museum of Art will build a cultural park on city-owned land in West Palm Beach.
• West Palm Beach's City Commission approved a 50-year lease for the 2-acre waterfront property.
• The park will feature landscaped "garden rooms" and sculptures, including a potential piece by Richard Serra.
• As part of the deal, the museum will host free annual events and offer art education programs for local schools.

WEST PALM BEACH — The Norton Museum of Art will invest $25 million to build a "cultural park" on a grassy strip of city-owned land that sits between the museum the Intracoastal Waterway.

The City Commission on April 27 approved plans to lease the 2 acres to the Norton for 50 years for a waterfront display of artworks and sculptures. The deal would come with a 20-year renewal option.

City administrators previously said the park will make the block-long median "a cultural hub" in a rapidly developing area south of city's downtown where luxury condos are set to rise, such as the South Flagler House by Related Ross.

The $25 million project comes as the Norton prepares to expand its building space by 75%. The second phase of museum's expansion includes plans for an outdoor terrace near the museum's courtyard and the cultural park.

City Commission approves land lease for Norton cultural park

Under the terms of the deal, initially approved April 13, the museum would lease the land for $100 a year for the first 10 years. Then the museum would pay additional rent equal to 25% of its yearly revenue.

It is still unclear when the cultural park would open but the museum will come back to the city for design approvals before beginning construction.

The lease gives the Norton the authority to rename the property, which was once considered part of a cemetery that held the remains of the city’s earliest pioneers. The Pioneers' Association supports the land's lease and the naming rights changes, according to city documents.

The Norton will also have the right to close temporarily the two east-west streets that border the park, Diana and Actaeon places from 6 p.m. Friday to 11 p.m. Saturday from Nov. 1 through April 30 each year for activities open to the public.

The Norton also agreed to host at least one annual free event that celebrates arts and culture. It will offer two annual art education programs for Palm Beach County K-12 schools as well.

Where would the Norton Museum 'cultural park' be built?

The Norton's cultural park will rise on a grassy median behind the museum, in front of its historic entrance, between the Pioneer Plaza roundabout and South Flagler Drive.

The land was initially considered part of the Pioneer Memorial Park. An association of pioneer families used the land to bury their dead from 1895 to 1920, then donated the land to the city in 1921.

The remains of most of the pioneers were removed and reburied in Woodlawn Cemetery, across Dixie Highway from the museum, but about 40 pioneers whose families declined to relocate them remain on the museum site.

Harvey Oyer, an attorney representing the museum and a local historian, said during the April 27 City Commission meeting that Ralph Norton, the museum's founder, acquired the property and donated it to the city with the vision of turning it into a park. He said the land was never part of the pioneer's cemetery.

Norton Museum to open cultural park in West Palm Beach

The Norton Museum plans to turn a long-vacant stretch of land into a 2-acre public waterfront park designed by architect Norman Foster.

The cultural park will feature 14 landscaped "garden rooms," a grassy field and a central sculpture by the Intracoastal Waterway.

Museum director Ghislain d’Humières told The Palm Beach Post the Norton is negotiating to acquire an artwork by American sculptor Richard Serra, who died in 2024 and is known for massive steel works of tilted and spiraling walls.

“We can share that the park will be anchored by significant work that we believe will serve as a visual landmark helping to define the cultural identity of West Palm Beach and offering an iconic, publicly accessible outdoor experience that will make enjoying world-class art a part of everyday life for the community,” d’Humières said.

A museum representative said during the April 27 meeting the park was "overdue" and that it will serve as a free, community space where West Palm Beach residents and visitors can enjoy art for generations.

"This project is more than a museum itself. It is about underutilized public space being transformed into a gathering space for the community," said Gopal Rajegowda, a member of the Norton's board of trustees. "An inclusive place where any citizen can enjoy world-class art in an unparalleled outdoor environment right next to one of the greatest museums in the country."

Valentina Palm covers immigration and West Palm Beach for The Palm Beach Post. Email her at [email protected] and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @ValenPalmB.