Last November, the Boca Raton History Museum unveiled its latest exhibit, “Boca Raton 1925-2025: Addison Mizner’s Legacy,” a collection of artifacts from Mizner Industries. While the exhibit closed on May 30, the pieces now have a forever home at the museum.
The museum announced that the items from the Frederick Herpel Collection that were on loan have been donated to them. Some pieces will be on display while others will remain in storage, but all are now available to be enjoyed by the public.
“The Frederick Herpel Collection offers an extraordinary glimpse into the craftsmanship and materials that shaped Addison Mizner’s architectural vision,” said Mary Csar, the executive director of the Boca Raton Historical Society. “It was a highlight of our most recent major Centennial exhibition, and we’re proud to preserve and share this important part of our region’s cultural heritage.”
Herpel’s full collection includes 19 pieces of pottery, 2,275 tile works, and 275 cast stone items in the popular Mediterranean Revival style used by Mizner Industries architects in the ‘20s and ‘30s. These items could be found at The Addison, Cloister Inn (now The Boca Raton), and homes in Old Floresta. Some of the capitals have Easter eggs in them, such as Mizner’s face in a column as well as his chimpanzee friend, Johnnie Brown. Herpel donated 114 pieces from his full collection to the Boca Raton History Museum.
The collector’s father was the founder of West Palm Beach stone and column company Herpel Inc. The younger Herpel started collecting the Mizner Industries pieces in the 1970s through contacts he had in the industry, including architects, builders and property owners.
The Boca Raton History Museum plans to use the collection in future exhibitions as well as making it available for researchers.
