The Breakers Palm Beach Starts Demolition for Big Expansion

The Breakers Palm Beach started construction on a major expansion of its family entertainment center, a spokesperson confirmed.

The town of Palm Beach issued a demolition permit last month for the historic oceanfront resort to replace its current 12,100-square-foot family facility with 46,800 square feet of entertainment space. The city estimated the demolition cost at $124,570, and it’s already 45 percent complete.

The total development cost hasn’t been disclosed.

The new center will cater to resort guests and club members, featuring indoor and outdoor attractions, casual dining options and immersive programming. The resort expects to unveil the facility in spring 2028.

The expansion won approval from the town’s planning and zoning commission and town council last year. The approval was contingent on the resort entering into a construction management agreement and traffic plan with the town that incorporated feedback from neighboring Main Street residents, as well as securing final design approval from the architectural commission, the Palm Beach Daily News reported.

The entertainment center is one piece of a larger redevelopment effort underway at the resort. The Breakers also secured approval this year to replace its central surface parking lot with an underground garage and a smaller surface lot.

Additionally, the resort is renovating its 16,000-square foot Mediterranean Courtyard with a new 1,800-square-foot glass conservatory, restored historic features and redesigned landscaping. A reopening date hasn’t been disclosed. The project completes the resort’s multi-decade revitalization program and repositions the once underutilized courtyard as a dedicated venue for dining and events.

Beyond its Palm Beach campus, The Breakers has been scooping up sites in West Palm Beach for workforce housing.

In March, an affiliate of the resort paid $9.1 million to the city and VDG Partners for 2.4 acres along Australian Avenue for a housing project reserved for its employees. Combined with an adjacent site purchased in late 2024 for $2.3 million, the assemblage will make way for an eight-story, 155-unit apartment building approved by the West Palm Beach City Commission last year.

Founded in 1896 by railroad tycoon Henry Flagler, The Breakers is controlled by Flagler’s descendants through Flagler Systems, the holding company owned by the heirs of Mary Lily Kenan Flagler, his third wife. The resort has been led by CEO Paul Leone for the past decade.