About Old Northwood
North of downtown West Palm Beach, Old Northwood is the neighborhood that taught the city to love its own history — the first district WPB ever designated as historic, in 1991, and listed on the National Register in 1994. Laid out in 1921 during the Florida land boom, its ten-odd square blocks hold around 320 vintage homes: Mediterranean Revival and Mission-style residences, Frame Vernacular cottages of Dade County pine, and the occasional Colonial Revival, many built in a single feverish decade between 1921 and 1929. A signature quirk — a full network of rear alleys — keeps garages and service access off the street, so the front of every block reads as an unbroken run of period facades and mature shade trees.
What makes it click today is the mix of character and value. The district sits a few blocks inland between Broadway and Poinsettia, a short walk or bike from Currie Park and the Intracoastal and right beside Northwood Village — the walkable strip of cafes, galleries, and restaurants along Northwood Road. After decades of mid-century decline, residents organized in 1987 and restored the neighborhood house by house, a renaissance that’s still going. Recent sales have largely run from the high $300Ks for cottages and condos to the low-$2M range for the largest fully restored homes, with a median around $875K; active listings currently span roughly $380K to about $4.8M. For buyers who want genuine 1920s architecture, walkability, and a real neighborhood feel without waterfront pricing, Old Northwood is one of West Palm Beach’s best values.
The neighborhood that saved itself
Old Northwood’s story is really two stories. The first is the boom: in 1921 the Pinewood Development Company, led by future West Palm Beach mayor David Dunkle, bought 400 acres, platted the area, and invited more than fifty builders and architects — among them John Volk, Gustav Maass, William Manley King, and T.B. Eissfeldt — to fill it with homes. The result was a showcase of 1920s design, with houses that sold for an extravagant $30,000 to $36,000 at the time.
The second is the comeback. After the neighborhood slid into decline mid-century, a determined group of residents began buying and restoring homes, formed the Old Northwood Neighborhood Association in 1987, and won the city’s first historic designation in 1991. That preservation ethic still defines the place — from the annual holiday home tour and Northwood Village art walks to the careful, period-correct renovations happening on nearly every block.
Old Northwood Homes For Sale & For Rent
Recent sales in Old Northwood
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Old Northwood on the map
AREA SNAPSHOT
- 24 residences for sale now
- 40 residences for rent
- Listed from $850,000 to $23,500,000
- Median list price: $2.50M
- Median price per sq ft: $953
- Median sold (12 mo): $935k
- 51 sales in the last 12 months
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Explore West Palm Beach →Old Northwood FAQs
What is Old Northwood?
Old Northwood is a residential historic district just north of downtown West Palm Beach — the first neighborhood the city ever designated as historic, in 1991, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994. Platted in 1921, it covers about ten square blocks (bounded roughly by Broadway, Poinsettia Avenue, and 26th and 35th Streets) and holds around 320 homes built largely in the 1920s, known for Mediterranean Revival and Mission-style architecture and a distinctive network of rear alleys.
What do homes cost, and what styles are there?
Most of Old Northwood is single-family homes — 1920s Mediterranean Revival, Mission-style, and Frame Vernacular residences, many fully restored, plus some new infill and a handful of small condos. Recent sales have largely run from the high $300Ks for cottages and condos to the low $2M range for the largest restored homes, with a median around $875K. Active listings currently span roughly $380K to about $4.8M. It’s one of the more accessible historic neighborhoods in West Palm Beach; confirm current pricing against live listings.
What does the historic designation mean if I want to renovate?
Because Old Northwood is a locally designated historic district, exterior changes that affect a home’s appearance — additions, roofs, windows, fences, demolition — generally require review by the City of West Palm Beach’s Historic Preservation Board and a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA). Minor or in-kind work is often handled at staff level; larger projects go before the board, which meets monthly. Owners of contributing historic homes may also qualify for the city’s Ad Valorem Tax Exemption on the added value of an approved restoration. Confirm your specific property and scope with the city’s Historic Preservation Office before you start.
What’s nearby, and how walkable is it?
Old Northwood sits right beside Northwood Village, the walkable commercial strip along Northwood Road lined with cafes, galleries, restaurants, and regular art walks — so much of daily life is on foot. Currie Park and the Intracoastal waterfront are a few blocks east, and downtown West Palm Beach — Clematis Street, CityPlace, and the Brightline station — is a short drive south.
Is there an HOA?
No — Old Northwood is a neighborhood of individually owned homes, not a deeded HOA community, so there are no mandatory association dues or board approvals on a typical purchase. The Old Northwood Neighborhood Association is an active, voluntary civic group that organizes events like the annual home tour and advocates for the district, but it isn’t an HOA. Homes in the district are still subject to the city’s historic preservation review for exterior changes.
Is Old Northwood on the water?
Not directly — the historic district sits a few blocks inland, between Broadway and Poinsettia Avenue, rather than on the Intracoastal itself. That said, Currie Park and the Lake Worth Lagoon waterfront are a short walk or bike ride east, with a quick drive to the beaches of Palm Beach island. Some adjacent Northwood areas, like Northwood Shores, sit closer to the water if direct waterfront is a priority.
Living in Old Northwood
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