Flossy statue in Mizner Park to get a facelift, but her fountain will soon be gone
By: Dale King
A statue of Florence “Flossy” Keesely, a community benefactor who contributed to a variety of local causes, particularly those that promoted music education, has stood atop a fountain in the north end of Mizner Park in Boca Raton for a couple of decades.
Before COVID-19 cut down on the number of activities at the Mizner Park Amphitheater directly behind Flossy’s statue, that area had developed into a gathering spot for visitors en route to meandering around Boca’s mixed-use center that’s in the process of being spiffed up for its 30th anniversary this year.
Mizner Park is a combination of retail stores, restaurants, entertainment venues and residences that was opened in 1991, replacing the former Boca Raton Mall, that was razed for urban development.
The statue of a youthful Flossy holding a star in her outstretched hands as she reaches for the heavens is about to get a good scrubbing. “She needs a good shine,” said Deputy Mayor Andrea O’Rourke, who heads the Art in Public Places advisory committee.
The city plans to remove the statue from atop the fountain and move it a short distance from the spot where it has greeted crowds entering the amphitheater grounds.
The fountain, unfortunately, is in too-bad shape, said O’Rourke, and must be removed. City Manager Leif Ahnell said the waterfall-style device needs electrical work and has sprung leaks over the years. It will be taken out and the Flossy statue be will “moved back” to the same basic spot.
“The statue will remain in the same general area, on a pedestal,” said Chrissy Gibson, communications and marketing director for the city.
“We are removing the fountain due to the ongoing maintenance issues,” Gibson added. “The work should be done in the next couple of months.”
Actually, the city has turned its attention lately toward revamping and cleaning up Mizner’s entertainment spot, which also includes the Boca Raton Museum of Art, the amphitheater, a seating area for performances on the amphitheater stage and the Michael and Madelyn Savarick Tower that rises high above the site.
A group of citizens interested in cultural arts and led by Andrea Virgin, owner of a local design company and a former ballerina, has gotten the city’s support to go ahead with plans for a new arts and entertainment center on a vacant lot east of the amphitheater. In fact, the agenda for Monday’s City Council workshop meeting includes a presentation to update members about the progress.
Also being eyed for a cleanup are the statues of Count Adolph and Countess Henrietta de Hoernle, who were generous donors to many charitable organizations in New York and, more recently, Boca Raton and the Palm Beach County area when the couple relocated to South Florida in the 1980s.
The amphitheater actually bears the name of Count de Hoernle. After his wife donated $1 million to the project, she had the entertainment site named in his memory.
Count de Hoernle died in 1998 at the age of 95. His widow continued to donate to charitable causes until her passing in 2016 at the age of 103.
Gibson said all three statues will be cleaned and polished as part of the project. “We are waiting on purchase orders so the work can begin,” she said.
All the statues at Mizner Park were created by Boca Raton sculptor Yaacov Heller. Gibson said the sculptures “will be cleaned and refurbished, not by Yaacov, but by someone he recommended.”
“The patina restoration of the count and countess statue will be completed by Rodolfo Gomez with LG Art Sculptor Studio in West Palm Beach, as recommended by Yaacov Heller,” said Amy DiNorscio, amphitheater managed.
Actually, signs of new life are already showing up in Mizner Park. West Palm Beach artist Eduardo Mendieta just finished painting a mural on the doors of the amphitheater stage. This was also a project sponsored by the city as part of the Art in Public Places program.
