The Schmidt Boca Raton History Museum Reveals This Year’s Commemorative Holiday Ornament Showcasing The Cabana Club

Mary Csar, Executive Director of the Boca Raton Historical Society (BRHS) and The Schmidt Boca Raton History Museum (SBRHM) today revealed the nonprofit organization’s annual commemorative holiday ornament. This year’s seasonal collectible celebrates the fondly remembered Cabana Club.

In 1930, Boca Raton Club owner Clarence Geist realized the need for beachfront access for the patrons of his new hotel, so he had a cabana club built on the beach south of Boca Raton inlet at Via Cabana. The Cabana Club became the most public venue of the private resort; locals could rent a cabana there and it hosted many a dance, barbecue, and public and private celebration. The club was demolished in ca. 1981 after the construction of the nearby Boca Beach Club.

In 1998, the talented Boca Raton artist Barbara Montgomery O’Connell created her first ornament—depicting old Town Hall—for BRHS. A 30-year resident of Boca Raton, the artist has donated her time and talent ever since to create the artwork on the annual ornament, always based on information and photographs from the Boca Raton Historical Society.

“We produce fewer than 150 holiday collectibles each year,” explains Csar. “So local history buffs and holiday fans should make their purchase today at the museum’s gift shop, located at 71 N. Federal Highway in downtown Boca Raton.”