If Palm Beach had a Met Ball, it would surely be the annual dinner dance thrown every March in Bradley Park by the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach. It’s the rare party that brings out toute l’île, and in 2024, the 42nd edition was no exception. Among the guests were Emilia and Pepe Fanjul, Ken Griffin, John Paulson and his fiancée Alina de Almeida, Carol and Earle Mack, Caroline and Tom Dean, Audrey and Martin Gruss, Paul Shiverick, Charles and Helen Schwab, Amy and John Phelan, William Lauder, Suzanne and Woody Johnson, Peter Soros, Jane and Carl Panattoni, Cindy and Chris Galvin, Pauline Pitt, Katherine Bryan and even the over-the-top tan man himself, George Hamilton.
Katherine Bryan and George Hamilton entering the 2024 Preservation Foundation Dinner Dance.
As more parties flood the Palm Beach social calendar and the competition for fundraising and attendance skyrockets, the Preservation Gala remains a classic and elegant affair. The Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach was founded in 1980 in order to preserve threatened buildings and the architectural history of the island. Each year, it gives out annual awards for projects, including the best home restoration, the best new constructions (commercial and residential), and the best landscape endeavors. And its chairs over the years have included some of the most influential women in town.
Electra Toub and John Phelan.
Betsy Shiverick, Jeff Marcus and Jackie Weld Drake.
John Paulson, Emilia Fanjul, Jerry Seay, and Anne Flowers.
So, when Betsy Shiverick, the board chair, and co-chair Electra Toub took over the gala, they wrestled with how to honor the foundation’s legacy while ushering in a new era. “They set a good standard for what good preservation should be, and people learn,” Toub says. “If you love Palm Beach, you should love what Preservation is. It celebrates the beauty of the Island.”
Amy Phelan.
Carol Mack.
This is an expert from PALMER Vol.6. To see the full story, purchase your copy of the magazine here.