The homeowners had purchased the largest of the five villas, still known as Cielito Lindo. They called upon West Palm Beach architect Daniel Menard of La Berge & Menard and New York-Monaco-Palm Beach designer Jean Caya of Jean Caya Associates to restore what was left of the home to its original grandeur—a project that would take two years. “Our biggest challenge was to make sure any changes to the house would be approved by the Town of Palm Beach Landmarks Preservation Commission,” says Caya. “There were some delays, but we tried to work with the city in the best way.”
Menard searched for and eventually found the original drawings of the house at Sea Gull Cottage, a landmark home that once housed archives of the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach. “They were sketched on linen instead of paper,” he says. “These drawings enabled me to work backward. In a sense, we had the chance to re-create a bit of history.”
