Addison Mizner aspired to turn the tiny unincorporated town of Boca Raton, Florida into a luxurious resort community filled with his own special blend of Mediterranean architecture. Irving Berlin, W.K. Vanderbilt, Elizabeth Arden, and other illustrious personalities bought stock in the venture.
Addison Mizner went broke, but his dream came true. Boca Raton became a Mediterranean Mecca with Moorish columns, spiral staircases suspended in midair and exotic Medieval details.