A1A, Sloan's Curve and the 'Hurricane of 1947'

By Bob Davidsson
        Each month thousands of resident and visiting drivers choose to escape the high-speed anxiety of I-95 by motoring at a more leisurely pace along the oceanfront highway known as A1A.
        A1A is Florida's 375-mile coastal state road extending from Key West to Amelia Island near the Georgia border. It is a highway that evolved with many name and route changes during its 73-year history.
        Sections of A1A opened in 1927 as "Atlantic Avenue". It was designated "State Road 1 (S.R. 1)" in 1945 as part of a state highway renumbering system. As the easternmost road in Florida, the highway became S.R. 1.
        The enumeration caused confusion for motorists. A few miles west of S.R. 1 on the mainland, the federal government identified its Florida-to-Maine highway as "U.S. 1". To end future wrong turns by drivers, the State of Florida changed its coastal road's identifier from S.R. 1 to A1A in November 1946.
        A1A also has acquired many local street names. At its place of origin in Key West, the state road is South Roosevelt Blvd. The coastal highway is known as South Ocean Blvd. in the Town of Palm Beach.
        A1A is firmly imbedded in Florida's popular literature and folklore. It is the theme of mystery writers and musicians. Jimmy Buffett, South Florida's unofficial musical poet laureate, was inspired to record an album entitled "A1A" in 1974.
        The highway is mentioned in the lyrics of a song written by Buffett,  "Trying to Reason in Hurricane Season." The composer wrote:

        "Strollin' down the avenue that's known as A1A,
        Feelin' tired, then I get inspired,
        I know it won't last long;
        So all alone I walked back home,
        Sat on the beach
        And then I wrote this song..."

        Jimmy Buffett recorded "A1A" while living in Key West between 1971 and 1998. The musician and author later became a Town of Palm Beach resident, purchasing local properties in 2002, 2011 and 2015.

Sloan's Curve and the 1947 Hurricane
        Hurricanes have often impacted the history of A1A, temporarily closing the highway and even forcing permanent route changes. One of the most noteworthy is the deadly twist-and-turn known as "Sloan's Curve" in the Town of Palm Beach.
        There are many local legends and theories about the Sloan's Curve name origin. The consensus is its named for a nearby "Billionaires Row" property owner, Alfred P. Sloan Jr. (1875 - 1966), the former chairman and CEO of General Motors and the foundation that bears his name today.
        Although the primary residence of Alfred and Irene Sloan was in New York, they also owned an estate on South Ocean Blvd., according to the 1948 Palm Beach City Directory. The 1936 Palm Beach Street Atlas, updated by the publisher in 1948, confirms Sloan's Curve was built on a State of Florida right-of-way adjacent to property (Section 108) listed under the name Irene Jackson Sloan.
        Prior to 1947, A1A rested on the crest of the dune line extending from Palm Beach to the Town of Manalapan. The oceanfront route south of Sloan's Curve permanently closed on Sept. 20 when the highway was washed out to sea by a hurricane.
        The Category 4 tropical cyclone commonly called the "Fort Lauderdale Hurricane of 1947," but classified by the U.S. Weather Bureau as "Hurricane 4 - George," slammed into the city with 145 mph winds. It spiraled northwest across the state before entering the Gulf of Mexico between Naples and Fort Myers.
        North of the hurricane's eye wall, tropical winds destroyed the Boca Raton Army Air Field's hangars, barracks and aircraft, resulting in $4.5 million in damages. Following an assessment of the destruction, the military base was closed in December 1947.
        As the storm passed south of Lake Okeechobee, 15,000 Glades residents were evacuated. Storm surge reached 21 feet in the big lake, but the new Herbert Hoover Dike held back the flood waters.
        A concerned Florida Legislature created the "Central and Southern Florida Flood Control District" in response to the 1947 hurricane to prevent future storm-related flooding. It became the "South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD)" in 1972, with its headquarters in West Palm Beach.
        A1A was not spared the wrath of the 1947 hurricane in central Palm Beach County. Storm tides surpassed 11 feet along the coastal Palm Beaches, destroying large sections of A1A between Palm Beach and Boynton Beach. A five-mile segment of coastal A1A north of the Lake Worth Casino vanished "as if no road existed," according to one news report.
        Category 2 sustained winds tore the roof off of the historic 1922 casino building. The Lake Worth Beach landmark was rebuilt minus many of the original architectural features on the casino's exterior. The last remaining stretch of the original coastal beach road, between Lantana Beach and Manalapan, succumbed to Hurricane Cleo in 1964.
        A1A was closed to traffic in September 1947 until a new highway could be built at a location less exposed to ocean tides and surf on the barrier island.
        The December 1919 Palm Beach Sanborn Map traced a pathway along the Lake Worth Lagoon called the "Lake Trail". The Lake Trail was infilled and expanded in width to become the new route for A1A. The highway passed west of the Phipps Family property (Phipps Ocean Park), and cut through the future Palm Beach Par 3 Golf Course, built by Michael Phipps in 1961.
        To realign the new section of A1A with South Ocean Blvd. required a 90-degree turn in the replacement highway. This became "Sloan's Curve".

The 'Condominium Row'
        Today, it is hard to believe that 70 years ago the prime coastal property between Sloan's Curve and Lake Worth Beach was nearly uninhabited and considered of little value. Much of the property was held in the John and Annie Phipps Family's "Bessemer Properties Trust," according to the Palm Beach Real Estate Atlas.
        The poor assessment of barrier island land values was shared by the City of Lake Worth. The city decided to retain its profitable casino complex, pier and public beach. The remainder of its barrier island jurisdiction was ceded to the Town of Palm Beach.
        The first condominium project south of Sloan's Curve in Palm Beach was not built until the 1960s. Eight developments were platted between 1967-69. The current "Condominium Row" extending from the Town of South Palm Beach north to Sloan's Curve would eventually expand to 40 condominium and townhouse developments.
        The Town of Palm Beach belatedly approved building height limits of five stories in 1970 to reduce high-rise canyon impacts. With the completion of the Sloan's Curve luxury complex, between 1980 and 2006, the last undeveloped section of Palm Beach would reach "build out".
 (c.) R.I. Davidsson, 2020.
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