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Photograph of Ferndix Building
Photograph by Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0. Via Wikimedia Commons.

Ferndix Building

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. 8 historic topographic surveys show this location, the earliest from 1946.

From the record

“The Ferndix Building is a historic site at 401 Fern Street, sometimes listed as 321 South Dixie Highway, in West Palm Beach, Florida, United States. A two-story commercial structure of Mission/Spanish Revival architecture, the building was envisioned around 1924 by David Forest "D.F." Dunkle, a developer and former mayor of West Palm Beach.”

Wikipedia article Ferndix Building, CC BY-SA 4.0.

One of 74 National Register listings published here for Palm Beach County · listed in 1999 · category: Building.

Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service

The listing

  • What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 1 building as contributing to the listing.
  • Address. 401 Fern St., West Palm Beach, 33401
  • When was it listed? July 1999
  • Category. building
  • Census division. West Palm Beach
  • Architectural style. Mission Revival architecture
  • National Register reference number. 99000861 - the number the National Park Service assigned this property when it was listed, and the key its nomination file is catalogued under at the National Archives.

Then and now

1946 to 1956

The ground this property stands on, surveyed 10 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.

Topographic sheet covering Ferndix Building, surveyed 1956
Topographic sheet covering Ferndix Building, surveyed 1946

Fires near this property

9 since 1995

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 9 fires within 5 miles of Ferndix Building between 1995 and 2004, burning about 65 acres in total. 3 started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Misuse of fire by a minor4
Natural3
Railroad operations and maintenance2

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
30 July 2003Natural1.5 acresFlorida Forest ServiceOKEECHOBEE COMMAND
21 July 2003Natural1.0 acresFlorida Forest Service47TH ST COMMAND
11 July 2004Naturalunder an acreFlorida Forest ServiceHAVERHILL COMMAND
14 May 2000Misuse of fire by a minorunder an acreFlorida Forest Servicenot named
4 April 1998Misuse of fire by a minor50 acresFlorida Forest Servicenot named
3 April 1996Railroad operations and maintenance3.0 acresFlorida Forest Servicenot named
26 April 1998Railroad operations and maintenance5.0 acresFlorida Forest Servicenot named
1 February 1995Misuse of fire by a minor2.5 acresFlorida Forest Servicenot named

Every fire recorded in Palm Beach County

Storms near this property

60 of 61 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names West Palm Beach, the town this property stands in, in 61 storm reports between 1994 and 2024: 12 thunderstorm wind, 12 funnel cloud, 9 lightning, 8 hail. The reports record 2 deaths and 4 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
April 2006LightningWest Palm Beach1 killedA 65-year-old man was killed when he was struck by lightning while standing in his front yard talking to his neighbor.
July 1997LightningWest Palm Beach1 killed34 year old male struck by lightning shortly after getting out of his car at his residence on stoneway lane.
September 1999LightningWest Palm Beach1 hurt, $50,000no account filed
January 2005LightningWest Palm Beach1 hurtA 44-year-old male construction worker in the median of I-95 near Forest Hill Boulevard was injured when lightning struck a nearby crane. He was transported to the hospital then released.
April 2004LightningWest Palm Beach1 hurtA 43-year-old male walking to his vehicle was injured when lightning struck a nearby tree. It was raining steadily at the time. The man was treated and released from a hospital.
August 2004LightningWest Palm Beach1 hurtA 33-year-old soccer coach was talking on the telephone when he received a shock from a lightning strike knocking him from his chair.
June 1994Thunderstorm WindWest Palm Beach$50,000Florida Highway Patrol reported an uprooted tree fell onto a mobile home in Belle Glade. Wind gust of 51 knots observed at Palm Beach International Airport. Large trees were blown down damaging a mobile home and a carport just south of Lake Worth. A waterspout was sighted offshore Delray Beach. A large billboard was blown down and power poles were bent in Hypoluxo.
April 1999Thunderstorm WindWest Palm Beach$50,000no account filed
May 1999WildfireWest Palm Beach$30,000no account filed
June 1995Thunderstorm WindWest Palm Beach$25,000Severe thunderstorm winds damaged screened porches and awnings on a few homes and downed tree limbs.
January 2000WildfireWest Palm Beach$20,000no account filed
August 2023Thunderstorm WindWest Palm Beach$10,000Broadcast media reported that a large tree fell on a school bus as a severe thunderstorm moved through the area. There were no injuries at the time of the report. The speed of the wind gust was estimated based on close proximity to where a 74 mph gust was recorded.
December 2006Flash FloodWest Palm Beach$5,000A slow-moving low pressure trough caused very heavy rains and significant flooding over parts of Palm Beach County. West Palm Beach International Airport received a total of 8.21 inches of rain ending at 7 PM on the 15th. Other locations in Central and Southern Palm Beach County received between 6 and 8 inches of rain. Northern Broward County received lesser amounts in the 2 to 3 inch range.|Several streets and roads were closed in the city of West Palm Beach, with water reaching up to 3 feet deep in some areas. Hardest hit was the neighborhood of Pineapple Park. Many vehicles were stranded in the deep water, with local police receiving about 120 calls for assistance. No significant damage was reported to property despite water entering homes and businesses. |Florida Power and Light reported 20,000 customers without power during the afternoon and early evening hours. Shelters were opened for people left homeless by the floods, but only 5 people had arrived as of 8:30 PM.
July 2001Thunderstorm WindWest Palm Beach$5,000Power lines were blown down.
March 1999Tornado (F0)West Palm Beach$2,000no account filed
March 2024Flash FloodWest Palm Beach-Law enforcement reported flash flooding with several stalled-out cars and standing water on Southern Boulevard in West Palm Beach, as well as US-1 in Lake Worth, after rounds of showers and thunderstorms moved through the area. 3 to 5 inches of rain was estimated to have fallen in a less than 3-hour period across this area, with 12-hour rainfall amounts of 6 to 7 inches.
July 2020HailWest Palm Beach-Broadcast media reported nickel size hail on Southern Boulevard in eastern parts of West Palm Beach.
August 2020FloodWest Palm Beach-Video on social media shows roads partially submerged in the Prospect Park neighborhood of West Palm Beach from heavy rainfall. Rainfall amounts in the surrounding area were in the 3 to 5 inch range.
August 2019Flash FloodWest Palm Beach-Several reports and videos from WPTV of flooding due to heavy rainfall of 2 to 3 inches falling within 30 minutes across portions of West Palm Beach. This heavy rainfall caused streets to become impassable with some cars stuck in deep water, which reached up to the headlights. Streets which had significant flooding include: Flagler Drive, Parker Avenue, and Banyan Street east of Tamarind Avenue.
March 2014Thunderstorm WindWest Palm Beach-A weatherbug mesonet site reported a thunderstorm wind gust 59 mph.
March 2008HailWest Palm Beach-A severe thunderstorm continued northward after producing wind damage in the Lake Clarke Shores area and produced quarter sized hail in West Palm Beach along Southern Boulevard between the Intracoastal Waterway and Dixie Highway.
February 2007HailWest Palm Beach-Hail reported at 330 Sea Spray Avenue in West Palm Beach by trained spotter.
April 2005Thunderstorm WindWest Palm Beach-A thunderstorm wind gust of 58 mph was estimated by the public.
August 2004HailWest Palm Beach-Hail three quarters of an inch in diameter was reported near 45th Street and Broadway.
August 2004Tornado (F0)West Palm Beach-A tornado was seen over a small lake.
August 2003Funnel CloudWest Palm Beach-A funnel cloud was seen over the Palm Beach Zoo at Dreher Park.
August 2003Tornado (F0)West Palm Beach-A waterspout moved ashore from the Atlantic near the Town of Palm Beach and continued west. The tornado did very minor damage to a construction site.
February 2002Heavy RainWest Palm Beach-Three to five inches of rain fell between 10 am and 2 pm with nine inches measured at Lake Worth ina 38-hour period. A woman drove her vehicle into a canal and drowned when her car was swept away.
September 2002Funnel CloudWest Palm Beach-Emergency Management Officials reported a funnel cloud.
March 2001Funnel CloudWest Palm Beach-A SKYWARN spotter sighted a funnel cloud forming near Climatis and Quadrille Roads.
May 2001Funnel CloudWest Palm Beach-The Highway Patrol reported a funnel cloud near SR 80 at 20-mile bend.
March 2001HailWest Palm Beach-A spotter reported dime-size hail between Indiantown and West Palm Beach.
June 2001WaterspoutWest Palm Beach-Two waterspouts were sighted in the Atlantic about one mile offshore Southern Boulevard.
July 2001Funnel CloudWest Palm Beach-A SKYWARN spotter sighted a funnel cloud over Wellington.
July 2001Flash FloodWest Palm Beach-Street flooding in Wellington was caused by four inches of rain in a two hour period.
November 1998WaterspoutWest Palm Beach-A pilot sighted two waterspouts west of Grand Bahama Island in the Bahamas.
July 1997Thunderstorm WindWest Palm Beach-large tree fell on cars along 45 st.
August 1997Funnel CloudWest Palm Beach-reported by public.
June 1994Thunderstorm WindWest Palm Beach-Nickel and dime-size hail was reported around West Palm Beach. Thunderstorm winds uprooted trees and blew tree limbs off.
November 2003Heavy RainWest Palm Beach-no account filed
June 2001Thunderstorm WindWest Palm Beach-no account filed
June 2001HailWest Palm Beach-no account filed
May 2000Funnel CloudWest Palm Beach-no account filed
September 2000Funnel CloudWest Palm Beach-no account filed
August 2000Funnel CloudWest Palm Beach-no account filed
June 1999WaterspoutWest Palm Beach-no account filed
June 1999Funnel CloudWest Palm Beach-no account filed
August 1999Tornado (F0)West Palm Beach-no account filed
November 1999WaterspoutWest Palm Beach-no account filed
September 1999WaterspoutWest Palm Beach-no account filed
August 1999Tornado (F0)West Palm Beach-no account filed
June 1999Thunderstorm WindWest Palm Beach-no account filed
June 1999Funnel CloudWest Palm Beach-no account filed
May 1999HailWest Palm Beach-no account filed
August 1999WaterspoutWest Palm Beach-no account filed
July 1999Funnel CloudWest Palm Beach-no account filed
May 1999LightningWest Palm Beach-no account filed
May 1999HailWest Palm Beach-no account filed
September 1996LightningWest Palm Beach-no account filed
September 1996Thunderstorm WindWest Palm Beach-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Palm Beach County

Maps showing this location

8 surveys

United States Geological Survey topographic sheets whose coverage includes this point. Matched by taking the coordinate the National Park Service records for this property, then testing that coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet.

Listed places nearby

6 within 8 miles

Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.

Photograph PropertyDistance Listed
Professional Buildingunder 500 feet1996
American National Bank Buildingunder 500 feet1997
Palm Beach Mercantile Company0.2 miles1994
Van Valkenburg, Grant House0.2 miles1999
Guaranty Building0.2 miles1998
Comeau Building0.2 miles1996

Sources for this property

National Archives recordThe nomination case file for reference 99000861 in Record Group 79.
Wikipedia articleCommunity-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA.
Palm Beach CountyAll 74 listed properties in this county.

Provenance

  • Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
  • Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
  • How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
  • Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
  • Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.