West Palm Beach City Center, West Palm Beach

The West Palm Beach City Center is a 270,000 square foot five-story facility that houses City Hall, the West Palm Beach Library, and the Palm Beach Photographic Center. It is located on Clematis Street and is bordered by the North Banyan Boulevard. The cultural, civic, and artistic center opened in 2009. The hub is designed to be a one-stop facility for West Palm Beach residents.

The origins of the center began in 1995 when city officials realized that the previous City Hall was inadequate. In 1997, consultants determined that the existing City Hall was too small and did not meet hurricane code requirements. The City Hall building also had major issues with heating, air conditioning, ventilation, and the elevators.

The benefit of the West Palm Beach City Center is that it saves money by consolidating city employees and functions. There is also the added advantage of the revenue that the library and photographic center generate. Also, the library moving into the center has given the street waterfront access. The city also plans to create a City Commons and waterfront park in the location of the former library. In addition, the Palm Beach Photographic Center is host to the annual FotoFusion Festival.