The Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach today announced a landmark $7 million gift from Kenneth C. Griffin, founder and CEO of Citadel and founder of Griffin Catalyst, to support the transformational restoration of Phipps Ocean Park. The gift will increase the park’s accessibility and appeal as a public space and recreational facility with the restoration of natural ecosystems and the addition of new features, including the Kenneth C. Griffin Coastal Conservancy, which will serve as a cornerstone for environmental and cultural education in the region.
The $30 million restoration of the 20-acre Phipps Ocean Park is the Preservation Foundation’s most ambitious project to date. By uniting the educational missions of the Little Red Schoolhouse, the town’s oldest landmark, and Pan’s Garden, the State’s first all-native botanical garden, the Preservation Foundation has adopted a holistic approach to protecting the island’s architectural, botanical, and cultural heritage. Phipps Ocean Park reflects the Preservation Foundation’s larger commitment to change how Palm Beach thinks about its landscape by increasing the prevalence of native plants on the island to reduce the use of pesticides and water while supporting wildlife and creating more resilient coastlines.