Old Floresta Homes for Sale, Boca Raton
Old Floresta is the oldest residential neighborhood in Boca Raton and the city's first historic district. It sits west of downtown in the 33486 zip code, on a handful of streets named for plants and birds · Hibiscus, Azalea, Alamanda, Oleander, Aurelia and Cardinal Avenue. Mature canopy, no through traffic, and a number of houses that have been standing for a century.
How it came to exist
In October 1925 the architect Addison Mizner announced plans for a group of houses for his development company's executives and for his brother, the Reverend Henry Mizner. A New York contractor, the Robinson Company, took the contract for twenty-nine Mizner-designed houses.
Then the Florida land boom collapsed. The Mizner Development Corporation failed in 1926, before the houses were finished. Hermann V. von Holst, whose Chicago partners held the mortgage, foreclosed, supervised completion of the unfinished houses, proposed new street names, and suggested the name · Floresta, which he described as a delightful rural place.
The neighborhood was designated Boca Raton's first historic district in 1990. The architecture is Spanish in character: rough-finished stucco, wrought iron balconies and barrel tile roofs. Source: Florida Historical Marker, West Palmetto Park Road at Cardinal Avenue.
What the historic designation means for a buyer. A historic district is not a formality. It generally brings design review over exterior changes, and that can affect what you are permitted to alter, add or demolish. Before you buy here with a renovation in mind, confirm with the City of Boca Raton exactly what applies to the specific property and what the review process and timeline look like. This is the single most important question on these streets and it is not answered in a listing.
The market right now
A snapshot taken November 4, 2026. This is a small neighborhood, so closed activity is shown over 24 months. Figures are rounded and move with the market.
| | On the market | Closed, past 24 months |
|---|
| Number of listings | Six, one of them under contract | Ten |
| Asking prices | From about $2.45 million up to roughly $7.9 million | From about $1.95 million up to roughly $4.2 million |
| Average asking price | Around $4.6 million | Around $2.8 million |
| Asking price per square foot | Roughly $1,070 | Roughly $850 |
| Typical size | Around 4,350 square feet | Around 3,300 square feet |
| Year built | 1926 through 2026 |
A note on the closed figures: the MLS feed reports the asking price attached to a closed listing rather than the recorded sale price. The closed column tells you what those ten homes were asking. For what a specific house actually sold for, ask and I will pull the public record.
What the numbers actually mean
The century-old houses are the cheapest thing here
This is the surprise, and it runs against what people expect of a historic district. The least expensive listing in Old Floresta is a 1926 original of about 1,800 square feet. The most expensive is a house built in 2016, and the second most expensive is a 2026 build. The genuine Mizner-era stock trades at the bottom of the range, not the top.
Recent closings tell the same story · two 1926 and 1927 houses on Hibiscus Street were asking under $2.3 million. Buyers here are paying a premium for new and renovated square footage, not for provenance.
Which makes the designation the central question
If new construction commands the premium but the district governs what you can change, then what you are really buying is a position on that tension. Some buyers want the 1926 house and intend to keep it. Others want the lot and the street and intend to build. Those are very different transactions here, and the second one depends entirely on what review the city requires.
It is genuinely small
Six listings, ten closings over two years, in a neighborhood originally planned for twenty-nine houses. Roughly one sale every ten weeks. Hibiscus Street alone accounted for half the closings in that window. If you want Old Floresta, you wait for it · and you will probably be choosing between two houses rather than twenty.
A search note
The MLS records this neighborhood under two different names, Old Floresta and plain Floresta. A search using only one of them misses listings, including at times the highest-profile house on the market. The search on this page covers both.
Before you write an offer here
- Confirm the historic review requirements for that exact address with the City of Boca Raton, in writing, before your inspection period ends. Ask what is permitted on the exterior, what requires review, and how long review takes.
- On a 1920s house, inspect for the things a century does: original plumbing and electrical, roof structure, windows, and any prior work done without permits.
- Ask what has already been approved or denied nearby. Precedent in a historic district is informative.
- Price impact-window and roof replacement carefully. In a district with design standards, the compliant option is rarely the cheap one.
- Verify the flood zone and elevation for the parcel.
- If the house is listed as Floresta rather than Old Floresta, confirm it actually sits inside the district boundary. The record names are used loosely.
Frequently asked questions
Is Old Floresta a historic district?
Yes. It was designated Boca Raton's first historic district in 1990. The neighborhood dates to 1925 and 1926, when Addison Mizner planned a group of houses there for his company's executives and his brother.
Who designed the houses in Old Floresta?
Addison Mizner. A New York contractor, the Robinson Company, held the contract for twenty-nine Mizner-designed houses. The Mizner Development Corporation collapsed in 1926 before they were finished, and Hermann V. von Holst, whose Chicago partners held the mortgage, foreclosed and oversaw their completion. He also suggested the neighborhood's name.
What does a house in Old Floresta cost?
As of November 4, 2026 asking prices ran from about $2.45 million to roughly $7.9 million. Closings over the previous two years were asking from about $1.95 million to roughly $4.2 million.
Are the original 1926 houses the most expensive?
No, and that surprises people. The least expensive listing in the neighborhood is a 1926 original, while the top of the market is new and recently built construction. Buyers here are paying for finished square footage rather than for age.
Can you renovate or rebuild in Old Floresta?
Some work happens · there is a 2026 build in the neighborhood right now. But it sits in a historic district, which generally means design review over exterior changes. What you are permitted to do depends on the specific property, so confirm it with the City of Boca Raton before you commit rather than after.
Where exactly is Old Floresta?
West of downtown Boca Raton in the 33486 zip code, on Hibiscus, Azalea, Alamanda, Oleander and Aurelia Streets and Cardinal Avenue, near West Palmetto Park Road.
Talk to a broker who will read the ordinance with you
Damara Cohn is the founder and broker of Mangrove Realty, a boutique luxury brokerage in Delray Beach, with 25+ years in the business and over 35 years in Florida. In a historic district the review process decides what your plan is actually worth, and that is the conversation to have before you offer.
Email: brokerdelray@gmail.com · Office: (561) 637-4559
See also: Boca Raton homes for sale · Boca Villas and the Golden Triangle · All coastal neighborhoods
