How architect William Manly King shaped South Florida from 1921-61
'Sunlit Arches' author Janet Naughton explores King's legacy at free lecture Feb. 19 at Lake Worth Beach City Hall
YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW his name, but chances are you’re familiar with the work of architect William Manly King.
Among the hundreds of buildings he designed in Palm Beach County from 1921-61, including some with his signature external arches allowing sunlight to accentuate the structures, those still standing include:
The Armory Arts Center, the Dreyfoos School of the Arts, grand homes in West Palm Beach’s Old Northwood, the Boynton Beach Arts & Cultural Center, schools in Jupiter, Pahokee and Belle Glade, even the arched entrance to Yesteryear Village.
Though not as well known as the celebrity Florida Land Boom architect Addison Mizner, King made a lasting mark on South Florida’s architectural identity with his Mediterranean Revival, Art Deco, and Mid-Century Moderne buildings.
King’s legacy is the topic of a free lecture and slideshow at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 19 at Lake Worth Beach City Hall by historian Janet Naughton, author of the 2025 book, “Sunlit Arches — How William Manly King Shaped South Florida.’’
Admission is free. Copies of her book will be available for purchase.
Naughton, a professor at Palm Beach State College since 2016, was introduced to King one day in the 1990s when she gazed with awe at old Boynton Beach High School.
“I kept looking at and thinking, ‘This was probably really something back in the day,’’’ she recalled.
She learned King designed the building, which was later saved from demolition and converted to an arts center. But her curiosity didn’t stop there.
While working as archivist for the Boynton Beach city library, she pursued a passion for history and started researching old newspaper clips from the 1920s. King’s name featured prominently, setting Naughton on a path that would lead to the first comprehensive book about the architect.
From the 1920s land boom to the Great Depression to the transformative postwar years, King created structures that served all aspects of public life — homes, schools, churches, hotels, apartment buildings, hospitals, civic centers, even prisons.
Since he served as the school district’s lead architect, no wonder he designed so many school buildings in the county.
She also learned King was among influential building designers of his era, along with Hazel Augustus, Palm Beach County’s first African American architect; Agnes Ballard, Florida’s first licensed female architect; and W.B. Eckler, designer of the original Lake Worth Casino.
Something else about King stood out: Although he was long overlooked, he created more buildings than many of his celebrated contemporaries.
Known as “Billy” to friends and colleagues, King was born in Macon, Ga. and trained in Alabama. He often visited South Florida. It was Mizner who helped persuade King to set up shop in Palm Beach County where the Florida Boom brought a need for talented architects.
By 1921, King opened an office in downtown West Palm Beach. About a year after Mizner died in 1933, King merged his firm with Addison Mizner Inc.
King’s Lake Worth Beach contributions include Lake Worth Junior High, in a building still standing along South A Street on the Lake Worth Community High School campus.
He also designed buildings that never got made, including a 12-story building at Dixie Highway and Second Avenue North in downtown Lake Worth. It died on the drawing boards when the land boom went bust.
He was known for robust charity work, too, including the recently torn down school for blind children on Dixie Highway in West Palm Beach, and African American churches in West Palm and Orlando.
King died in 1961. He and several relatives are buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in, for reasons unknown, unmarked graves.
“This book is a testament to those missing stones,’’ Naughton said.
DETAILS
WHAT: Historian Janet Naughton offers a lecture about architect William Manly King
WHEN: 6:30 p.m. Feb. 19, 2026
WHERE: Lake Worth Beach City Hall, 7 N. Dixie Highway
ADMISSION: Free
SPONSOR: Historical Society of Lake Worth
Use main entrance. Light refreshments served at 6 p.m.
Individuals needing to access the elevator should call 561 632 9044
