512 32nd Street, West Palm Beach, FL 33407

Significance

Northwood was platted in 1921 by the Pinewood Development Company, whose principals the National Register nomination names as David F. Dunkle, Orrin Randolph, and G. W. Bingham. The John Volk attribution here does not rest on marketing copy: the 1994 nomination states that in 1925 the Craig-Stevens-Volk Company, Volk's own firm, began the construction of 5 houses on speculation in the district, at 440, 505, 511, 512, and 516 32nd Street. The nomination's building inventory carries 512 32nd Street as a residence of 1926 in Mediterranean Revival style, with a garage apartment of the same year recorded separately at 512 rear, and the address appears in the nomination's list of contributing buildings. The 1925 date in the narrative and the 1926 date in the inventory are consistent with construction beginning in one year and being completed or assessed in the next, and the county record also carries 1926. The nomination records the firm as building the houses on speculation; no separate architect is named for this address in the sources reviewed.

Documented timeline

1. 1921

   Northwood platted

   The Northwood subdivision was platted by the Pinewood Development Company, whose principals the National Register nomination names as David F. Dunkle, Orrin Randolph, and G. W. Bingham.[2]

2. 1925 to 1926

   Built on speculation by the Craig-Stevens-Volk Company

   The National Register nomination states that the Craig-Stevens-Volk Company, John Volk's firm, began the construction of 5 houses on speculation in the district in 1925, including 512 32nd Street. The nomination inventory and the county record both date the house, and its rear garage apartment, to 1926.[1][2]

3. 1994

   District listed on the National Register

   The Old Northwood Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places on 14 April 1994 under reference number 94000368. The nomination counts 320 contributing and 115 noncontributing buildings.[2]

4. 1999

   Sold for $350,000

   The county record shows a sale of $350,000.[1]

5. 2019

   Sold for $650,000

   The county record shows a sale of $650,000 dated 7 October 2019 to an individual buyer.[1]

6. 2021

   Quit claim deed to Suffren LLC

   A quit claim deed dated 15 April 2021 transferred the property to Suffren LLC at a recorded consideration of $385,314.[1]

7. 2023

   Sold for $2,200,000

   The county record shows a sale of $2,200,000 dated 27 October 2023 to individual buyers. A property page carried by Zillow names Jerome Brun De Saint Hippolyte of The Corcoran Group as the agent on the selling side.[1][3]

8. 2026

   Homestead exemptions on the county record

   The county record carries Homestead and Additional Homestead exemptions for 2026, which indicates that the property is used as a primary residence.[1]

Ownership of record

The county deed chain runs from an individual owner of record who acquired the property in October 2019, to Suffren LLC on a quit claim deed in April 2021, and to individual owners of record on the October 2023 sale, who hold title now. Individual owners of record are not named here. Current occupants are not identified; this dossier describes recorded and reported transactions only.

Current status

No active public listing was found as of September 2026. The property sold 27 October 2023 for $2,200,000, and the county records homestead exemptions on the parcel, which indicates owner occupancy. The Compass index of active Old Northwood listings does not include this address, and the property pages reviewed show it as sold rather than offered, so it should not be treated as for sale.

Buyer diligence

• Confirm with the City of West Palm Beach Historic Preservation Board whether a certificate of appropriateness is required before any exterior work, and what the review timeline looks like.
• Ask the City of West Palm Beach whether its historic property ad valorem tax exemption for qualifying rehabilitation may apply to planned work, and on what terms.
• Confirm the contributing status of this specific address, and of the rear garage apartment recorded as 512 rear, against the National Register nomination inventory rather than relying on the district boundary alone.
• Confirm the year built with the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser, noting that the nomination's narrative dates construction start to 1925 while its inventory and the county record both carry 1926.
• The county record classifies the parcel as multifamily with fewer than 5 units and shows 3 total units. Confirm the legal unit count, whether each unit is permitted, and the rental licensing position with the City of West Palm Beach.
• Pull the current FEMA flood zone designation and an elevation certificate for the parcel.

What the record cannot show

• Whether John Volk personally designed this house, as distinct from his firm building it on speculation. The nomination records the firm's role and names no architect for the address.
• Whether the 3 units shown on the county record are all legal and permitted, or how they are currently used.
• The scope or quality of any renovation, and whether any work was done without permit. No permit history was reviewed.
• Whether the property has been marketed privately or off market, which would not appear in the public record.