744 Penn Street, West Palm Beach, FL 33401

Significance

Grandview Heights was platted in 1920 according to the district's National Register nomination. The nomination counts 363 buildings in the district, of which 268, or 73 percent, are contributing, and it carries this address, recorded under the street's former name of Penn Avenue, among them as a Mission style residence of about 1924. The Palm Beach County Property Appraiser records the year built as 1925, 1 year later than the nomination, and the discrepancy is unresolved in the sources reviewed. The county deed record also carries a 1979 instrument described as a declaration of condominium at $14,000, and its current effect on the property's legal form is not established in the sources reviewed. No architect, builder, or original owner is identified for this address in any source reviewed. The county classifies the parcel as 0100, SINGLE FAMILY, records 1 unit, and reports 1,016 square feet of total parcel building area. The figure must not be confused with interior living area or a legal rental entitlement.

Documented timeline

1. 1920

   Grandview Heights platted

   The Grandview Heights subdivision was platted in 1920 according to the district's National Register nomination.[2]

2. c. 1924 or 1925

   House constructed

   The National Register nomination inventory dates the house to about 1924 and records the style as Mission. The Palm Beach County Property Appraiser records the year built as 1925.[2][1]

3. 1991

   County warranty deed entry

   The county sale-history table records 1 October 1991, $23,000, and warranty deed, with Official Records reference 07011 / 00964. This is the date and amount shown by the county summary, not an independently confirmed contract closing or recording date. Personal parties are omitted.[1]

4. 1993

   County cert of title entry

   The county sale-history table records 1 October 1993, $100, and cert of title, with Official Records reference 07932 / 00948. The nominal amount is not evidence of market value or proof of the transfer purpose. The underlying instrument must be read before assigning a legal explanation.[1]

5. 1993

   County warranty deed entry

   The county sale-history table records 1 October 1993, $23,000, and warranty deed, with Official Records reference 07942 / 00646. This is the date and amount shown by the county summary, not an independently confirmed contract closing or recording date. Personal parties are omitted.[1]

6. 1994

   County warranty deed entry

   The county sale-history table records 1 December 1994, $38,000, and warranty deed, with Official Records reference 08540 / 00618. This is the date and amount shown by the county summary, not an independently confirmed contract closing or recording date. Personal parties are omitted.[1]

7. 1999

   District listed on the National Register

   The Grandview Heights Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places on 8 July 1999 under reference number 99000795.[2]

8. 2021

   County warranty deed entry

   The county sale-history table records 31 August 2021, $505,000, and warranty deed, with Official Records reference 32870 / 01306. This is the date and amount shown by the county summary, not an independently confirmed contract closing or recording date. Personal parties are omitted.[1]

Ownership of record

The county summary identifies the owner of record as individual owners; personal names are omitted. Its latest instrument reference is Official Records 32870 / 01306. Use that book and page to retrieve the underlying Clerk instrument and compare the legal description with a current title commitment. The summary is an index to that work, not a title opinion. It cannot establish beneficial ownership, signing authority, current occupancy, private agreements, or the absence of a later instrument that has not reached the appraisal record.

Current status

The latest entry in the county sale-history table is dated 31 August 2021, with $505,000 and instrument type warranty deed. This describes the county record reviewed on 1 October 2026. It does not establish current availability or all terms of a transaction.

Buyer diligence

• Match parcel 74-43-43-28-05-000-2881 and the county legal description, GRANDVIEW HEIGHTS W 41 FT OF E 58 FT OF LTS 288, 289, 290 & W 41 FT OF E 58 FT OF N 5 FT OF LT 291, to the survey and title commitment. Do not rely only on the street address or historic estate name when deciding what land and improvements a transaction includes.
• Retrieve Official Records 32870 / 01306 and the preceding instruments from the Clerk. Compare instrument dates, recording stamps, legal descriptions, and consideration. The 31 August 2021 date here is specifically the date in the Property Appraiser's sale-history table, which can differ from a reported closing date.
• Reconcile the county's 1 unit count, property-use classification, and 1,016 square feet of total parcel building area with approved plans and an inspection. Accessory structures, garages, and semi-finished areas can affect these fields; the total is not a verified living-area measurement or permission for separate rental use.
• Ask the City of West Palm Beach to confirm current local historic designation, the address-specific inventory record, and the approvals needed for proposed exterior work. A National Register nomination is historical evidence; it does not by itself establish that a particular present project has approval.
• Compare the building card, permit history, and physical inspection. A recorded construction year is a starting point for locating plans, not a warranty of original materials, present structural condition, or completion of later work. Request records for additions and accessory structures as well as the main house.
• Obtain the applicable current FEMA flood map and any elevation certificate before seeking insurance terms. This dossier has not made a parcel flood-zone determination, priced coverage, inspected flood mitigation work, or confirmed the condition of drainage, seawalls, roofing, or concealed building systems.

What the record cannot show

• The complete economic terms of a transaction, private agreements, personal property allocations, or the motivation for a nominal transfer.
• Beneficial ownership behind an entity or trust, current occupants, seller intentions, or the authority of a person to sign a future agreement.
• Whether historical architectural features remain intact or whether an appraisal characteristic corresponds to permitted, completed work.
• Current insurance eligibility and pricing, concealed defects, survey encroachments, or all title exceptions. Those require separate records and professional investigation.