The short stretch of South County Road across from Town Hall has no single opening date this season. It has a calendar. The island's only gas station is coming back in announced phases from October 1 through January. The clothier next door closed in May and is aiming for a fall return. A thrift shop two blocks south plans a coffee counter but hasn't set a date. A two-floor restaurant and nightclub has cleared the Town Council but has only a year as its target. A few minutes' walk west, the Society of the Four Arts has fenced half its campus and moved its best-known programs to two other island addresses.
Much of Midtown is still in the middle of being rebuilt as season begins. Builders scheduled the heavy work for the off-season and planned the reopenings to arrive in steps. So the area will change month by month through the winter, and the Four Arts piece of it runs into 2027.
The Gas Station Calendar Across From Town Hall
Palm Petrol at 340 S. County Road is the old Gray's Sunoco under a new name. It closed on June 28 for a renovation meant to restore the 70-year-old building's mid-century modern look, enlarge the convenience store, and upgrade the fuel systems. It will keep offering full-service pumping, which the Palm Beach Daily News called a rarity in Florida.
In that June 18 report, co-owner Alex Griswold laid out the reopening in four steps:
- October 1: gas service resumes.
- November 1: the vehicle service shop opens.
- December 1: the expanded convenience store opens.
- January: a grand opening celebration.
These are the dates announced in June. We found no later public report confirming that the October 1 fuel restart happened on time, so treat each one as planned until the station says otherwise. Griswold told the paper he expected the whole project to finish by the end of the year. That fits a sequence where the pumps come back first and the store and the celebration come later.
The convenience store is the part most likely to change the daily routine around Town Hall. The renovation adds 1,094 square feet, and the plan calls for local goods, baked goods, wine, and other specialty items. If December 1 holds, that store opens just as the island fills up for the holidays.
One owner, two neighboring addresses
The station's ownership also explains the building next door. In March 2025, a Delaware LLC named for the property's address bought the station for $11.94 million. That company is managed by Armata Holdings Management Corp., a real estate investment firm controlled by Griswold. He told the Town Council that he and a larger group of residents pooled money to buy the station when it was rumored to be for sale.
A separate Griswold-controlled entity, 336 S County LLC, then bought the commercial building just north of the station for a recorded $9.5 million. The deed was recorded June 5, 2026. That building has long been home to the clothier C. Orrico. C. Orrico closed at the end of May to renovate and downsize, and Kathie Orrico had told the Daily News the shop planned to reopen in the same building in the fall. We found no confirmed reopening date. No public plans for the rest of 336 S. County Road have been reported.
Within about a year, then, two neighboring addresses across from Town Hall came under entities controlled by the same island-raised investor. Both are now renovating on overlapping timelines.
The Four Arts Season, Spread Across the Island
The biggest Midtown change this winter is at the Society of the Four Arts. Its renovation and expansion started in May on an 18-month construction timeline. Counting from May 2026, that puts completion around late 2027. The west half of the campus will stay fenced for the whole project. The work there centers on the Esther B. O'Keeffe Building, its galleries, and the Gubelmann Auditorium.
The Four Arts is staying open throughout. Its renovation FAQ lists where each program has moved for the 2026–27 season:
| Program or space | Where it is this season |
|---|---|
| O'Keeffe Speaker series, now on Mondays | Royal Poinciana Chapel |
| Sanda and Jeremiah Lambert Concert Series | Royal Poinciana Chapel |
| Films and screenings, including Met Opera | Palm Beach Day Academy |
| King Library | On campus, normal hours |
| Children's Library | Second floor of the Dixon Education Building, with programs in the Hulitar Garden |
| Traveling exhibitions | Outdoor exhibition in the updated Hulitar sculpture garden |
| Demonstration Garden and Hulitar Garden | Open on the east campus |
The Monday change matters for anyone who has built a season around the speaker series. Many standing season calendars may need adjusting.
The Four Arts started in May so the heavy demolition would land in the island's off-season. Work continues on the town's permitted schedule: weekdays from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturdays with only quiet work from 8 to 9 a.m. and all work from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and no work on Sundays. Parking on campus is limited. The Four Arts recommends carpooling, drop-off, and rideshare for library visits. Crossing guards and flaggers will redirect pedestrians at busy times.
The Lake Trail gap
For cyclists and walkers, the most direct effect is on the Lake Trail. The Town approved closing the section that crosses the Four Arts campus, because it runs through the construction site. Signs on site point the way back to the trail. The Palm Beach Daily News reported in May that the segment along the west side of the 10-acre Midtown campus would stay closed for the whole construction period. With an 18-month timeline, a morning ride along the lake will include that detour through this season and well into next.
South of Town Hall, Approvals Without Dates
Farther south on South County Road, the projects are at an earlier stage.
The Church Mouse, the thrift shop at 378 S. County Road, plans to add a small to-go coffee counter. It will have no food or seating, and proceeds will support outreach by the shop's owner, the Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea. As of the July 27 report, no opening date had been announced.
Next door at 380 S. County Road, the Midtown building that once housed Le Bar a Vin has a new plan. The Town Council approved site plans for "George x Avenue 31," a Mediterranean-theme restaurant with a nightclub component that would use two floors. The Daily News reported the approval on October 7, 2026. The brand's own site calls the venue Italian-Mediterranean, with a bar and lounge, and traces the concept to Monte-Carlo. The site says "Opening 2026" without a specific date.
One closure on the same road came first. Kofski Antiques on South County Road closed on May 2, 2026. We found no confirmed new opening between Royal Palm Way and Worth Avenue this summer or fall.
On Worth Avenue, the Timeline Runs to 2027
Two well-publicized Worth Avenue proposals are further out than they might sound.
Plans filed August 13 would turn The Esplanade at 150 Worth Avenue into "Burlington Arcade at Palm Beach." The plan includes a Casa Tua restaurant and club, a club led by Robin Birley, Birley Bakery, a salon, a spa, and luxury retail. Reuben Brothers and Crown Onyx Investments are behind it. As of the August 28 report, the proposal still needed town review and could go before town boards as early as October.
Across the street, restaurateur Stephen Starr's Room Service at 151 Worth Avenue received conditional Town Council approval. The September 10 report gave December 2027 as the earliest opening. That is about when the Four Arts' 18-month timeline ends too. Two of the island's biggest cultural and dining projects could reach their finish lines in the same season, a year from now.
Here is the near-term calendar. Palm Petrol's announced phases run October 1, November 1, December 1, then a January celebration. C. Orrico aims to reopen this fall in a building with a new owner. The Church Mouse counter and George x Avenue 31 are approved or planned but have no dates. The Four Arts runs its Mondays at Royal Poinciana Chapel and its films at Palm Beach Day Academy, with the west campus fenced until about late 2027.
When a whole block reopens in phases, some changes in ownership and use show up long before a grand opening does. For owners and investors who want that kind of street-level detail about the island's commercial blocks and the homes near them, Listings & Leases shares it privately. Request Private Market Access.
