Henry John Rolfs, Sr. (1908-1994), the son of a German cabinetmaker, was born in New York City. After earning degrees from Rutgers and Columbia universities, Rolfs became a developer in northern Virginia. As he accumulated wealth, Rolfs adopted the motto, “Buy in the path of progress. ” Rolfs brought this philosophy along when he and his wife, Zoe, moved to Palm Beach County in 1964, where the visionary amassed over 4,000 acres.
With David Paladino, Rolfs developed a plan in 1986 for a project they called Downtown/Uptown. Over eight months, they quietly bought over 300 properties covering 26 blocks and 77 acres in downtown West Palm Beach. They tried to interest the Guinness Book of Records in their feat, as analysts knew of no other private urban redevelopment with as many sellers and parcels. After the partners had received government approvals and razed everything on the site except the former First United Methodist Church, the 1990s’ recession destroyed their plans. Parcel by parcel, creditors claimed the land. Rolfs and Paladino, however, managed to donate the site for the Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts.
Rolfs lost his $54 million investment and half of his western lands, which others developed into the subdivisions of Riverwalk, Andros Isle, and Montclair Lakes. Paladino said of his partner, “I think he . . . was more interested in undertaking something of great socioeconomic significance than in making money. ” Rolfs was intensely spiritual, not allowing financial loss to derail him. Downtown/Uptown was eventually developed as CityPlace, and the city honored Henry Rolfs by placing a statue of him in the median of Okeechobee Boulevard next to the Kravis Center.