The Road That Opened Boca West: Arthur Vining Davis, Arvida, and Glades Road

By Rich Entel | The Entel Group
Updated September 30, 2026

Boca West’s history begins before its first condominiums and before the community became the residential club destination people know today. One of the early decisions that helped shape west Boca was a road connection: the Florida Turnpike interchange at Glades Road.

The story involves Arthur Vining Davis, the industrialist and developer behind Arvida, and a striking example of how private development plans and public infrastructure came together in Boca Raton.

Why Boca Raton needed a Turnpike connection

By 1957, the Sunshine State Parkway—later known as Florida’s Turnpike—had opened as a new express route through South Florida. Boca Raton was still a small town, and it did not initially have its own interchange.

That changed through the work of Arvida, the development company associated with Arthur Vining Davis. Boca Raton’s historical account says Arvida arranged for an interchange at Glades Road, positioned to serve the company’s future developments, including Boca West and University Park. At the time, Interstate 95 was still years away.

The location mattered. A Turnpike connection gave travelers a direct route to the western edge of Boca Raton and made planned development in that direction more accessible. The interchange was not simply a road project; it was part of a larger vision for how Boca Raton could grow.

Did Arthur Vining Davis personally pay for it?

The popular shorthand is that “Arthur Vining Davis paid for the interchange.” The historical record gives us a more precise version.

A 1961 Florida Supreme Court decision states that Arvida Corporation advanced the expenditures for constructing the Boca Raton interchange. The Turnpike Authority’s bond indenture included approximately $450,000 to reimburse Arvida. The court record says the interchange opened to traffic on June 10, 1961.

So the documented story is that Davis’s development company financed the original construction and expected reimbursement from the Turnpike Authority. That is different from saying Davis personally wrote a check from his own account. Arvida had substantial interests in the area and benefited from improved access, while the interchange also served the public Turnpike system.

This detail makes the story even more interesting: a private developer helped advance infrastructure that supported a public highway, and the arrangement was examined in court as part of the state’s 1961 turnpike bond proceedings.

Who was Arthur Vining Davis?

Arthur Vining Davis (1867–1962) was an American industrialist and philanthropist best known for his leadership at Alcoa. In 1956, he purchased 850 acres in Boca Raton, including the Boca Raton Hotel and Club, and acquired additional land in the surrounding rural area.

According to Palm Beach County History Online, Davis transferred his property to Arvida in 1958 while retaining a majority interest. Arvida then pursued a broad development program in and around Boca Raton. The road connection at Glades fit into that wider plan to make the company’s western holdings reachable and ready for development.

Davis died in 1962, shortly after the Glades interchange opened. His development company continued the work that would transform the landscape around Boca Raton.

From interchange to golf course to residential Boca West

The Boca Raton Historical Society describes Boca West as beginning as a golf course Arvida built in the late 1960s to serve as the Boca Raton Hotel’s remote country club. The residential community came later: the first condominiums opened in 1974.

1. The Turnpike connection at Glades Road opened in 1961.
2. Arvida developed a golf course at Boca West in the late 1960s.
3. Boca West became independent from the hotel.
4. The first condominiums opened in 1974.

The aerial photograph featured with this article dates to approximately 1968–1969. The Florida Turnpike runs along the left side of the image. It captures the golf course before the residential community had taken shape.

Reading the landscape in the old photograph

When you look at the aerial, you can see the early golf course set among agricultural plots and open land. The Turnpike is visible along the left, while Glades Road and the surrounding road grid show how access was being established across a landscape that was still largely undeveloped.

The image is more than a then-and-now moment. It connects three parts of Boca West’s origin story: transportation, golf, and residential development. The Turnpike interchange created a connection to the area; Arvida’s course gave the site a recreational identity; and the condominium openings began the residential chapter.

It is reasonable to see the interchange as one piece of the foundation for westward growth, though no single road project explains Boca West’s development by itself. Planning, investment, the hotel’s club operation, and the later demand for housing all mattered.

The Entel Group take

As Boca West resident Realtors, we believe local history adds context to real estate. Understanding how a community began can help buyers and sellers see more than a floor plan or a list of amenities. It helps explain how the neighborhood fits into Boca Raton’s larger story.

Boca West started with a bold idea: bring a golf experience west of the town center, connect it to the region, and build a residential community around a club lifestyle. The Glades Road interchange was an early link in that plan.

If you’re considering buying or selling in Boca West, The Entel Group can help you understand the community, its neighborhoods, and the real estate market.

The Entel Group • Backed by Compass
Boca West Resident Realtors
theentelgroup.com | 561-759-7777

Frequently asked questions

When did the Glades Road Turnpike interchange open?

The Florida Supreme Court’s 1961 decision states that the Boca Raton interchange opened to traffic on June 10, 1961.

Did Arthur Vining Davis personally pay for the interchange?

The court record says Arvida Corporation advanced the construction expenditures and was to be reimbursed approximately $450,000 through the Turnpike Authority’s bond indenture. It is more accurate to credit Arvida than to claim Davis personally paid out of pocket.

What was Boca West before the homes were built?

Arvida constructed a golf course at Boca West in the late 1960s to serve as the Boca Raton Hotel’s remote country club. The first condominiums opened in 1974.

What does the aerial photograph show?

It shows the early Boca West golf course around 1968–1969, with the Florida Turnpike visible at the left. The Boca Raton Historical Society identifies the image and its approximate date.

Historical sources

• “Those Were the Days” — Boca Raton Historical Society, see “Westward Ho” for the interchange, its location, and Boca West’s early golf-course and condominium history.
• State v. Florida State Turnpike Authority, 134 So. 2d 12 (Fla. 1961), the Florida Supreme Court record on Arvida’s advance of construction costs, reimbursement, and the interchange opening.
• “University Park” — Palm Beach County History Online, on Davis’s Boca Raton land purchases and transfer of property to Arvida.