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| Sweet Bldg 1948, Florida State Archives |
By Jane Feehan
Fort Lauderdale’s first skyscraper was built in 1925-1926. First National Bank paid $24,000 for the site and $487,000 for construction of the building that opened June, 1926. An original plan to build 20 stories was re-configured to nine.
Located at 305 South Andrews (now a 25-story condo complex) and retail it was the most prestigious address in the burgeoning city. Doctors and dentists rented space there as did developer Frank Croissant, the Miami Daily News, Attorney and Fort Lauderdale notable George English, and Boca Raton’s Mizner Development Corporation.
A devastating hurricane slammed into South Florida in 1926*, hurling the area prematurely into the Great Depression. To stay financially afloat, the bank merged with Fort Lauderdale Bank and Trust Co. soon after. The building, which emerged from the storm with minimal damage, was bought and sold a number of times throughout the years. In 1930, John Lochrie, Charles N. McCune and William Sweet, Jr. took ownership. Sweet assumed sole control in 1931. The building was known for years as the Sweet Building but Sweet resisted, according to a subsequent owner, because he did not want it to be associated with the sale of sweets. The name prevailed and the building remained Fort Lauderdale's tallest for 46 years.
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| Sweet Building circa 2000 |
Air-conditioning was installed in 1948. The façade was changed as were some of its structural elements. This could be why it is not listed with the National Register of Historic Places. In 1967 it was renamed the Las Olas Building until it was razed in 2016 to make way for the condominium project.
Copyright © 2013, 2016. All rights reserved. Jane Feehan
For a view of the condo there today, see Zillow.
Sources:
One River Plaza
Sun-Sentinel Nov. 23, 2016
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Tags: history researcher, Fort Lauderdale history, One River Plaza, Florida film researcher