Bahama Hotel, Fort Lauderdale beach hotel with an entertainment legacy

 

Bahama Hotel circa 1959
State Archives of Florida

Bahama Hotel
401 N. Atlantic Blvd. (now Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd)
Fort Lauderdale


By Jane Feehan

Among the hotels opened in Fort Lauderdale during the 1950s was the Bahama Hotel built in 1956. Guests were welcomed June 1 that year; it was one of several along the beach that proved to be popular among locals and tourists for entertainment and dining.

Kenneth G. Bacheller built and owned the three-story $800,000 project. The hotel’s motif was influenced by the Bahamas and featured 52 guest rooms all facing south. John B. O’Neill was the hotel architect. Its Chart Room sported a nautical theme with captain’s chairs, ship lanterns and charts of the seven seas. The pool, a scalloped design, sat in an outdoor area offering an informal breakfast and lunch bar.

Bacheller, a developer, builder, and banker, also built the nearby West Indies Hotel and Apartments. He may have had other projects in mind when he sold the Bahama Hotel in November 1957, less than two years after it opened. Realtors L.C. Judd and Lloyd E. Dutcher facilitated the sale (for a reported estimate of $1 million) to the newly formed Bahama Hotel, Inc., a group from Cleveland headed by two friends who were West Point graduates.

Ownership changed hands over the years, but its entertainment, including comedian Woody Woodbury, continued to draw for decades. Woodbury—100 years young as of this post and living in the area—first appeared at the Chart Room September 28, 1956. It proved to be a long, years long, engagement. 

His career includes subequent stints at sesveral Fort Lauderdale hotels and in Las Vegas. Woodbury also appeared on television and in several movies. His comedy albums remain available at Woodbury.com. He helped elevate the profile of the Bahama Hotel and that of Fort Lauderdale as a tourist destination with sophisticated shows during the late 1950s and throughout the 60s.  

The Bahama Hotel remained top of the list of places to stay on Fort Lauderdale’s beach for decades. But the city changed in the late 1980s; it shed its image as a spring break mecca for college students. 

By the 1990s and early 2000s, beach front property became a magnet for condo developers and hotel chains. As with today’s market, properties were grabbed up by investors and resold at higher prices over many months. Nevertheless, the Bahama Hotel continued to operate through uncertainty—even opening (perhaps leasing) the popular Deck Restaurant with its acclaimed jazz music in 2002—while potential developers submitted plans and applied for permits … and waited for city decisions.

Good times ended for the Bahama Hotel in 2004. The W Hotel, a Marriott brand, now sits astride the old sites of several properties, including the Bahama, from Fort Lauderdale Beach Boulevard (A1A) toward Birch Road off Riomar Street.

W Hotel from Riomar Street

The Bahama Hotel left fond memories of Woody Woodbury, the Chart Room, Deck Restaurant and something else: a time when Fort Lauderdale beach hotels served as entertainment destinations for local residents. A night on the town usually included a stop at one of the beach hotels for dinner, music or Woody Woodbury comedy.

 Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved. Jane Feehan.

Sources:

Fort Lauderdale News, Sept. 11, 1954

Fort Lauderdale News, June 17, 1956

Fort Lauderdale News, Sept. 23, 1956

Fort Lauderdale News, Nov. 2, 1957

South Florida Sun-Sentinel, May 5, 2001

South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Feb. 24, 2002

South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Jan. 30, 2005

Tags: Bahama Hotel, Woody Woodbury, Deck Restaurant, Fort Lauderdale in the 1950s, Fort Lauderdale Hotels, Fort Lauderdale Hotel History

Americana Hotel Bal Harbour promises tropical fun on Miami Beach 1950s

Americana Hotel and pool circa 1956,
Florida State Archives

 By Jane Feehan

Laurence and Bob Tisch, operators of hotels in Atlantic City and in New York announced construction of their new Bal Harbour hotel, the Americana, in 1955. Property included 600 feet of ocean front and 10 acres of “playground” for the entire project. Designer Morris Lapidus was tapped as architect.

The Americana, once queen of Bal Harbour hotels, operated at 9701 Collins Avenue. It was the third major hotel designed by Morris Lapidus (1902-2001). He had worked on the San Souci Hotel on the beach in 1949, but only to complete work already begun by another architect. The first and second achievements of his architectural trifecta were the Fontainebleau at 4441 Collins, opened in 1954, and the Eden Roc next door at 4525 Collins in 1955. The Americana, as well as the other two hotels, received praise, criticism and plenty of publicity.

The Americana design represented a departure from the European-influenced style of the previous two hotels. The Bal Harbour resort featured mostly South American elements, a “modern tropical,” idea said  Laurence Tisch. Taylor Construction began work on the Americana in September 1955.

To accent his design concept, Lapidus included tiles imported from Mexico, Panama, Japan, and Italy. He was criticized by other architects for use of less luxurious—“cheap”— materials for guest rooms. Some complained about hearing noise such as ringing phones from adjacent rooms. Lapidus claimed guests came to Miami hotels for fun rather than privacy. The Tisch brothers defended their architect. 

The $17 million Americana Hotel, with 850 employees, 475 rooms, the 500-seat Carnival Supper club and Bal Masque Room night club opened for guests in November 1956. Rooms, which sold for $35-$75 (expensive at that time) featured black-white and color television sets as well as closed circuit TV.

Bal Masque entrance 1957 
Florida State Archives

Television and radio broadcasting company NBC arrived for its 30th anniversary bash in December that year with a lineup of shows normally aired from New York studios: The Today Show with host Dave Garroway, the Perry Como Show and the Steve Allen Show with Allen's wife Jayne Meadows. Newspapers reported entertainer Abbe Lane and husband Xavier Cugat performed at the Bal Masque Room for the NBC party.

No doubt the NBC bash raised the profile of the new Americana. The hotel sailed smoothly through the years with different owners, including the Sheraton, which was the last owner to take the helm. The hotel was demolished in 2007 to make way for the St. Regis condo hotel where a recent listing for a two-bedroom condo advertised a price of nearly $4 million.

Hotel lobby greenhouse,
circa 1956
Florida State Archives

More on Morris Lapidus

Born in Russia, Lapidus studied drama at New York University. His specialty was scene design. He also attended Columbia University where he studied general architecture. Lapidus settled on retail design before working in Miami, where his career soared. He designed Lincoln Road Mall as well. 

Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved. Jane Feehan.

Recommendation
For an excellent compilation of the history of Miami Beach hotels and a useful chronology, see Woggles and Cheese Holes by Howard Kleinberg, published in 2005 by The Greater Miami & The Beaches Hotel Association, Miami Beach, FL 33139.

Other sources:

The Miami News, July 17, 1955

The Miami Herald, Aug. 28, 1955

The Miami News, July 1, 1956

The Miami Herald, Nov. 11, 1956

The Miami News, Nov. 25, 1956

The Miami News, Nov. 24, 1956

The Miami Herald, Nov. 30, 1956

The Miami News, Dec. 14, 1956

The Miami Herald, Dec. 16, 1956

Tags: Americana Hotel, Sheraton Bal Harbour, Miami Beach hotels, Miami Beach in the 1950s, Morris Lapidus, Bal Harbour, Bal Harbor hotels

Progresso Plaza: a stroll through early Fort Lauderdale history

 

Progresso Plaza
901 Progresso Drive 

Dixie Highway

By Jane Feehan 

Those of us who grew up in Fort Lauderdale have driven frequently by that Spanish-tiled building on Dixie and NE 3^rd Avenue without a glance. Progresso Plaza has been so much a part of the city’s landscape that it remains unnoticed. It would, however, be missed if it disappeared. A trip into its past may cast a different perspective about its significance.

The story began during Fort Lauderdale’s first land boom of 1910-1911, when hopes for draining the nearby Everglades for farming superseded reality.  

Lots were sold sight unseen to people around the country who eyed quick profits. Promoters threw in free lots with an Everglades purchase of 10 acres. Those free lots sat in what became the Progresso area of the city. The boom proved to be a bust when Everglades draining attempts failed. Buyers, according to news accounts, also discovered the free lots were in a swampy area without a road (a road was built in 1914). They also found out the free lots were only 25 feet wide.

A second, more significant boom occurred in the mid-1920s. Many who owned free lots given them in the 1911 Everglades purchases sold these properties for $500-$12,000 in cash during 1925. House construction soon followed. Realtors advertised a four-bedroom house on one lot selling for $2,500. Two houses on one lot were offered for $2,350. The Progresso community grew rapidly. In 1926 the Fort Lauderdale Daily News claimed it was “the most densely populated and fastest growing section of the city.”

 Adding to interest in the new community was its location adjacent to the Florida East Coast Railroad tracks along Dixie Highway. Rumors abounded about Seaboard Air Line Company (not an aviation company) and their interest in a freight and passenger stop at Progresso. A new building could serve as a train station, a market – or a much-needed post office annex. Whatever the motivating factor, the city decided to build a post office annex and trading center, the Progresso Arcade.

A legal notice in June 1926 indicated the owner and builder of the arcade (at North Dixie and Avenue D) was Stetson Company. Its principals (J.V. Slaughter, president) were from Philadelphia, PA; they operated from an office in the Palm Court Arcade in Fort Lauderdale. Frederick C. Arnold from the George H. Gillespie office at the Palm Court Arcade served as architect. John R. Hogan was tapped as contractor and engineer for supervising construction. 

The Fort Lauderdale Daily News reported the arcade was completed by late June and the post office would be finished by July 17 (timing of the legal notice earlier in June remains curious).

 After a delay in receiving building supplies, the post office opened in August 1926 and was recognized as Fort Lauderdale’s first post office annex or substation.  The arcade was marketed as a community and trading center. The post office occupied 1,300 square feet, with 640 post boxes and $10,000 of equipment and parking—an unusual amenity at the time.                                             

The building featured a triangle footprint with 265 feet of frontage on Dixie Highway, 180 feet of frontage on Twenty First Street, and 170 feet on Avenue D. The building was made of concrete and stucco with “ten [sic] modern apartments each with a kitchen, living room, dining room and bath to be rented by renters of the 10 stores.”  Design of the arcade reflected a 16^th-century motif with “three towers, a Cuban tile roof, arches supporting the arcade, a courtyard and dark-colored sidewalk …”

Other than the post office substation, tenants included Gordon Delicatessen, a Sunoco filling station, a hardware store, barber shop and fruit and vegetable market.

The Great Hurricane of 1926 occurred a month after the arcade opened. Most concrete structures, as this was, made it through the storm. Businesses were less resilient. By November 15 realtors were still seeking tenants for the apartments.

Fast forward only 23 years and the arcade had hit hard times. The building was condemned in 1949, but realtor H.S. Ratliff bought the building and, according to the Sun-Sentinel, rented the 10 apartments at boarding-house low prices and opened a few retail spaces to artists. The building was sold again in 1979 to Bill Capozzi who renovated it. The Progresso Arcade or Plaza (by this time) was vandalized and sold again. A subsequent owner, Julio A. Ruiz restored the building and earned recognition with a 1986 Community Appearance Award. The stepson of Ruiz, Tony Ropiza, purchased Progresso Plaza in late November 1986, reportedly hoping to open a Spanish restaurant. 

Today, the Progresso Plaza (about 6,100 square feet) is owned by Urban North LLC of Fort Lauderdale. According to property records, the building is either "designated a historic resource or in a historic district."

Hospitality entrepeneur Brian Parenteau, owns and operates the Patio Bar and Pizza at the plaza.

I spoke to a tenant recently who told me Progresso Plaza is now a “busy place.” She said there are four bars, a few hair salons, her tanning salon and a few pottery or ceramics studios. Parking in a rear lot is easy. A walk through this historic building provides a view of authentic architectural elements of the 1920s. Its history reflects that of Fort Lauderdale.

The patio at Patio Bar and Pizza

 

Copyright © 2023, 2024. All rights reserved. Jane Feehan.

Sources:

Fort Lauderdale Daily News Oct 27, 1925

Fort Lauderdale Daily News July 20, 1925

Fort Lauderdale Daily News July 21, 1925

Fort Lauderdale Daily News June 9, 1926

Fort Lauderdale Daily News, June 13, 1926

Fort Lauderdale Daily News, June 27, 1926

Fort Lauderdale Daily News, July 31, 1926

Fort Lauderdale Daily News, Aug. 17, 1926

Sun-Sentinel, Nov. 5, 1986

Sun-Sentinel, May 22, 1994

Tags: History of Fort Lauderdale, Fort Lauderdale history, Frederick C Arnold, Progresso Arcade, Progresso Plaza

One of the first registered architects in Florida - August Geiger - his Fort Lauderdale and Miami projects

1917 advertisement from Directory of City of Miami Beach

By Jane Feehan

Fort Lauderdale’s first high school, Fort Lauderdale Central, was built in 1915. Its architect was August Geiger (1887-1968), already well known in Miami and Miami Beach for his work.

From Connecticut, Geiger settled in Miami in 1905 and opened an office in 1911. He was off and running soon after, becoming one of the first (10th) registered architects in Florida.

Miami and Miami Beach grew significantly during the early 19th century with its burgeoning tourist industry, land boom and accompanying skyline of notable buildings.

Geiger’s work includes the Lincoln Hotel and Apartments (1917) on Miami Beach, demolished long ago. His firm also designed Miami’s first “sky scraper,” the 12-story Ralston Hotel (1917), and, in the same year, the Miami City Hospital (now Jackson Memorial). 

Additionally, he designed the Miami Beach Municipal Golf Course House, the Community Theater of Miami Beach, the Dade County Courthouse, and Villa Serena, home of William Jennings Bryan, noted orator and politician. He commissioned Geiger to design his home in 1913 in Coconut Grove.

Wm Jennings Bryan home, 1920
State Archives of Florida

Geiger, known for his Mediterranean Revival style, also drew the plans for the Lincoln Road oceanfront home of Miami Beach developer Carl Fisher. In 1915, demand for the architect's style prompted Geiger to open an office in Palm Beach.  Many of his surviving buildings in South Florida have been placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geiger designed Fort Lauderdale Central High School (demolished in 1970) and the Fort Lauderdale Women’s Club in 1915 with his signature Mediterranean Revival imprint.  His firm drew up plans for many schools in Dade County and a few others in what became Broward County in 1915, including the Davie School. Geiger was tapped as architect of record for the Dade County School Board.  Among his later works was the $1.5 million Coral Gables High School in 1950.

Though Geiger was the design force behind Fort Lauderdale’s high school and its women’s club, the city claims Frances Abreu as its own architect. Both men brought a vision to Miami and Fort Lauderdale that defined early 19^th- century South Florida. 

Lincoln Hotel, 1922
States Archives of Florida/Fishbaugh 1922

Copyright © 2012, 2023 . All rights reserved. Jane Feehan.

For more on Frances Abreu, see index for architects

For more Fort Lauderdale High School history, see index.

For more on William Jennings Bryan, see index.


Sources:
Kleinberg, Howard. Woggles and Cheese Houses. Miami Beach: The Greater Miami & Beaches Hotel Association (2005)
Miami News, Mar. 16, 1917
Wikipedia

Tags: early South Florida architects, Fort Lauderdale history, Miami history

Mid-century modern masterpiece - Sea Tower of Fort Lauderdale

Sea Tower 2023, rear

Sea Tower 
2840 North Ocean Drive
Fort Lauderdale

By Jane Feehan

Fort Lauderdale first saw high-rise apartments go up in the late 1950s. One, the Sea Tower, was announced in 1956 and completed in November 1957. 

News accounts claimed it was one of two of the city’s first high rises. The other was Spring Tide at 345 Fort Lauderdale Beach Boulevard. Both built by Col. T.J. Murrell (Palm Springs Corporation), they stand at 11 stories. Today they would be described as mid rises. (For more high-rise history, see index.)

This post focuses on the Sea Tower, an elegant building designed by noted Miami architect, Igor Polevitzky (1911-1978). He also designed Sunrise Tower on Intracoastal Drive in Fort Lauderdale, Hotel Habana Riviera in Cuba, once owned by mob figure Meyer Lansky  (See index for Meyer Lansky), the Albion in Miami, and several beautiful residences (Tropotype style). including the Birdcage house in Miami. The Sea Tower is described as a “masterpiece of mid-century modern architecture.”  

Sea Tower 1959 
State Archives of Florida

Sea Tower was reportedly built for $2.02 million. I’m not sure if it was launched as a rental before it was recognized as a co-op, but in late 1957, news items reported it as the “tallest co-op in Fort Lauderdale.” Accounts vary as to number of units, 84, 83 or 81 apartments. Carports appeared to be an afterthought as construction began on them in 1958, after opening.

Advertised as sitting in the North Beach neighborhood, Sea Tower could also claim a city park as a nearby feature leading to the ocean. In 1957, its board announced a contribution of $4,900 to the city of Fort Lauderdale for its Vista Park, which remains. The park today refers to the beach and its parking lot steps away.

Park at rear of Sea Tower
steps from beach
 

Ads announced initial sale prices for a one-bedroom unit at $21,000-$25,000. Two-bedrooms sold for $27,000-$39,000. Early ads indicated prices for penthouses were “available upon request.” A Fort Lauderdale News article in 1957 reported a penthouse for sale for $300,000—a hefty price tag in those days.

In 1958 real estate news waxed enthusiastic about Sea Tower’s unique offerings: kitchens with a “food preparation center,” a built-in combination food mixer, blender and knife sharpener.  Also, an opt-in membership was available for services such as car washes, laundry, food and beverage delivery, travel reservations, swimming and skin-diving instructions, beach cabanas, boat trips—even hair appointments. La de dah …

A glance at board member occupations during these early days may point to perceived justification for such services: a senior vice president of Gulf Oil, president of General Elevator Co., vice president of Retail Credit Co.; vice president of Remington Arms, a subsidiary of DuPont Co.; research engineer for the U.S. Navy and consultant to General Electric Co.

In March of 1958, news accounts reported that 25 liens for nearly $227,600 were filed against the builder, Palm Springs Company, Holland Construction and Engineering and others for unpaid bills. A court transferred the liens to corporate surety bond deposits.

Today, Sea Tower retains its elegance in this quiet beachside neighborhood. Many houses in the area, once averaging $25,000, have been replaced by mansions running for a million dollars at the low end and a few topping $20 million.

As of this post, a one-bedroom Sea Tower apartment sells for $549,000, a two-bedroom for $620,000. Bargains, considering Galt Ocean Mile condo prices.

 Copyright © 2023. All rights reserved. Jane Feehan

 Sources:

 Fort Lauderdale News, Feb. 10, 1957

Fort Lauderdale News, Oct. 9, 1957

Fort Lauderdale News, Nov. 2, 1957

Fort Lauderdale News, March 26, 1958

Fort Lauderdale News, May 24, 1958

Fort Lauderdale News, June 21, 1958

Fort Lauderdale News, Aug. 2, 1958

Fort Lauderdale News, March 5, 1963

Fort Lauderdale News, May 16, 1965

Sea Tower

Tags: Fort Lauderdale high-rises, Sea Tower, Fort Lauderdale in the 1950s, Igor Polevitzky

Gateway Shopping Center: Fort Lauderdale's first shopping center ... would alleviate downtown traffic

2023

By Jane Feehan 

Fort Lauderdale announced its first shopping center in 1949. The Fort Lauderdale News reported that a “syndicate” of businessmen from Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, joined by a local group headed by Richard Combes, purchased 20 acres at 10^th Street (today Sunrise Boulevard) and Federal Highway. It was the site of the closed Clyde Beatty Jungle Zoo, where lions had been raised in a pit.* After closing in 1945, the site had become an eyesore at the “very entrance to Fort Lauderdale.”

Gateway Shopping Center would not only replace the eyesore but was also expected to relieve traffic downtown (hard to believe given today’s downtown development and gridlock). A self-contained community was envisioned for the property, with shopping, hotel, apartments and private homes—similar to today’s pedestrian-friendly plans. 

The forward-thinking architect was Clinton Gamble and Associates, a big name in Fort Lauderdale’s mid-century development projects. An idea for basement parking in the old lion pit was mentioned in news accounts but the finished center came with surface parking for 350 cars.

Two buildings were completed and then leased by Gateway Properties (or Gateway Realty) headed by Arthur W. Dickson, president. T.R. “Bud” Starr**,  a former advertising executive from Pittsburgh was tapped as sales manager; he was a key player in naming and  launching the shopping center and Gateway Theater.  Leases for the shopping center were advertised for $100-$150 per front foot.

By 1951, the center, advertised as “Fort Lauderdale’s newest, most convenient and friendliest shopping center “ housed a collection of businesses including Kim’s Alley Bar (still there), Gateway Liquors, Carl’s Market, Melody Lane (cocktails), and Olwell Travel. Another building of 15,688 sf was added in 1958. Between 1951-1959, Gateway businesses included:

• Carrie Cain Young fashions
• Gateway Dress Shop
• Gateway Natural Foods
• Gateway Toy and Hobby
• Gateway Men’s Wear
• Gateway Marine and Tackle
• Georgette Vermont Dressmaking Salon
• Kingham’s Perfumes
• O'Brien Hardware
• Shoe Box
• Smith’s Drugstores (formerly on Las Olas)

Food Fair eventually replaced Carl’s Market and left before 1980. Shopping centers in Fort Lauderdale (and across the nation) sprang up during the l950s and especially the 1960s. The Sunrise Shopping Center (later the Galleria) opened in 1954, a few blocks from Gateway. As the city grew so did problems for the Gateway Shopping Center. It never seemed to lose customers, just its luster. Headlines turned negative in 1979 and 1980.

Two firebombs were thrown at Top Banana, a headshop, in 1979—allegedly by a competitor. In 1980, 18-year-old Texas native Jeanette Rogers was found strangled in a Gateway Shopping Center utility room. In 1982, a “gushing gas leak” near Gateway prompted the evacuation of 1,500 people in the center and throughout its surrounds. A paving company working on the Middle River Bridge hit an unmarked pipe below Gateway. A cloud of gas could be seen rising above the center. No one was injured in the hours-long incident.

Also affecting the center was traffic, the very thing it was once lauded for alleviating. Additionally, Gateway was owned by six to 11 absentee landlords over the years. The center needed a facelift, and it was difficult to get approvals and payment for renovations. One solution was the formation of the Victoria Park Merchants Association who assumed management of the Gateway Shopping Center during the late 1990s or early in 2000 (a current merchant said it’s now the Gateway Merchants Association).

Over the decades, merchants have come and gone such as Nathan’s Game Room, Clothes Encounters, Animal House Pet Supplies, Sukhothai (closed in 2015), and Tipico Café, which closed during the fall of 2022 because of a steep rent increase. Some have left because of personal circumstances, or failing business, but in most cases tenants left when faced with extreme rent increases. A whopping rent increase also prompted Monster Subs’ exit after a nearly 20-year run. Popular vintage shop Jezebel left early 2023. 

Native Realty, a new owner of part or all of the center (status unclear by request) came in during the fall of 2022 and raised rents. Some merchants remain in limbo because not much has been shared with them about ownership changes..

One merchant in limbo is Joseph Aminov, owner of the Shoe Doctor & Leather Spa at Gateway (BestShoeDoctor.com). Aminov came to New York City in 1989 from the Soviet Union (now Russia) with two suitcases and a family trade he elevated to  artisan’s craft with what he learned in Italy—custom leatherworks and shoe repair.

“I had 16 stores in New York,” said Aminov about his 22 years of entrepreneurship in the Big Apple.

He and family moved to South Florida in 2011 where he’s grown his business—and reputation—at Gateway Shopping Center with his craftsmanship (I‘m one of his many happy customers). Aminov is enterprising. He'd like to buy commercial property. The Shoe Doctor space is currently on a month-to-month lease because of potential landlord changes. Aminov recently tried to buy the section of Gateway his store operates in but the landlord backed out of the deal. The leather craftsman leases two other spaces, one with a 15-year term...but no storefront.

Uncertainty and rents increased during the summer of 2022 when Native Realty arrived. They reportedly represent a new buyer or are possibly the new owner of a section of Gateway. The realty company opened an office in the southwest corner of the center and claims to be owner of some of the space, including that of the Jezebel shop.

Shoe Doctor interior and
 collection of leather 

“Rents in the center have gone up about 40 percent,” said Aminov and “people are mad.”

As of April 24, 2023, one space left for lease by Native Realty: “2,400 sq. ft for $45/per SF/YR.”***

Meanwhile, let’s hope Gateway Shopping Center doesn’t fall to developers. That doesn’t seem imminent, but if  it does, they may have to get approval from residents of Victoria Park first. Stop by, parking is free and easy ... and merchants are there to please.

Additional photos below.

 *For more on the lions and Clyde Beatty’s zoo, use this blog's search box 

 **For more on Gateway Theater and Bud Starr, use blog search box

 ***For available space details, see:  Commercial Search

Below: some sections getting flashy new paint and murals; others remain the same. The Tipico sign remains but a new restaurant will soon open at the site.

Copyright © 2023. All rights reserved. Jane Feehan.

Sources:

Fort Lauderdale News, Oct. 30, 1948

Fort Lauderdale News, Oct. 29, 1949

Fort Lauderdale News, Nov. 26, 1949

Fort Lauderdale News, Nov. 15, 1951

Fort Lauderdale News, June 24, 1959

Fort Lauderdale News, Feb. 3, 1980

Fort Lauderdale News, March 7, 1980

Fort Lauderdale News and Sun-Sentinel, Jan. 9, 1982

Fort Lauderdale News, Jan. 31, 1980

Fort Lauderdale News, May 22, 1980

Fort Lauderdale News, July 13, 1980

Fort Lauderdale News, Feb. 26, 1982

Fort Lauderdale News, July 29, 2000

South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Jan. 16, 2022

South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Oct. 26, 2022

 Tags: Fort Lauderdale shopping centers, Fort Lauderdale history, Gateway Shopping Center

Room with a waterside view: Fort Lauderdale Beach Hospital

Fort Lauderdale Beach Hospital
circa 1960

By Jane Feehan

“Come by boat or canoe,” read an unconventional invitation to opening festivities at Fort Lauderdale Beach Hospital in July 1957. The hospital was organized in 1956 to serve older patients as well as “the chronically ill and the handicapped.”

The 64-bed, four-story facility was once the Blue Water Hotel. Some who were cared for at the hospital probably felt they were at a vacation spot. It overlooked the Intracoastal Waterway, offered an outdoor patio with covering, dockage and other amenities. Headed by Dr. Louis Amato, the waterside hospital opened with elevators, laboratory and X-ray facilities and equipment for physical therapy. According to Amato, Fort Lauderdale Beach Hospital would operate as a supplement to others in the area, not as a surgery center. Surging growth in Fort Lauderdale’s population, particularly retired residents, elevated the area’s need for additional hospital beds.   

In 1964 the Katie Lambert* Foundation purchased Fort Lauderdale Beach Hospital. It was operated by Beach Hospital Auxiliary as a nonprofit, community-supported entity. The organization added about 20 beds, expanded radiology and lab capabilities and built a new entrance and emergency room. Renovations were drawn up by William H. Crawford, tapped “Architect of the Year” by the American Hospital Association.

Meanwhile, Fort Lauderdale’s population continued to grow. So did its medical community. Doctors with diverse ambitions—and politics—eventually led Fort Lauderdale Hospital in a different direction. In 1969 plans to move the hospital to a new beach location materialized. The hospital transitioned to operate as the North Beach Hospital at 2835 N. Ocean Boulevard (A1A) and opened in 1973. 

Cleveland Clinic was granted permission to operate an outpatient clinic at North Beach in 1988, which paved the way for their expansion to a permanent full-scale facilty in Weston.

By the late 1980s Broward County had nearly twice as many hospital beds as needed. Hospitals entered a paradigm that continues today across the country: national corporations buying up hospitals to create hospital “systems.” So byzantine are hospital stories today with their buyouts and consolidations, etc., that their histories are best presented as tables of chronologies rather than narratives. 

North Beach closed by the mid-to late 1990s and today it’s the site of a condominium or two with an ocean and Intracoastal view. A drive past the original site at 125 Birch Road will reveal another occupant: Springbrook Gardens … a condominium. (Residents of this condo were forced to evacuate Sept. 27, 2024 because the building was deemed unsafe.)

 *Katie Lambert was a beloved auxiliary volunteer

Copyright © 2023, 2024. All rights reserved. Jane Feehan.

Sources:

Fort Lauderdale News, Sept. 5, 1956

Fort Lauderdale News, July 24, 1957

Fort Lauderdale News, Dec. 13, 1964

Fort Lauderdale News, April 9, 1969

Sun-Sentinel, Oct. 9, 1970

Sun-Sentinel Jan. 9, 1989

Sun-Sentinel, April 27, 1989

Sun-Sentinel, Feb. 14, 1990

Sun-Sentinel, Sept. 21, 1995

Sun-Sentinel, Dec. 20, 1997

Sun-Sentinel, Sept. 27, 2024

Tags: Fort Lauderdale history, history of Fort Lauderdale, Fort Lauderdale hospitals, Fort Lauderdale Beach Hospital, North Beach Hospital, architects, Jane Feehan

Gulfstream Park: A tale of two starts in South Florida horse racing

Florida Derby 1969
Florida State Archives

Gulfstream Park

901 S. Federal Hwy

Hallandale, FL 33009

954-454-7000

Gulfstreampark.com

By Jane Feehan

It’s hard to believe today’s popular Gulfstream Park launched with a false start in 1939.

Local newspapers drummed up enthusiasm about the new park constructed in only a few months before the February 1, 1939 opening. Builder-developer, 29-year-old John C. Horning of the Hollywood Jockey Club and a Miami resident, and architect Robert Law Weed of Coconut Grove, assured reporters that Gulfstream’s grandstand would be “without peer at any track in the nation.”  

The grandstand could seat 7,000. Its roof extended 86 feet toward the track and could withstand 175 mph winds. The lower end of the roof sloped 52 feet from the track and would provide cover for judges and reporters; a camera was installed above their seats. For well-heeled or connected patrons, 130 boxes 8 feet by 10 feet were installed for added seating comfort and privacy. 

The 200-acre racing park sat between U.S. 1 and the ocean. Most grandstand spectators would have a view of the Atlantic Ocean just blocks away. Gulfstream’s infield held lush gardens and two lakes connected by a canal. Australian pines were planted along a driveway and around the site. Forty acres of parking were expected to be full on opening day.

In fact, the  parking lot overflowed on opening day. The crowd, estimated between 18,000 and 20,000—the largest ever to attend a track opening in Florida—jammed highways and tore through Gulfstream’s fencing to gain entry. Norwegian figure skater and film star Sonja Henie was on hand to cut the ceremonial opening day ribbon. According to news accounts, the day was “brilliant.” Newsreel cameras captured the carnival atmosphere. The inaugural event was attended by locals, winter residents and an A-list of attendees that included politicians and legendary columnist Damon Runyan.

Opening day, mutuel gambling play totaled $224,287. On the fourth day, gambling play plunged to $81,922. The revenue stream could not maintain opening day flow. An expected armored truck failed to deliver $150,000 to bankroll operations. Gulfstream Park shuttered after four days. Horning’s financial backing failed to materialize; he could not come up with the cash to continue.

Various reasons for the track’s failure appeared in news accounts. One reason may have been trouble from competitors. Hialeah sat only 12 miles from Gulfstream Park and 25 miles from Tropical Park. A state probe into gambling did not confirm improprieties. Some pointed to Horning’s youth. It appeared he had “been taken.”  The young developer, who received high praise was now considered a “chump.” The park, once off to a record-breaking fast start, sank into bankruptcy a year later in February 1940. Wrong man, wrong time.

Gulfstream Park 1948
Florida State Archives

The right man with the right timing, James Donn, Sr., purchased dilapidated Gulfstream Park in 1944. He repaired the buildings and grandstands and installed escalators and elevators. Opening day Dec. 1, 1944 was attended by far fewer—about 5,000—than the first opening. The 1944 event was affected by World War II gas rationing and other wartime impositions, but Donn’s word to pay off the track’s debts was trusted. He predicted shortly after he bought it that Gulfstream Park would be among the best in the world. He delivered.

He was already owner of the successful Exotic Gardens Florists, the company that later designed the park’s gardens and the unforgettable horseshoe wreaths seen in the track’s Winner’s Circle. In 1952, he established what became a horse racing classic, the Florida Derby. 

Some of the track’s success can also be attributed to Donn’s wrangling from Hialeah its coveted mid-winter racing dates. It took 25 years but the Scotsman, who first came to Miami in 1915 on his honeymoon with bride Nellie, lived to see Gulfstream racing during the best days of Florida winters.

When James Donn, Sr. was asked what he did for a living, he would often tell strangers he was a florist. It could also be said he was the right man who came to Gulfstream’s rescue at the right time.

For current day Gulfstream Park, visit: Gulfstreampark.com

Copyright © 2023. All rights reserved. Jane Feehan

Sources:

Miami News, Feb. 1, 1939

Miami Herald, Feb. 1, 1939

Miami Herald, Feb. 2, 1939

Miami News, Feb. 7, 1939

Miami Herald, Feb. 7, 1939

Miami Herald, April 23, 1939

Miami Herald, Feb. 4, 1940

Miami News, Feb. 15, 1940

Miami News, Dec. 1, 1944

Miami Herald, July 12, 1972

Tags: Florida sports history, thoroughbred racing, horse racing, Hallandale history, Robert Law Weed, Jack C. Horning, architect, Exotic Gardens

Brief history of the jalousie window: relic or not?

 

Jalousie door and window
Nubergwer 3, Public Domain via
Wikipedia Commons

By Jane Feehan

Today, jalousies appear to be a relic of mid-20th century Florida house construction. As hurricane-resistant storm windows overtake most other types, some may ask one day “what is a jalousie window?”

Jalousie (pronounced jal-o-see) windows first appeared in mid-18th century Europe. It was thought slatted louvered windows would serve as an alternative to the clear glass panes nosy neighbors would peer through out of jealousy over furniture or parties. So goes the reason for the window and genesis of the word.

A version of the jalousie window was patented by Joseph W. Walker from Malden, Massachusetts in 1900. Advertisements for and stories about these hand-cranked louvered windows first appeared in South Florida newspapers in the 1930s. One report appeared in the Fort Lauderdale Daily News in June 1937 (the earliest mention found).

Architects Robert Hansen and Courtney Stewart designed a two-bedroom residence in Fort Lauderdale with a porch that featured “blinds of the jalousie type found so extensively in the Mediterranean that permitted a maximum of ventilation.” Corner windows on the south and east sides of a house provide the best ventilation, wrote the reporter. (This was an important consideration before air-conditioning.)

This home, owned by Mr. and Mrs. William Wolfe was built of “concrete block …trimmed in brick red and green.” It was designed for “perfect harmony with the setting and climate of Lauderdale.”

A subsequent jalousie mention did not appear in the Dade area until nearly a year later in the Miami News (March 1938). A house on San Marco Drive, San Marco Island in Miami Beach, selling for $30,000, came with West Indian style shutters with jalousie treatment for the front screened porch.

By 1939, advertisements for jalousie windows were ubiquitous in Miami and Fort Lauderdale. A story appeared about a new colonial-style house on Star Island in Miami Beach with screened “jalousie porches that gave it a tropical character.”

In June that year, a business review column in the Miami Herald featuring “facts and hearsay” and “letters and visits” indicated readers had called to ask “what a jalousie window is.” The columnist confessed he “didn’t know until recently” but discovered “it seems they are those good-looking louvered doors and porch walls that keep the rain out and let the light and air in.” 

The word was out. In September 1939 an architectural event on Miami’s Lincoln Road included a jalousie window exhibit to drum up more interest.

Jalousie windows were off to a slower start in Palm Beach County. It could be they weren’t popular on Palm Beach Island or may not have been worthy of a Saturday newspaper home section story. The jalousie window was old news by then; they were featured in most homes of the day. Ads for them appeared often by the late 1940s (probably for the West Palm Beach market).

Could the jalousie window return? Today, some companies are trying to pitch them as an energy-saving element of the modern home. Humidity anyone? They were never good on a rainy, windy day. And they weren’t safe in a hurricane. As said, what’s old is new again. Let's hope not; a thumbs down for this oldie.

Sources:

Fort Lauderdale Daily News, June 30, 1937

Miami News, March 20, 1938

Miami News, Dec. 31, 1938

Miami Herald, Feb. 19, 1039

Miami Herald, Sept. 11, 1939

https://safetylinejalousie.com.au/the-history-of-jalousie

Wikipedia

Copyright © 2022. All rights reserved. Jane Feehan

Tags: Jalousie windows, SOFLA home construction history, Fort Laudedale history, Miami history, history of Fort Lauderdale, history of home construction industry

Fort Lauderdale's Harbor Beach: exclusive then and now

 

Harbor Beach circa 1980
Florida State Archives/Florida Memory/Steinmetz

By Jane Feehan

According to some news accounts, the first Fort Lauderdale development after the boom years of the 1920s was Harbor Beach.

The Harbor Beach Company, formed by George W. English, purchased land south of the U.S. Coast Station in 1940 from Fort Lauderdale pioneer Tom M. Bryan for $1000 per acre for 200 acres.

Development commenced with permitting for infrastructure, and a wall, gate and “field office” designed by Miami architect Russell T. Pancoast (grandson of Miami Beach developer John A. Collins the same of Collins Avenue).

The first 73 lots were presented for sale by the Harbor Beach Co. in January 1942. The development was advertised as Fort Lauderdale’s newest oceanfront real estate development, the “only restricted residential beach property in South Florida.” 

Other ads claimed the building requirements provided for “substantial though not necessarily pretentious homes” with sweeping vistas of the ocean, a lake (near today’s Lago Mar) and the Intracoastal. Some inland waterway lots would accommodate 110-foot boat dockage. 

An entrance to the new neighborhood was built as an extension of Atlantic Avenue (now A1A) but the development would be isolated from traffic. Lot prices were not available in early ads, but by 1945 some lots started at $4,200. In 1946 prices rose to $4500 (as comparison, lots in Croissant Park sold for about $1,000). 

Plans were in place by the mid-1940s for a private beach club (today’s Surf Club). All 73 lots in the initial “unit” were sold by 1946 when another unit (number of those lots unknown to this writer) were placed on the market. It was followed by a third unit in the 1950s. Sales must have been fairly brisk by the mid-1950s; lots then generally started at $10,000.

One house went on the market in 1955 for $37,500 with three bedrooms, two baths and maid’s quarters. Today, the walled community is home to 592 residents (according to niche.com). Singer/actor David Cassidy (The Partridge Family) once called the community home until his death in 2010. His house was placed on sale later that year for $3.9 million.

Houses today (2022) range from about $4 million to nearly $24 million. It remains one of the city’s most exclusive neighborhoods but is not immune to Fort Lauderdale’s super-charged development woes. Residents complain about difficulties exiting the community to merge onto jammed A1A during certain times of the day or when the bridge at the 17th Street Causeway opens for boat traffic.

Copyright © 2020, 2022. All rights reserved. Jane Feehan.

Sources:

Weidling, Philip and Burghard, August. Checkered Sunshine. Gainesville: University of Florida Press, 1966.

Fort Lauderdale News, Dec. 18, 1941

Fort Lauderdale News, Sept. 25, 1945

Fort Lauderdale News, Jan. 17, 1942

Fort Lauderdale News Jan. 31, 1946

Fort Lauderdale News, Feb. 19, 1946

Fort Lauderdale News, Oct. 15, 1947

Fort Lauderdale News, Dec. 9, 1955

Fort Lauderdale News, Feb. 3, 1955

Realtor.com

For current demographics, see:

https://www.niche.com/places-to-live/n/harbor-beach-fort-lauderdale-fl/

Tags: Fort Lauderdale communities, Fort Lauderdale developments, Fort Lauderdale in the 1940s, Fort Lauderdale history, history of Fort Lauderdale, Fort Lauderdale architects

Broward County Defenses in WWII: of rationing and volunteering

By Jane Feehan

The focus of  Broward County war relief efforts for England shifted to defense activities after Pearl Harbor. Three weeks after that attack the Broward County Defense Council, comprised of councils in Dania, Davie, Fort Lauderdale, Hallandale, Hollywood and Oakland Park, reported its efforts.

An air raid warden system neared completion with issuing more than 350 warden identification cards to volunteers.

Broward County residents were advised not to be alarmed by sudden power shut downs. Warnings of practice blackouts would be announced by newspapers and radio.

Avenger aircraft WWII
State of Florida Archives

Students in their last semester would be eligible for diplomas if they entered the armed services and their work deemed meeting set standards.

A resolution to pay expenses for architect Clinton Gamble to attend a course on building protection at the University of Florida was passed by the county.  Gamble would then return to Broward and supervise air precaution work on school buildings.

Taxi and truck owners in the county were urged to register their vehicles with the council. Also, all private car owners were asked to register their vehicles if they volunteered to support the war effort with their cars.

Ex-service men and former police officers formed an auxiliary unit under direction of Sheriff Walter Clark. His office was  "crowded to capacity with patriots offering their time and resources to observe and track down illegal activities when paid officers were occupied with other duties."

The Broward Defense Council was also involved in rationing of products and supplies during WWII. A national ban on the sale of tires went into effect December 11, 1941. Soon after safety boards were established in Broward County and throughout the country to handle rationing of tires. Rubber for tires was imported from areas in the Pacific occupied by or in conflict with Japan and its allies. Rubber was needed to manufacture truck tires for military vehicles.

Other rationed items included gasoline, canned goods, sugar, meat, dairy products--and a list expanded so frequently that some asked "when are they going to ration the rationing?" Rationing was necessary to feed and support US troops and to help produce military goods. 

Copyright © 2022 All rights reserved. Jane Feehan

Tags: Broward County in WWII, Fort Lauderdale in WWII, Fort Lauderdale in the 1940s, Fort Lauderdale history, Broward County history

___________

Sources:

Fort Lauderdale Daily News Dec. 19, 1941

Fort Lauderdale Daily News, Dec. 28, 1941

Fort Lauderdale Daily News, Jan 8, 1943

Fort Lauderdale Daily News, Jan. 21, 1943

Fort Lauderdale Daily News, Feb. 17, 1943

Tags: Fort Lauderdale in the 1940s, WWII in Broward County, Fort Lauderdale during World War II, film research. Rationing, Fort Lauderdale history, Broward County history, Fort Lauderdale in WWII