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| Landmark Building, 1996 State Archives of Florida, FL Dept. of Motion Pictures and Television Bureau |
One Financial Plaza, 100 SE 3rd Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, 33301
https://www.onefinancialplazaftl.com/
By Jane Feehan
In 1972 Fort Lauderdale was abuzz about the newly opened Landmark
Building, the tallest in Broward County. The 28-story structure was expected to
“trigger” commercial interest in the sleepy downtown area.
First National Bank bought the future Landmark site that
once served as home to Fort Lauderdale High School. The bank purchased the
property for $1.3 million from the Broward County School District in 1968. The
old high school was demolished in August 1970. Pile drivers began pounding into
48 feet of sand in December 1970. Construction included 900-1,000 piles, 1,670
cubic yards of cement and 380 tons of reinforcing steel.
Transamerica Investment Group, Inc. was named as developer
of the new building and later named as owner in local newspapers. Fred
Millsaps, president of First National Bank, told the Fort Lauderdale News
that the building was expected to run $10-11 million to complete. When the Landmark
Building opened early November 1972, advertisements indicated First National in
Fort Lauderdale was a Landmark Bank. An open house November 4 and 5th
promised balloons, orchids, “NFL roster packets” and free tours.
Early tenants of what became known as One Financial Plaza
included Causeway Lumber (office), Eastern Airlines, Fort Lauderdale Telephone
Co., Gerber Enterprises, Attorney Alcee Hastings, L.C. Judd Realty, Merrill
Lynch Fenner & Smith as well as a few accountants, other attorneys, doctors,
and insurance companies. A private club occupied the top floor.
Over the decades, tenants and owners changed. It is currently owned, as indicated by the Broward County Property Appraiser, by Alliance HP who purchased the 375-foot building for $82 million from Crocker Partners in 2019. One Financial Plaza, as it is referred to today, was recently renovated for millions and now offers charging stations for electric vehicles. The Tower Club, with different operators since 1972, remains a posh gathering place for the city’s influential.
No longer the tallest structure in Broward County, One Financial Plaza heralded a revitalization of downtown Fort Lauderdale. A second development push occurred about 25 years ago with residential high rises defining the city’s ever-growing skyline. Today (2024) the tallest building—100 Las Olas—rises 46 stories or 499 feet. For comparison, the Panorama Tower in Miami reaches 85 stories or 868 feet; it is, today, the tallest residential high rise south of New York City.
Fort Lauderdale may not be far behind with a claim of tallest building. Additional projects remain in the development pipeline. There’s not much vacant property available at this point, but old structures are falling across the city, clearing the way for big—and not often wanted—projects.
The Landmark Building, trigger or not, headed the downtown development parade.
Sources:
Fort Lauderdale News, May 1, 1970
Fort Lauderdale News, May 6, 1970
Fort Lauderdale News, Jan. 23, 1971
Fort Lauderdale News, Feb. 27, 1971
Fort Lauderdale News, Nov. 2, 1972
Fort Lauderdale News, Jan. 6, 1978
Tags: Fort Lauderdale in the 1970s, Landmark Building,
One Financial Plaza, Fort Lauderdale development, Fort Lauderdale tallest
building
