The Idlewyld story - Hortt converts swamp to top-tier real estate

 

By Jane Feehan

The history of Fort Lauderdale’s Idlewyld neighborhood reflects the story of Fort Lauderdale’s M.A. Hortt. A former streetcar conductor and gold prospector from Utah, “Al” Hortt came to Fort Lauderdale in 1910. Possibilities for wealth generation were far greater here than in the desert.

The city saw its first land boom in 1910, when, according to Hortt, it claimed only 121 residents. As he wrote in his biography, Gold Coast Pioneer, he arrived when Fort Lauderdale was just a “wide spot” in the road. Not for long. News spread “up north” about Fort Lauderdale’s real estate. The early boom proved to be an early bust but Hortt’s roster of subsequent land deals (and travel escapades), could spin heads. The focus here, however, is Idlewyld.

Hortt and business partner Bob Dye bought a piece of swampy land in 1921 that spanned from the Las Olas bridge (opened 1917) to the “intersection of New River Sound” and beyond. They envisioned a subdivision on part of it but needed a developer with money. Hortt was familiar with Miami developer Carl Fisher’s success in converting Miami Beach's water-logged land into desirable real estate; he wanted to apply the same method in Fort Lauderdale.   

According to Hortt, he took a beach walk near Las Olas where he met visitor Tom Stillwell. Stillwell was looking for a real estate opportunity and the garrulous broker had just the deal: if Stillwell could put up $50,000, they could create a company with $100,000 of land and cash assets; Stillwell would get a 50 percent share. 

To convince the visitor about development possibilities, Hortt took him to Miami Beach to view Fisher’s projects. Stillwell was sold on the development idea for Fort Lauderdale and brought in three partners from Indiana. The New River Development Company was formed in 1921 and dredging of the Intracoastal and New River Sound began. Dredging would provide the soil to build up the swampy tract.

The name Idlewyld was chosen and its land platted. Streets, sidewalks, water mains and electric lines were installed after dredging.

To buoy its appeal, coconut palms were planted along its streets. However, for months only a few lots sold. They lowered prices and gave lots to the investors for building homes. The Indiana partners pooled resources and built one house. The company also offered to give away 10 lots for house construction. By year’s end, only four houses were built; the town experienced a real estate slowdown. 

Intracoastal view,
with Las Olas Bridge at left

As is often said today, the best time to advertise is during an economic slump. Savvy Hortt suggested he would handle advertising if a deal could be made with the partners. He wanted a 25 percent commission on sales of all lots. Prices would depend on location and would run $2,500 to $5,000. The New River Development Company approved and the first advertisement went to the Miami Herald.

One article in the Miami Herald reported that a promotion of the subdivision would include free transportation from Miami, dinners and a river trip. An ad in the same paper beckoned visitors to buy a lot in “Fort Lauderdale’s sub-division deluxe with people you’ll be glad to have for neighbors: men of wealth and social standing and a-1 character.”

The advertising campaign proved to be a success.  Hortt claimed in his book that he and Dye sold every lot “in less than one week,” and each for the price originally agreed upon. Success led to plans for a $250,000 hotel in Idlewyld. Promised to be “bigger and better than any yet planned” the hotel was expected to sit on six lots and open in one year.

The Idlewyld neighborhood gained attention. Hortt built his home there. In 1925, while on one of his many trips, he was offered $60,000 for that house. Upon his return he upped the price to $75,000 (a steep price then) and sold it to businesswoman Helen Brooks Smith. The sale made local headlines.

Less than a year later, the aftermath of the 1926 hurricane brought the South Florida real estate boom to a halt.  It’s interesting to note that during the storm, the U.S. Coast Guard’s houseboat station, Moccasin, was lifted from its mooring and thrown across the waterway near Idlewyld. The Coast Guard took up temporary quarters in the “deluxe” subdivision in two houses donated by W.C. Kyle until they could re-establish their base.

Hortt remained solvent and developed several neighborhoods such as Beverly Heights. He was recognized for guiding Fort Lauderdale’s recovery from the storm. He served as mayor and commissioner of Fort Lauderdale and then bought large tracts of land in Pompano Beach, where he died (750 Ocean Blvd.) in 1958 at 77.

And Idlewyld? It remains one of the city’s most beautiful neighborhoods with many of the original houses replaced with multi-lot sized homes selling for millions (as of this post, 17 on the market). The Riviera Isles/Idlewyld area is home to 508 residents. 

Hortt’s legacy includes not only his sales record of early city communities but his recognition of waterside locations in boosting real estate values. Many who came to Fort Lauderdale in the early 1900s thought real estate fortunes were to be found in agricultural land to the west. Hortt knew better.

Sources:

Hortt, M.A., Gold Coast Pioneer. New York: Exposition Press, 1955.

Miami Herald, Jan. 20, 1924

Miami Herald, Feb. 20, 1924

Fort Lauderdale News, Feb. 25, 1925

Fort Lauderdale News, April 17, 1925

Fort Lauderdale News, Nov. 13, 1925

Fort Lauderdale News, Nov. 16, 1926

Fort Lauderdale News, June 20, 1926

Fort Lauderdale News, March 1, 1952

Fort Lauderdale News, April 15, 1958

Tags: Idlewyld neighborhood, M.A. Hortt, Fort Lauderdale history, Fort Lauderdale communities, history of Fort Lauderdale, Fort Lauderdale in the 1920s, Jane Feehan

Fort Lauderdale's Croissant Park and its colorful developer Frank Croissant - of Roll Royces, diamonds and a solid gold dinner service

 

Croissant Park Administration Building
 at 1421 South Andrews Avenue 

By Jane Feehan

Many may know of or grew up in Croissant Park, one of the oldest neighborhoods in Fort Lauderdale. Few are familiar with its namesake, Frank Croissant, and his colorful life.

Born in Brooklyn in 1887, the hugely successful real estate developer (self-described “World’s Greatest Salesman), pursued business opportunities across the U.S. After operating in Ohio and moving to Detroit where he was associated with Henry Ford in real estate, Croissant relocated to Fort Lauderdale in January 1925.

He bought about 1,200 acres in an area south of the New River and Las Olas Boulevard on the west side of Andrews Avenue. The Croissant Park Administration Building, site of his sales office, still sits on South Andrews Avenue and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. Sales at Croissant Park were brisk; those were the boom days. Today asking prices for a few houses in that neighborhood are close to $500,000.

Croissant’s plans for his subdivision included a hotel, the Croissantania (also the name of a local baseball team he may have promoted). Designed by architect John M. Peterman, and built by DeCato Construction Co., the 125-room hotel failed to become a reality. Though started in late 1925, the cost of labor and shortage of materials first slowed or delayed the hotel project; it was then halted by the 1926 hurricane. By the end of 1926 and several years after, G. Frank Croissant Co. was the defendant in several lawsuits over mismanagement of money and other disputes.

Some news accounts reported Croissant was worth $30 million resulting from all his real estate endeavors, but it was said he lost most of it in the 1929 stock market crash. He probably lost a significant portion of that fortune beforehand, in the South Florida land bust following that hurricane.

Reversal of fortune did not slow down Croissant nor sour him on Fort Lauderdale. He bought tracts of land in Northern New Jersey (Teaneck, West Englewood, Bergenfield) for development. He opened offices in Europe, including London, Paris, Madrid and Mallorca, where he often talked up Fort Lauderdale, referred to then as “the Friendly City.” Croissant could claim 56 offices with 1,200 salesmen in 11 states and seven countries.

Some say he was involved in the launch or promotion of New York’s radio station WNYC. The station was established in 1924 but his involvement is unconfirmed. 

He, wife Harriet and son moved to Mallorca, Spain in 1933 or 1934 where he reportedly sold more than 8,000 lots in assorted projects. Included in those lots was one he sold to actress Claudette Colbert, another to Hollywood heartthrob Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.

Croissant’s 13-year-old son died in a mountain climbing accident in Spain and a civil war erupted there in 1936—both spurring the developer’s return to Fort Lauderdale. 

On his return, he was involved in the constructions of Port Everglades, in promoting Hialeah Park racing and operating a stable of 110 horses. He also had his sights set on a project in North Palm Beach near today’s Donald Ross Road. It was abandoned after his death. Ever the entrepreneur, he returned in 1952 from a business trip to Colombia where he landed a few dog track concessions.

A high-profile resident, Croissant remained in local headlines about his business and civic activities and frequent lawsuits. In 1950 he was charged by the federal government with participation in a $2 million international lottery ring. Charges were dropped due to lack of evidence.

In 1954, Fort Lauderdale News columnist Wesley W. Stout provided a list of items and activities that distinguished Croissant as one of the town’s most colorful characters:

• Won more horse races than all other racetrack notables in 1925-26
• Owned a 154-ft yacht, the Jemima F
• Owned three Rolls Royce cars simultaneously
• Owned a Lockheed Vega aircraft piloted by world famous Clarence Chamberlain
• Given a 476 solid gold dinner service set by his sales team (stored in a Dania bank vault)
• Gave his wife a 31- carat diamond pendant and a 22 carat stone
• “Put out of business” by the Spanish Civil War

Frank Croissant died at his Fort Lauderdale home on Andrews Avenue December 5, 1956, of a brain hemorrhage. Left to his wife, his estate was worth about $10 million.

He was, indeed, a colorful character …

For more on Frank Croissant, see: 

https://janeshistorynook.blogspot.com/2021/02/frank-croissant-worlds-greatest-salesman.html

 Sources:

Fort Lauderdale News, Dec. 9, 1925

Fort Lauderdale News, Oct. 5, 1925

Fort Lauderdale News, May 22, 1926

Fort Lauderdale News, July 2, 1926

Fort Lauderdale News, Dec. 9, 1925

Fort Lauderdale News, Nov. 10, 1939

Fort Lauderdale News, Nov. 10, 1950

Fort Lauderdale News, Dec. 28, 1951

Fort Lauderdale News, Aug. 6, 1952

Fort Lauderdale News, Feb. 12, 1954

Fort Lauderdale News, Dec. 6, 1956

Fort Lauderdale News, Dec. 7, 1956

Fort Lauderdale News, Dec. 24, 1956

Tags: Fort Lauderdale neighborhoods, Croissant Park, Fort Lauderdale in the 1920s, Fort Lauderdale developers, history of Fort Lauderdale, Fort Lauderdale history, Fort Lauderdale communities

Mid-century modern masterpiece - Sea Tower of Fort Lauderdale

 

Sea Tower 2023, rear, facing beach

Sea Tower Apartments
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 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
with
 beach steps away

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.

 

 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

Frank Croissant: "World's greatest salesman"

Once touted the “World’s Greatest Salesman,” Brooklyn-born Frank Croissant bought nearly 1,200 acres for $1.25 million in 1924 south of New River to develop his Croissant Park. The following year, Croissant spent $215,000, an enormous amount of money for the time, for advertising. A few ads were for salesmen.

In a 1924 advertisement,  Croissant asserts he was “sixteen years ago a teller in a small bank in Brooklyn, today one of the world’s largest real estate operators with a sales record of $20,000,000!”

Text-heavy, the ad describes working conditions at the Croissant Park sales office:

Here you will find supreme satisfaction … an atmosphere that breeds success in any man unless he’s downright worthless. There is no bickering here, no jealousy, no discord – nothing but happiness and success.

In the same advertisement, Croissant said a lesson he learned from Henry Ford was to make salesmen "co-workers of the employer."

Croissant Park remains one of Fort Lauderdale's oldest subdivisions. Frank Croissant bought property throughout South Florida, including an area in Palm Beach County that was to be called “North Palm Beach Heights,” at the western end of what became Donald Ross Road. His widow began the project in the mid 1950s but later abandoned it. 

Sources:

Gillis, Susan. Fort Lauderdale, Venice of America. Great Britain: Arcadia Publishing, 2004

Miami News Feb. 19, 1924

Miami News Feb. 24, 1925

Miami News, Jan. 19, 1926

Palm Beach Post, Oct 1, 1972

Tags: Fort Lauderdale history, Florida developer, Florida history, Fort Lauderdale in the 1920s, film research

Fort Lauderdale's Victoria Park - then and now

January 1925

This advertisement came out less than two years before the devastating hurricane of 1926. It was the storm that ushered in the Great Depression in Florida before it cast its shadow across most other states.

And today? Recent sales include homes from $490,000 to well over $1 million. Others on the water fetch the highest prices. The area, which sits behind the Gateway Theater and along the Middle River, includes 30 percent of Fort Lauderdale's historically significant properties. About 7,000 residents call this beautiful neigborhood home.




Tags: Fort Lauderdale neighborhoods, Fort Lauderdale history, Victoria Park

A Sunday afternoon ride to Melrose Park ...

Fort Lauderdale beach today

By Jane Feehan 

While Miami made headlines during the 1950s for its growth in tourism and housing construction, people were discovering Fort Lauderdale. News about Fort Lauderdale’s shopping centers, hotels and subdivisions found its way into New York and Miami papers. 

One reporter suggested a Sunday ride to look at a booming area west of town. A large yellow sign at Broward Boulevard and Florida Avenue, east of State Road 7, beckoned prospective buyers to one of Fort Lauderdale’s fastest growing subdivisions: Melrose Park. It did not have a park, and would not have one until the mid-1990s, but buyers were lining up to plunk down their money on one of those cookie-cutter, easy-living, Florida-style houses people were talking about “up North.”

A property search reveals that the first house in Melrose Park probably went up in 1950. Miami realtor Ted King started building there in 1952 or 53. By 1954, he made real estate news with his construction activities in Melrose Park.

King built many houses there, including one “attractively designed” home at the corner of Florida Avenue and Campus Circle. The three-bedroom, two bath house on a lot 80 feet by 100 feet was constructed with an attached carport. Terrazzo floors were standard those years as well as aluminum jalousie windows. King installed a 25,000 BTU wall heater in the home and a “bar”  or counter separating kitchen and living room. The house’s one linen closet was in the “big bathroom.” Going price: $13,600. Demand for homes in the neighborhood drove prices up a bit; King built another nearby and upgraded it to 1,450 square feet and $15,500.

Construction continued in Melrose Park until at least 1970. Once a census-designated place in Broward County, Melrose Park was annexed by Fort Lauderdale in 2002. By that time, the community’s population had grown to more than 7,100. Today, houses are appraised there from about $66,000 to $299,000.

I wonder what happened to that large yellow sign …

Copyright © 2013. All rights reserved. Jane Feehan.

Sources:

Broward County Appraiser’s Office

Miami News, Feb. 7, 1954

U.S. Census

Tags: Fort Lauderdale subdivisions, Fort Lauderdale during the 1950s, Melrose Park, Fort Lauderdale history