Marlin Beach Hotel ... once leader in Fort Lauderdale beach entertainment

 

Fort Lauderdale 

Marlin Beach Hotel
17 S. Atlantic Blvd.Fort Lauderdale, FL

By Jane Feehan

Three West Point graduates (Class of 1946) from Pittsburgh agreed that Fort Lauderdale held solid prospects for a new hotel. They bought a beach site in 1951.

The Pittsburgh group—Roland Catarinella, Harold Gray and W.C. Powers—moved forward with their hotel idea, formed the Penndale Corporation and filed a fictitious name to do business as the Marlin Beach Hotel in 1952. The hotel was to include an underpass or tunnel to the beach, the first in Fort Lauderdale. The reason: heavy traffic (even then) along Atlantic Boulevard making it difficult to cross to the beach. They also announced plans for 51-rooms, an unusual lower-level lobby with ultra-violet lighting illuminating aquatic scenes and a cocktail lounge with glass walls providing an underwater view of the pool.

The Marlin Beach Hotel opened to an enthusiastic crowd Jan. 20,1953 with cocktails and a buffet. The lounge, unnamed at opening, was the biggest draw with its underwater pool view. The name for the nightspot was determined by a contest announced by manager L. Bert Stephens. The winner tapped a month later, was picked from nearly 5,800 entries. Fort Lauderdale resident Edward Elmer struck success with “Two Fathoms Down.” He received a $500 credit for drinks and food … a big sum those days when dinners often ran for less than $2 or $3. Deemed “bar sensation of the year” in 1953, the lounge provided music, comedy and underwater acts. In 1961, the popular nightspot was renamed the Jules Verne Room and continued to offer quality nightclub acts and dancing.

As with most Fort Lauderdale beach hotels, owners changed several times over the  decades.  Under new owners in the 1970s the then-named Marlin Beach Resort with over 90 rooms, was marketed to gay visitors. By the early ‘80s it became a “mecca for gay vacationers” drawing clientele from around the world.

According to news accounts, the hotel slipped into a downward spiral when a new owner set out to attract the college crowd in 1986 and failed; those efforts coincided with Fort Lauderdale’s plan to shed its spring break image. Marlin Beach Hotel fell into disrepair—and bankruptcy. Doors closed in April 1992 but not before 2000-3,500 gathered over two or three nights that month to party and reminisce about 20 years of popular tea dances, weddings and other gay community gatherings at the "grand old lady."

In 1995, a group purchased the closed Marlin Hotel and its 3.2 acres for $3.1 million (a low price tag in the 2020s) and developed Beach Place, the site of a Marriott Hotel and several casual restaurants, relegating the beach area’s singular nightlife of lounge acts to Fort Lauderdale’s past.

 
Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved. Jane Feehan.

  Sources:

 Fort Lauderdale News, Aug. 20, 1952

Fort Lauderdale News, Oct. 29, 1952

Fort Lauderdale News, Dec. 26, 1952

Fort Lauderdale News, Jan. 17, 1963

Fort Lauderdale News, Jan. 21, 1953

Fort Lauderdale News, Aug. 9, 1955

Fort Lauderdale News, June 27, 1956

Fort Lauderdale News, Sept. 30, 1956

Fort Lauderdale News, Feb. 13, 1953

Fort Lauderdale News, June 7, 1953

Fort Lauderdale News, Aug. 11, 1960

Fort Lauderdale News, March 19, 1961

Fort Lauderdale News, Sept. 10, 1961

South Florida Sun-Sentinel, April 19, 1992

South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Feb. 13, 1995

Tags: Fort Lauderdale hotel history, Fort Lauderdale history, underwater acts, Jules Verne Room, Two Fathoms Down

Sailboat Bend, Fort Lauderdale's only neighborhood deemed a historic district

 

 By Jane Feehan

Fort Lauderdale’s Sailboat Bend, once known as the “West Side,” was designated a historic district in 1992. It is the first neighborhood in the city so deemed.

The historic area sits within an area bounded by the F.E.C. Railway tracks on its east, Broward Boulevard on its north, and by the New River on the south and west. It’s accessible just a block or two beyond the Broward Center for the Performing Arts at 201 SW Fifth Avenue or via Sunrise Boulevard near the historic 11th Avenue Bridge. A sign indicates its boundary.

Sailboats give rise to thoughts about travel and adventure or simplicity and leisurely living. Those notions were probably held in varying degrees by sailing enthusiasts (“many young married couples”) who found their way to Fort Lauderdale during the early 1940s and moored their boats along the most extreme bend in the New River. It was during those years that the area was first referred to as Sailboat Bend. The city Commission confirmed it as a subdivision in 1945.

Sailboat Bend’s history reaches back centuries before its subdivision days.

It is thought Tequesta Indians lived there centuries ago—long before the Seminoles arrived in South Florida during the late 1700s. Artifacts of Indian inhabitants reportedly have been found there.

Some say the area was the site of the first fort built during the Second Seminole War (1835-42) by Major William Lauderdale, for whom the city is named. It is also written that the neighborhood is where the Cooley (or Colee) family was massacred in 1835—not at the now-named Colee Hammock Park at 1500 Brickell Drive (south fork of the New River). Their massacre may have been cause for Lauderdale's deployment to the New River area.

During the 20th century, the project to drain the Everglades, promoted by Governor Napoleon Bonaparte Broward (1905-1909), began in Sailboat Bend with the staging of dredging equipment for construction of two canals. Fort Lauderdale is often referred to as “Gateway to the Everglades,” thus a reasonable point of entry for the drainage project.

Not all the area known as Sailboat Bend falls within the historic district.

Society pages in the newspapers during the 1940s referred to parties on some of the boats and the comings and goings of notables who docked at the bend during the winter. This non-historic area currently lies in the center of the toniest part of downtown Fort Lauderdale.

Proximity to downtown and the beauty of the river was not lost on those who sought profits selling lots along the bend in 1945. A group of owner-realtors, including resident Wen Mulligan, advertised "28 lots along the bend at Southwest 5th Avenue and Southwest 5th Street for $42,000 for sale ... easy terms." Given the crazy high prices of the 1920s in Fort Lauderdale, that price rings cheap if it was for all the lots.

In 1963 a prescient if not lucky developer wanted 600 feet to be vacated at the bend to make way for six high-rise buildings with 1,500 apartments. The proposal was nixed then, but today the same area, just outside the historic neighborhood, is the site of several spectacular buildings with hundreds of rental and condo units.

The historic Sailboat Bend is worth a drive through and a stop at its waterfront park. It presents a mix of old bungalows with a few (very few) grand homes along the river. Manicured lawns are not a feature of this neighborhood. Some of the streets may remind one of older sections of New Orleans with overgrown shrubs, vines and indigenous trees. A house of French Provincial design was described when purchased about 35 years ago, so impressions of similarity to New Orleans stand reasonable.

Sailboat Bend residents have objected, to no avail, to the number of social agencies built on the nearby Broward Boulevard perimeter of their neighborhood: a Salvation Army homeless shelter, an alcohol rehab facility, the Broward School Board and other agencies. A drive through Sailboat Bend streets seems worlds away.

About 2,200-2,800 residents reside in historic Sailboat Bend. The ordinance designating its historic status is reviewed every 10 years.

It’s not only worth a look, Sailboat Bend also deserves preservation of the city's largest collection of historic homes. 

Below: Aerial view- New River 1929

Florida State Archives/Hoit

*********

Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved. Jane Feehan.

Sources:

City of Fort Lauderdale

Fort Lauderdale Daily News, Sept. 30, 1942

Fort Lauderdale Daily News, Oct. 19, 1942

Fort Lauderdale Daily News, Aug. 19, 1943

Fort Lauderdale Daily News, July 14, 1945

Fort Lauderdale Daily News, Oct. 17, 1945

Fort Lauderdale Daily News, Nov. 1, 1945

Fort Lauderdale News, Sept. 4, 1963

Fort Lauderdale News, Oct. 25, 1963

Fort Lauderdale News, Aug. 16, 1987

South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Jan. 8, 1988

South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Jan. 29, 1989

South Florida Sun-Sentinel, June 25, 1990

Tags: Historic Neighborhoods in Fort Lauderdale, Fort Lauderdale in the 1940s, Fort Lauderdale history, Fort Lauderdale neighborhoods

Fort Lauderdale, Fazio's Fireside Steak Ranch and his House of Prime Ribs

By Jane Feehan

Fort Lauderdale was booming in the 1950s and 60s. The boom included new restaurants opened to meet the demand of a fast-growing population. Many residents from “up North” filled the eateries, seeking the taste—and sophistication—of their home states.   

One of the new places, the Fireside Steak Ranch, was lauded for its beef and Maine lobsters. Former Milwaukee nightclub owner Jimmy Fazio advertised in 1959 that his restaurant operated at two locations – Fort Lauderdale at 901 Las Olas Blvd. and Deerfield Beach on US 1. Lunch went for 85 cents and complete dinners for $1.75-2.95.  For a time, children who were dining were gifted cowboy hats “compliments of host Jimmy Fazio.” He also promoted entertainment to attract the late-night crowd; his restaurant was open until 2 a.m. Customers frequented Fireside Steak Ranch for both its food and vibrant nightlife highlighted by quality jazz, other music and even comedy acts.

Fireside Steak Ranch

The curtain came down on Fireside Steak Ranch in 1963 when a large fire, reportedly caused by an electrical problem in the kitchen, shuttered the restaurant. The Deerfield location came under new ownership in February 1964 with a new name, Johnny’s Fireside Steak Ranch.

Undaunted—and with a legacy of good food and entertainment—Fazio opened House of Prime Ribs at 3485 N. Federal Highway in 1964. According to Fort Lauderdale News nightclub editor, Pat Brown, the new place was known as the “hottest new spot” by May 1964.

Interestingly, Pat Brown tapped Fazio to write a guest column while she was away in 1968. In it, Fazio wrote about his nightclub in Milwaukee and his hope to revive his supper club idea in Fort Lauderdale at the Fireside. But he determined the concept was no longer popular. In opening the House of Prime Ribs, he had to decide on a food or entertainment focus. Food was the choice and it proved to be a good one.

His new place was great and a spot to be seen or to see who was out for the night. My sisters and I accompanied entertainer Red Buttons and his agent there for a meal; they were impressed with the food and ambiance—and our choice.

Fazio’s House of Prime Ribs was shuttered during 1974 or 1975. Mr. Pip’s, a nightclub, opened in its place about 1976. A string of restaurants has opened in the same location since.

The beat, albeit a different one, goes on …

 Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved. Jane Feehan.

Sources:

Fort Lauderdale News, Oct. 9, 1959

Fort Lauderdale News, Dec. 17, 1959

Fort Lauderdale News, May 11, 1961

Fort Lauderdale News, June 2, 1962

Fort Lauderdale News, July 8, 1963

Fort Lauderdale News, Feb. 5, 1964

Fort Lauderdale News, May 29, 1964

Fort Lauderdale News, May 29, 1964

Fort Lauderdale News, Oct. 30, 1964

Fort Lauderdale News, Sept. 13, 1968

Fort Lauderdale News, March 3, 1976

Tags: Fort Lauderdale history, Fort Lauderdale history, House of Prime Ribs, Fazio's Fireside Steak Ranch, Jimmy Fazio, Mr. Pip's, Fort Lauderdale restaurant history, Fort Lauderdale in the 1950s, Fort Lauderdale in the 1960s, Fort Lauderdale in the 1970s, Fort Lauderdale restaurant history, Restaurants

Fort Lauderdale and Jay Mar Cottages - from church suppers to hordes of spring breakers

515 Seabreeze Blvd. Closed

Fort Lauderdale, FL

By Jane Feehan

Jay-Mar  Cottages started out as a pleasant, low-profile, no-frills seaside motel along Fort Lauderdale beach. A different image emerged during the 1960s and 70s.

Sitting on the south side of D.C. Alexander Park and extending to Seabreeze Boulevard, Jay-Mar was probably built during the early 1950s, when it was first mentioned in the Fort Lauderdale News. 

In May 1954 a Baptist Church held a “covered supper” event for 34 attendees. In 1961 “Mrs. Georgia Smith, owner of Jay-Mar” was recognized for hosting her fifth-annual party for her college student guests. She fed and entertained 60-70 visitors “without incident." 

But three months later, the motel became a target of mischief. Jay-Mar was hit by a women’s bathing suit thief: five suits were swiped from clotheslines there and at the nearby Merriweather Motel (still operating as of this post) at 115 N. Atlantic Avenue.

Missing bathing suits was nothing compared to what the ensuing tidal wave of visitors brought to Fort Lauderdale beach.

The movie, Where the Boys Are, was released in 1960, placing Fort Lauderdale on the national radar of places for college students to enjoy their spring bacchanal. There wasn’t much good news for Jay-Mar Apartments (or cottages) in the decades that followed. It was besieged by college kids, as was the entire beach area. 

Student-hosted impromptu parties attracted crowds of underaged locals and college visitors looking to score alcohol— or more—and to meet up with like-minded friends.

Jay-Mar lost its luster as a cute motel by the beach and became a cheap place for the down and out to rent a room. By 1976 it was called an abandoned eyesore by the Fort Lauderdale Beach Advisory Board. The property then was worth about $1 million. Emmett McTigue, owner and spokesperson for the Las Olas Development Company (owners then of the property?) refused to comment on the call to demolish the building.

Jay-Mar remained standing until at least May 1976 when some complained it was a “gutted hulk.” There are no news stories about its demolishment; the name of the motel receded into memory. Instead, the beach-side parcel became the lure and lore of profitable land deals.

Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved. Jane Feehan.

Sources:

Fort Lauderdale News, May 24, 1954

Fort Lauderdale News, April 4, 1961

Fort Lauderdale News, July 9, 1961

Fort Lauderdale News, April 13, 1976

Fort Lauderdale News, May 25, 1976

Tags: Jay-Mar Cottages, Jay-Mar Motel, Fort Lauderdale in the 1950s, Fort Lauderdale in the 1960s. Fort Lauderdale history, Fort Lauderdale Spring Break  

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

Notes on Memorial Day 1924 -1954 in Fort Lauderdale and Miami

 

Memorial Day Oakland Cemetery Tallahassee 1987
Florida State Archives Deborah Thomas

By Jane Feehan

Memorial Day was first observed on May 30, 1868. The Civil War had ended in April 1965; the day was set aside to honor those who died in service to the Union. 

Originally called Decoration Day (in reference to use of flowers at graves), it was not designated a federal holiday until 1971. By then, many cities and states were already honoring the fallen in service to our country.

Early Miami and Fort Lauderdale were no exception, though news accounts do not detail remembrance activities in Fort Lauderdale until after 1924. 

Following are snippets of Memorial Day observances in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Washington—or lack thereof— during 1924, 1934, 1944 and 1954. Most churches held their own solemn ceremonies widely publicized in local newspapers. For decades, most cities held parades. Notes below point to contrasts or comparisons to today’s commemorations.

Miami 1924 – The American Legion sponsored a seaplane flight to scatter flowers over Biscayne Bay for Memorial Day. Four women, all civic notables, boarded a plane piloted by veteran A.B Chalk (of Chalk Airlines) to throw flowers on bay waters.

Washington, D.C. 1924 – U. S. Representative Sol Bloom (D-NY) introduced a bill May 31,1924 to penalize those who ignore the United States flag on Memorial Day (and probably other national holidays). He was furious with those who ignored the colors flown at a Washington, D.C. parade the day before.

Miami 1924 – Cars were offered to pick up disabled veterans for a Memorial Day parade that year. Vets could then participate in the parade sitting in a car or take a place along the route.

Miami 1934 – 1,500 residents were expected to join a Memorial Day two-header to honor the fallen and to hear the “biggest array of political speakers so far assembled” that year for campaigns for U.S senator, and county and city election hopefuls.

Fort Lauderdale 1934 – the city’s Memorial Day parade was among the best to date that year. Servicemen were stationed at the “harbor entrance” and at the U.S. Coast Guard base. About 300 marines and a Coast Guard unit marched in a parade from the Elk’s Club downtown to Stranahan Park blocks away. They stopped at the New River for a maritime gun salute for the fallen and for the American Legion members to play taps.

Fort Lauderdale 1934 - The Fort Lauderdale Daily News suspended publication for Memorial Day. Closure of other businesses was to be determined by the merchants committee of the Chamber of Commerce.

Fort Lauderdale 1934 – Chamber of Commerce announced all businesses except grocers would close in observance of Memorial Day. Schools in Fort Lauderdale, Dania and Pompano announced their closures for the day.

Fort Lauderdale 1944 – Broward County courthouse remained open. A jailer and deputy sheriff were on duty in the event of any holiday misdoings.The tax office was also open because it was the last day to pay property taxes to avoid auction sales. Judge Boyd H. Anderson and Frank Tuppen, assistant juvenile officer, remained on hand in case of trouble. Otherwise, Memorial Day would serve as a catch-up-on-work day.

Washington, D.C. 1944 - Chairman Donald M. Nelson of the War Production Board called “upon all plants engaged in war output”  to schedule and operate a full working day on Memorial Day.     

Fort Lauderdale 1954 – Not yet a national holiday, Memorial Day was a day off for all federal,  Broward County and city of Fort Lauderdale employees, except for Tax Receiver Herman Weeks office. The last day to pay 1953 taxes fell on Memorial Day.

Miami 1954 – ABC WQAM transmitted President Eisenhower’s Memorial Day remarks at 1 p.m.

2024

City sources

Events in South Florida

See City of Fort Lauderdale

City of Pompano Beach

City of Miami Beach

City of Miami

 

Sources:

The Miami Herald, May 31, 1924

The Miami News, May 28, 1924

The Miami Herald, May 22i Beach, 1934

Fort Lauderdale Daily News, May 24, 1934

Fort Lauderdale Daily News, May 25, 1934

Fort Lauderdale Daily News, May 29, 1934

Fort Lauderdale Daily News, May 31, 1944

The Miami Herald, May 26, 1944

The Miami Herald, May 23, 1954

Fort Lauderdale Daily News, May 29, 1954

The Miami Herald, May 31, 1954

Fort Lauderdale Daily News, May 31, 1934      

 

Tags: Memorial Day 2024, Fort Lauderdale history, Miami history, Memorial Day 1924, 1934, 1944 and 1954