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

Marlin catch places Bimini on world stage of big game fishing

Blue Marlin Mount, State Archives of Florida/ Dale McDonald
Circa 1970 

By Jane Feehan

Known today as the “Big Game Fishing Capital of the World,” Bimini entered the international sport fishing scene during the 1930s. Before 1930, locals were unable to land a marlin. The reason may surprise some.

Locals always knew the big fish were out there, but they didn’t have the heavier, more expensive gear to land many, according to local historian Ashley B. Saunders (History of Bimini, Vol. 1, Alice Town: New World Press, 2000). Miami Herald fishing columnist Earl Roman also knew the big ones were plentiful. But, in the early days, he returned to the mainland with broken lightweight rods, cut lines and no game fish. 

By 1933, possibilities grew; he wrote about how “shallows and flats around Bimini are good for bonefish hunting.” He recommended trolling with a heavy rod.

Earl Roman with student and
trolling rod 1948. State Archives of Florida

Bimini, with fewer than 1000 residents during the early 1900s, was known for its beautiful aqua waters, attracting the yachting set years before its sport fishing days. But the island could not provide much ice, had little electricity and no docks except for one used for mail and supply boats Nevertheless, yachters would visit from Florida, only 45 miles away, anchor in Bimini Bay, cook food onboard or get to a beach on small boats provided by locals where they could set up for meals. Steamship excursions, popular short trips from Miami, were advertised during the 1920s—until the hurricanes of 1926 and 1928 took a terrible toll on its population and economy. Bleak days.

Ill winds seemingly began to turn in 1930, thanks in part to Earl Roman’s column, Angler’s Notes, about Bimini fishing. U.S.-based Bimini Enterprises, Inc., advertised 1,000 homesites were available for purchase on this slice of the Bahamas. Flights $5 for the 20 minute-seaplane flight were offered to view the lots, there, which had the “greatest fishing grounds in the world,” and “where no passport is needed.”

Bimini’s reputation as a game fish hotspot took off when Miami-based fishing guide Tommy Gifford and fellow American Louis Wasey, visited in 1933. They hooked a marlin but lost the fish after a dramatic 14-hour fight. 

Months later, American writer and noted angler S. Kip Farrington landed the first blue marlin off Bimini weighing 155 pounds. Betty Moore, yet weeks later, hooked and fought a 502-pound blue marlin for a few hours that Louis Wasey eventually managed to land. Bimini big game fishing launched like a sailfish leaping out of blue ocean waters.

According to Saunders, Tommy Gifford designed the “first outriggers for deep sea fishing” and trained locals in big game fishing techniques, equipment and bait.

Writer Ernest Hemingway, who was also a top-notch fisherman, heard about the Bimini news. He traveled there in 1935 and remained with his family at the Compleat Angler Hotel writing and fishing until 1937 (this landmark hotel was destroyed by fire in 2006). Firsthand accounts of Hemingway’s fishing endeavors are available in Saunders’ book.

Fishing news from and about Bimini continued. The first big game fishing tournament was held in 1940. None was held during World War II but fishing events resumed and Bimini’s economy took off during the late 1940s with expanded availability of electricity, ice, freezers, drinking water and construction of docks and hotels.   

Saunders notes the island’s first nightclub – Calypso Club opened in 1947. Local restaurants also opened as did Bimini’s first straw works kiosks. By 1949 big game fishing enthusiasts from around the world traveled to the island in hopes of catching any of the game fish – bonefish, white marlin, bluefin tuna, sailfish and swordfish. Locals created the high-profile Annual Native Fishing Tournament during the 1960s; it remains as one of the key fishing events to this day with world-wide participants. About swordfish: they only swim at night. The first nighttime swordfish tourney was established in the late ‘60s or early 70s

Interest in Bimini, its people, big game fishing and today the island’s real estate, grows. A population count in 2010 indicated 1,988 residents. In 2022 the count went up to 2,417. Real estate listings show homes sell from $250,000 to millions of dollars. Resident visitors are not all there for the fishing. Bimini waters are beautiful and its people rock.

For lots of stories,tournaments, stats and more, visit International Game Fishing Association at IGFA.org (located in Dania Beach off I-95)

Sources:

Saunders, Ashley B. History of Bimini, Vol. 1, Alice Town: New World Press, 2000.

Miami Herald, Sept. 21, 1928

Miami News, May 18, 1930

Miami Herald, June 28, 1931

Miami Herald, July 12, 1933

Miami Herald, July 2, 1934

Bahamas Realty

 

 

Tags: Bimini history, Bimini fishing, Bimini big game fishing, Miami history, marlin, tuna, swordfish, bonefish, Earl Roman

Old Florida Book Shop - a bibliophile's treasure in Fort Lauderdale

 

William Chrisant & Sons’
Old Florida Book Shop

3426 Griffin Road (not far from Tropical Acres restaurant).
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312
Open Monday-Saturday: 11 am-6 pm; Sunday, 1-6 pm
954-319-1441
williamchrisant@gmail.com
https://www.oldfloridabookshop.com/

 By Jane Feehan

Many who visit this blog may also be interested in a local one-of-a-kind bookstore. 

Old Florida Book Shop, independent of the big book selling chains, reminds me of a few such stores in New Orleans with books tightly lined up from entrance to rear and up to the ceiling on dark wood shelving and in elegant mahogany, glass-doored cases. There’s literally more than meets the eye at this Fort Lauderdale store. Books are stacked behind the visibly shelved tomes as well. It’s a treasure hunt for bibliophiles.

And what would such a store be without a cat? Peter the cat would like you to think this is his place, but the Old Florida Book Shop belongs to William Chrisant who came here 13 years ago from Philadelphia. He brought thousands of books about countless subjects: American literature, ancient history, antiques, architecture, art, biographies, mathematics, medicine, local histories, and much more. He continues to build the collection for customers.

There is a small section on Florida, another on the American West, the Bahamas and various cities throughout the country, to mention a few categories.  Books flow in and out so genres may expand. Old Florida Book Shop, represented as “Buyers and sellers of books, antique maps, vintage magazines and ephemera since 1978,” also sells some books online (https://www.oldfloridabookshop.com/). Books on shelves outside the store are available to browse and purchase any time, even after hours. It operates on an honor system arrangement that works well. 

Store front where books are always available. Seen from street.

Old Florida Book Shop sits in a small strip center, which belies its quaint atmosphere. Expect to enter a different world after opening the door to this establishment with its rich, dark wood, Oriental carpets and wide universe of wonderful books, maps and periodicals. And let Peter know he’s the boss, in a manner of speaking.

Peter

 

Books abundant

Topics, some arcane or fascinating

Tags: Fort Lauderdale Book Shop

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

Whatever happened to White Castle and Royal Castle, two hamburger kings

Lining up at Royal Castle opening in 1969 - Tallahassee
State Archives of Florida/Slade

 

By Jane Feehan

Not an in-depth history of two iconic burger joints, this post answers “whatever happened to.” White Castle and Royal Castle operate today. Find out where below.

White Castle

White Castle, established in 1921, is touted as the granddaddy of burger joints. Founded with a borrowed sum of $700 by Walter A. Anderson and E.W. “Billy” Ingram in Wichita, Kansas, the company established headquarters in Columbus, Ohio. It was incorporated as White Castle System of Eating Houses Corporation. The company operated at the vanguard of the carry out concept with its invitation to “Buy ‘em by the sack.” The company also patented the use of holes in their square burgers for fast cooking. Sliders (only 12 cents) served as mainstay of the business.

Billy Ingram (died 1966) moved to Miami where he opened two stores in 1958 (perhaps a third). The first one was located at Flagler and NW 27 Avenue. The other unit operated near NE 163^rd Street. By the mid 1960s competition ramped up with McDonald’s, Burger King, Lum’s, Neba, Arby’s and others claiming market space. By 1967, White Castle closed in Florida. Supply chain issues were to blame, according to news accounts.

Today the company operates more than 300 units throughout the U.S., mostly in the Midwest and Northeast. It resumed expansion in 2015 after a 56-year hiatus with a store in Las Vegas. News for White Castle aficionados in Florida: their largest store (4,500 sf) opened in 2021 in Orlando off Interstate 4. Good move; it serves more hamburgers (some plant-based) than any of their other stores. Some say it’s the biggest burger joint in the world.

Royal Castle

William D. Singer (died in 1988) founded Royal Castle in Miami in 1938. By the 1960s, they had 150 locations in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Ohio. In 1969, Royal Castle with its round burgers (and breakfast items) ranked third in the nation for fast food or “short order” restaurants with 175 units.

In 1969, John Y. Brown, through his Performance Systems, Inc., bought the chain, which had gone public, for about $9 million. Brown had fast food experience. He purchased Kentucky Fried Chicken from its creator Harland Sanders in 1964 for $2 million. Today it’s worth more than $19 million. Performance Systems also owned Minnie Pearl’s Fried Chicken when it acquired Royal Castle.

Rapid expansion took a toll on Performance Systems. Royal Castle dissolved in 1975 (Brown served as governor of Kentucky 1979-1983 with wife and Miss America, Phyllis George at his side. He loved South Florida where I met him during the 1970s; he died in 2022).  

Good news for Royal Castle fans: ONE remains in Miami at 2700 NW 79^th Street. Owned and operated for years by James Brimberry and his wife, Josephine, the store was purchased by their grandson James in 2019.

For indepth information, see  Burger Beast.

Sources:

Miami Herald, Nov. 13, 1958

Fort Lauderdale News, July 18, 1963

Fort Lauderdale News, May 21, 1966

Miami News, March 29, 1968

Miami Herald, March 2, 1969

New York Times, Jul 15, 1988

Miami Herald, July 15, 1988

Tampa Bay Times, Nov. 26, 2019

New York Times, Nov. 25, 2022

https://www.whitecastle.com

 https://burgerbeast.com/royal-castle/

https://burgerbeast.com/?s=white+castle

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/white-castle-celebrates-successful-first-year-in-orlando-301531331.html#:~:text=White%20Castle's%20restaurant%20in%20Orlando,just%20one%20year%20in%20business

Tags:  Florida restaurant hisory, White Castle Hamburgers, Royal Castle Hamburgers

Edgar Gould, his island off Las Olas and a new page in Fort Lauderdale history

Plans drawn for development - 1940
Courtesy of Debbie Gould Tucker

By Jane Feehan

Edgar Davis Gould’s purchase of a swampy, mangrove-covered island off Las Olas Boulevard in March 1940 was reported as the largest single transaction in that area since the boom days of the 1920s. Created in 1925 with soil dredged from New River, the property had been held by Mr. and Ms. W.L. Mensendieck since 1935. The sales price was not revealed in news accounts.

Work began within 10 days after the contract was signed with installation of a water main by the city of Fort Lauderdale and immediate landscaping with royal palms. Gould planned 50 lots. He worked with other property owners and the city to widen and beautify the bridge to the area off 23^rd Avenue (an area now known as Seven Isles but at one time Lauderdale Isles). Fort Lauderdale News claimed, “development of Gould Island writes a new page in history of Fort Lauderdale’s growth.”

Gould also may have written a new page in sales history.

In May of 1941, the Fort Lauderdale News reported he had sold eight more lots than any agent selling off Las Olas. Gould had set a record: he sold 10 lots in 10 days. He made big waves after arriving in 1940, just months before the “island” purchase and launch of its development. Lots generally went for $4,000. Larger, waterfront lots sold for $17,500 in 1944. The island was completely developed by 1945.* A recent (2023) search of real estate listings there featured a house for sale for more than $31 million.

Some said Gould’s immediate sales success was a credit to his planning skills. Others would say his law degree from Harvard University in 1900 set his course. Though he practiced law in Boston, his birthplace, he changed careers after five years. He stepped into advertising in New York City and then served as manager and director of the Regal Shoe Company.

Granddaughter Debbie Gould Tucker, today a St. Augustine resident along with husband Bill Tucker, says the family isn’t quite sure why he left New Rochelle, New York but it may have been because his son (Debbie’s father) and namesake Edgar D. Gould II or “Bill” as he was called, was serving in the U.S. Navy in Fort Lauderdale where he also made his home.

The senior Gould’s move to Fort Lauderdale was a good one at the right time. His sales record, the newspaper reported, “establishes him as number one representative of the spirit, tempo and enterprise which has kept Fort Lauderdale in the van [guard] of the nation’s fastest-growing cities for the last decade.”

Gould Castle and widened bridge circa 1940
Courtesy of Debbie Gould Tucker

He built one of the first homes on Gould Island in 1941 on Del Mar Drive. The architect was Carlos B. Schoeppl and the builder was Richardson Construction, Debbie’s uncle. He landscaped the home with a circular tower (thus its name, Gould’s Castle) with a Victory V and with two royal palms on either side as “sentinels” (see photo). It was dressed up with planted “Legion of Honor marigolds,” a fitting acknowledgment of World War II efforts.  

Advertisements for the island highlighted 97.5-foot frontage on lots that were already graded to street level in a community just two or three minutes to the beach and three or four minutes “to town.” One ad closed with encouragement to “call your broker or Mr. Gould at his home at 1621.”

Gould’s real estate endeavors included the purchase of Donaldson Apartments from the Donaldson estate in 1943 for $45,000.  It was the largest real estate transaction of the week prior to Dec. 11. 

The building featured 10 large apartments and a penthouse (it remains today as a renamed boutique hotel behind the Sheraton at 300 N. Birch Rd.). This is what Debbie Gould Tucker remembers fondly of grandfather’s Fort Lauderdale legacy.

“We spent summer days there, just off the beach, with a clear view of the Intracoastal,” Debbie recollects. “During the winter, visitors—family friends—came from New Rochelle for three months. My grandmother Lalia, Edgar’s wife, lived there with her sister after he died.”

Gould died Jan. 28, 1945, at age 70 just a few years after moving to Fort Lauderdale. He left a big legacy in a short time including his son, Bill, who went into local yacht sales, granddaughter Debbie, and her three siblings, Patty, Billy and Eddie, all born in Fort Lauderdale. They are also related to the Slayton family (auto sales). Bill Gould’s children grew up near the Las Olas Isles, but Debbie often drove—well, nearly flew—over today's seven bridges connecting the streets of Gould Island for fun (as a few of us did as highschoolers).  Her husband, Bill Tucker, is related to Verne Tucker who contributed a column in the Fort Lauderdale News, Sun Strokes, a chuckle maker.

A chat with most anyone born in Fort Lauderdale during the 1940s or 50s tends to weave a map of family connections with contributions to our history. 

This, the way we used to be ….

 -----

*Today, Seven Isles is home to about 1,100 residents in 315 households on nine streets:

Aqua Vista Boulevard

Barcelona Drive

Castilla Isle

Del Mar Place

De Sota Drive

De Sota Terrace

Pelican Isle

Sea Island Drive

Seven Isles Drive

 

 

Sources:

Fort Lauderdale News, March 1, 1940

Fort Lauderdale News, March 18, 1940

Fort Lauderdale News, May 7, 1940

Fort Lauderdale News, Sept. 6, 1940

Fort Lauderdale News, March 9, 1941

Fort Lauderdale News, April 27, 1941

Fort Lauderdale News, May 25, 1941

Fort Lauderdale News, Sept. 14, 1941

Fort Lauderdale News, Aug. 4, 1941

Fort Lauderdale News, Nov. 2, 1941

Fort Lauderdale News, Aug. 25, 1943

Fort Lauderdale News, Dec. 11, 1943

Fort Lauderdale News, Feb. 2, 1944

Fort Lauderdale News, Jan. 29, 1945

Tags: Fort Lauderdale history, history of Fort Lauderdale, Seven Isles, Fort Lauderdale communities, Edgar D. Gould, Debbie Gould Tucker