Springbrook Gardens
125 North Birch Road — From mid-century medical facility to condominium
Springbrook Gardens
▲ Fig 1. Building Entrance c. 1970.
The Springbrook Gardens condominium in Fort Lauderdale spans from its 1978 residential transformation to its structural condemnation and ultimate multi-million dollar listing by 2026. Located at 125 N. Birch Road along the Central Beach area, the four-story, 18-unit building holds nearly 200 feet of prime Intracoastal Waterway frontage.
Coastal Living
- ✔ 1975: Oxford Development Corporation applied for a city permit to demolish the empty hospital and build a new 5-story hotel or renovate the existing building into a hotel.
- ✔ 1977: Property was sold to Canadian investor who filed for permits to "remodel and restore" the building.
- ✔ Builder: Cleason B. Martin, the new owner, and his company, Toddlers Garden, drew plans for a condominium called Springbrook Gardens.
Coastal Living & the Era of Conversion
The condo was built to have 18-units, including 13 two-bedroom, two-bath apartments and five two-bedroom, 2½-bath townhouses, boat docks, a heated pool and waterfront views.
Over the inhabited years, residents completed numerous interior and exterior renovations. Despite performing necessary repairs and passing required inspections, decades of proximity to the Atlantic coast caused unseen structural deterioration that slowly progressed due to harsh salt-water environment exposure.
2015
Post-Exterior Reconstruction
End of Another Era
2023-2024
During ongoing concrete restoration work, engineers discovered major foundation issues. Fearing high winds from an impending hurricane that was forecast to hit the south Florida area, engineers ordered residents to evacuate the building immediately.
2024
On September 26, 2024, the City of Fort Lauderdale officially declared the building unsafe and revoked its Certificate of Occupancy.
2025
Faced with a multi-million dollar repair bill to fix the foundation, owners instead voted to terminate the condominium association and sell the property.
