Postcards
Postcards were often used as a low-cost, convenient way to communicate. Travelers sent them to showcase their vacations and visits to friends and family. Local cities used postcards to promote tourism by showcasing landmarks, attractions, beaches and resorts. This collection shows some of the history of Fort Lauderdale and the Fort Lauderdale Beach districts. Click on the photo or title link to view the full article.
Date: 1955
Landmarks
- The "Blue Water Hotel" Signage: If you look very closely at the top of the central tower structure, you can see a skeletal metal rooftop sign that spells out "BLUE WATER HOTEL".
- The Original Hotel Layout: This photo shows the building before it closed down, stripped its signage, and reopened in July 1957 as the Fort Lauderdale Beach Hospital. Because the hotel sign is fully intact and the layout matches its prime mid-1950s resort phase, this specific aerial session captures the block right in 1955.
Date: 1958
Landmarks
- Fort Lauderdale Beach Hospital: This card shows an alternative, closer aerial profile of the medical center at 125 N. Birch Road, capturing its crisp architecture and yellow awning right after its transformation. Initially built as the Blue Water Hotel, the property officially reopened its doors as a dedicated hospital facility in July 1957.
- The Pillars Hotel & Club: The property line splits just to the right of the road. The lush lawn, the distinct palm tree clusters, and the signature kidney-shaped swimming pool are all part of the historic 1939 British Colonial estate that became The Pillars Hotel & Club. Guests still lounge by this exact waterfront pool today.
Date: 1961
Landmarks
- Fort Lauderdale Beach Hospital: The large multi-story structure featured prominently on the left waterfront is the historic Fort Lauderdale Beach Hospital. Located at 125 N. Birch Road, it was established by Dr. Louis Amato and served as a well-known local landmark near the Intracoastal Waterway during the mid-century tourism boom. The property has since transitioned into the Springbrook Gardens condominium building.
- The Charter Yacht: Docked directly at the hospital’s seawall is a large white vintage yacht, a common sight for upscale medical recovery or waterfront sightseeing layouts during this era.
Date: 1961
Landmarks
- Yankee Clipper Hotel: The prominent white, ship-shaped hotel in the foreground is the famous Yankee Clipper Hotel (now the B Ocean Resort), which opened in 1956.
- Bahia Mar Marina: Just beyond the hotel on the left is the Bahia Mar Yachting Center. The layout matches its expansion during the late 1950s and early 1960s.
- Lack of High-Rises: Looking north up Highway A1A, the barrier island is still relatively undeveloped compared to the high-rise landscape that began dominating the skyline in the late 1960s and 1970s.
Date: 1965
Landmarks
- The Kenann Building: The standout round structure in the lower right foreground is the famous Kenann Building (located at North Federal Highway and Oakland Park Boulevard). It officially opened its doors in 1964. Because the building appears fully completed and operational in the photo, the image cannot be any older than late 1964.
- Coral Ridge Shopping Plaza: The sprawling storefront strip in the middle is the Coral Ridge Shopping Plaza (now Coral Ridge Mall). You can clearly see original storefront signage from its early mid-century era, including Publix Market, J.C. Penney Co., Walgreens, and McCrory's. The mall first celebrated its grand opening on October 15, 1962.
Date: circa 1970
Landmarks
- The Lauderdale Beach Hotel expansion: Looking toward the left-center foreground, you can see the distinctive mid-century high-rise additions to the classic hotel properties along North Fort Lauderdale Beach Boulevard (A1A).
- The Horizon Line Development: Looking north up the coastline toward Galt Ocean Mile, the dense wall of high-rise condominium towers is heavily established. This sprawling beachfront high-rise boom rapidly accelerated between 1966 and 1971.
- Automobile Styles: The vintage cars parked horizontally along the sandy beach highway parking strip feature the distinctively elongated, squared-off body shapes of late-1960s American models.
Date: 1983
Landmarks
- Howard Johnson’s Motor Lodge: The building prominent in the lower right foreground is the iconic beachfront Howard Johnson's. You can see its signature A-frame orange roof restaurant down at the base matching its late-century footprint before later rebrandings.
- Dense High-Rise Profile: Looking south down State Road A1A toward Las Olas, the beach is completely backed by massive, closely packed high-rise condominium complexes and luxury hotels. This degree of density is significantly more built up than the early-1970s views, reflecting the massive construction boom of the late 1970s and early 1980s.