Rio Vista and Lauderdale Harbours
Rio Vista “River View”
Nicely nestled into a magnificent lush canopy of mature gumbo limbo, royal palms, majestic Poinciana’s, Sea Grapes and Live Oaks Rio Vista is bordered by the meandering New River on the north side, SE 12th Street on the south end, the Intracoastal waterway on the east side and US 1 (Federal Highway) on the west.
Rich in character and history and one of the first areas settled in Fort Lauderdale; Rio Vista is one of Fort Lauderdale’s most sought after neighborhoods. Many appreciate all of the green space that was planned into this little suburb on the fringe of the city. Virginia Young Park is in the center of this friendly enclave, Hector Park is at the south border and on top of the Henry E Kinney Tunnel in the north western corner you’ll find Stranahan Landing. This small park area is said to be the crossing point where in the 1890’s Frank Stranahan started a ferry service to the other side of the New River where his campsite was.
As you travel south by car on US 1/Federal Highway toward Broward Boulevard toward Rio Vista and our Fort Lauderdale City Center you will drive through the Henry E Kinney Tunnel. This tunnel has been reconstructed, extended, modernized and renovated over the past 2 years (2021-2023). This impressive undertaking has created a beautiful synchronicity between 4 areas of downtown Fort Lauderdale. The Henry E Kinney Tunnel has been transformed into an impressive gateway to downtown Fort Lauderdale.
The four distinct areas created and cultivated through this endeavor are the Laura Ward Plaza that sits along the New River between the Historic Stranahan House Museum and the Riverside Hotel along a wonderful open space overlooking the New River with an area that includes tent staging for Stranahan House events. The Cheesecake Factory Plaza offers outdoor seating for the restaurant and wonderful, extra wide sidewalks. The Icon Plaza is close by also with wide sidewalks and interesting water features. Finally the Tunnel Top Plaza which is a new space sitting atop Henry E Kinney Tunnel, boasting expansive green spaces, seating areas and other interesting and eye catching architectural features. This is a valuable and much needed addition to our downtown area.
In Rio Vista there is a wide variety of architecture with some homes dating back nearly 100 years or a bit more. Some families in Rio Vista have history dating back nearly 4 generations. After World War One, Fort Lauderdale began to flourish. In 1924 Mary Brickell (who never lived in Fort Lauderdale) whose family was the first to own this valuable land, deeded the parcel which was formerly a portion of the Frankie Lewis Donation to C.J. Hector. C.J. Hector began selling lots and creating this beautiful neighborhood consisting of approximately 400 acres that he named Rio Vista or “River View” for its magnificent views of the New River. By the mid 1920’s Rio Vista had been re-platted and was well on its way with 27 blocks and nearly 700 lots offering over 5,000 feet of sidewalks and streetlights installed. The famed local architect; Frances Abreu built the bulk of the homes in the 20’s and 30’s, mostly in the Mediterranean-Revival style with the distinctive archways and expansive lots. A few of these beauties still exist and most of them have been lovingly restored.
In 1926 the “Great Miami Hurricane” hit Miami and really put a damper on Florida’s economy. This event actually started the “Depression” here in South Florida a few years before the rest of the country. After World War Two there was another influx of new residents and Rio Vista was once again growing along with the rest of Fort Lauderdale and Florida. In the 1950’s and 1960’s the homes were more conservative as a sign of the times. One story, flat roofed structures were the homes of choice back then. They were minimally sized and had exactly enough room for a family of that era and nothing more. Many of these little beauties still exist and proudly display their period restorations adding to the charm and character of the neighborhood.
As you travel east deeper into Rio Vista and closer to the Intracoastal waterway you will find that the home prices increase as do the home sizes. East of Cordova Road lies the Rio Vista Isles, the streets which comprise The Rio Vista Isles are 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th & 12th Street as well as the northern section of Ponce de Leon Drive. Here you will find magnificent, deep water properties with adequate dockage for mega yachts.
Folks who live in Rio Vista just love it. There is a strong sense of community here in this lushly landscaped downtown subdivision. Many are very active in the Rio Vista Civic Association and the Lauderdale Yacht Club. The famed Fort Lauderdale Yacht Club, steeped in local tradition was founded in 1938 and is located at the east end of SE 12 Street. The club offers wonderful programs for tennis, fitness, and sailing. There is also a beautiful marina. The clubhouse is newly renovated and an absolute icon in the area.
The proximity of Rio Vista and Lauderdale Harbors to Downtown Fort Lauderdale, the beaches, the lushly landscaped yards, the majestic, mature tree canopies, the history, the walkability, the deep water dockage, proximity to Port Everglades, the charm, the spirit, the character are just a few of the reasons many love it here. The list just goes on and on. Please give us a call and let us introduce you to this lovely Fort Lauderdale area. Be ready, you may just fall in love!
Lauderdale Harbors
Lauderdale Harbors is the tiny neighborhood adjacent to Rio Vista on the south border with less than 600 residents. This area is quite understated and surprisingly has some of the best waterfront property in the Fort Lauderdale area with super wide canals and deep water dockage for mega-yachts.
In the early 1920’s implementing the land filling techniques of Carl Fisher who developed Miami Beach, W.F. Morang dredged and created this small, underrated waterfront neighborhood of finger islands. By the mid 1920’s the Morang sales office claimed that their daily average of lot sales was $150,000 with the opening day boasting $750,000 in sales. At one point the office boasted a record sale of one full block of lots to a group of men, a single land purchase in the amount of $500,000. Soon these record sales came to an end as the hurricane of September 17, 1926 came into Broward County and delivered the areas worst natural disaster initiating the end of the real estate boom. To further delay the hopes of developing Fort Lauderdale and south Florida, the Great Depression hit a few years later.
With renewed interest in Florida real estate during the late 1940’s and early 1950’s, in 1951 George W. Gill and his son, George Jr. began completing the development that W.F. Morang began in the 1920’s. This waterfront subdivision was much more affordable than neighboring areas of Rio Vista and Harbor Beach. This time period signifies the birth of those who then called Fort Lauderdale the “American Venice”.
Ocean access is literally 15-20 minutes by boat and less than 5 minutes to the Stranahan River. There are only 2 streets of “dry lots” in Lauderdale Harbors and they are on SE 12th Way and SE 13th Terrace accessible only via Cordova Road. The waterfront lots in Lauderdale Harbors are on SE 12th Court, SE 13th Street and SE 14th Street. The waterway is known as The Stranahan River and just a bit north, by Rio Vista is where this River meets and flows out to the Intracoastal Waterway.
This small, friendly area has lagged behind a bit as far as pricing goes so there are opportunities that may be found here when not at all possible in other nearby waterfront communities. Close to the airport (actually within one hour of 3 international airports; Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm) seaport, all major interstates and the turnpike, beaches, shopping, downtown Fort Lauderdale and so much more… This may just be exactly what you are hoping to find!
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