Don’t miss the Las Olas Art Fair this weekend. Considered an annual tradition in South Florida, the Las Olas Art Fair is regarded as one of the top events in America. Start the year off in style and join the show.

For more details on this fabulous event, please click this link http://www.artfestival.com/festivals/las-olas-art-fair-part-i/artist

Near Sunrise Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale, the Bonnet House Museum and Gardens sits on 35 acres between the ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway.

The land for the house was a wedding gift from Chicago attorney Hugh Taylor Birch to his daughter, Helen Louise Birch, and son-in-law, Frederic Clay Bartlett,  in 1920. Bartlett was an artist, who – over the years – decorated and painted the house to make it as colorful an open as possible, with lots of yellow and blue hues, outdoor rooms, and space to display art, shells and flowers.

The family’s value of conservation played a role in how Fort Lauderdale beach was preserved. It led to the creation of Hugh Taylor Birch State Park by the beach,  near the open, eclectic property.

“He was very much a person interested in nature and conservation,” CEO Patrick Shavloske said of Birch. “It’s actually a pretty complex family. Everyone who was directly involved with Bonnet House was married three times, so there are a lot of different nuances.”

Bonnet House is turning 100 in 2020. The house is using its Holiday Magic events, which start this Friday and last through next week, to kick off its centennial celebration.

Seeing the space-age tower conjures images of the Jetsons. The spire-topped Pier 66, with its revolving rooftop restaurant, is a mid-century icon. Now it and the marina it calls home are under massive redevelopment.

Pier 66’s iconic styling is known as “Googie”, coined after the futuristic lines of Googie’s coffee shop in Los Angeles. The architecturally significant building and property where it sits have a history spanning back to 1957 when Phillips Petroleum first built a fuel dock and gas station on the parcel. By 1959, they’d added a 100-berth marina, restaurant, and a two-story motel.

Pier 66’s success eventually prompted plans for a high-rise hotel. In 1965, the 17-story, 250-room tower opened to the tune of $6 million (nearly $50 million in today’s dollars). One of the principal designers, Phillips Petroleum architect Richard F. Humble (1925-2011), paid homage to his employer with “66” themes woven into various design elements. There are 66 spires encircling the hotel’s crown; the glass elevator reputedly takes 66 seconds to climb to the top floor; the tower’s walls each have 66 windows; and, the restaurant makes one revolution every 66 minutes.

Throughout the 1960s, the distinct building dominated the local skyline. Era travel literature likened it to Seattle’s Space Needle and even the Eiffel Tower. Its crowning jewel, the top-floor cocktail lounge, offered diners a rotating view of the city. Priceless are guests’ tales of getting lost returning from the restroom when the room position had changed.

Pier 66 joined the ranks of the Yankee Clipper and Mai Kai, boosting Fort Lauderdale’s reputation as a tourist destination. The 22-acre resort boasted a 142-slip marina, five cocktail lounges, two pools, tennis courts, and a private par-3 golf course. In 1985, Phillips Petroleum relinquished ownership of the property as part of a bankruptcy liquidation.

For ten years, Pier 66 went through a succession of owners, including billionaire H. Wayne Huizenga, former owner of Blockbuster Video and the Miami Dolphins, who bought the property in 1996. Along the way, it picked up the Hyatt brand. The Blackstone Group of New York acquired the property from Huizenga in 2004 and pumped millions into upgrades, making it the resort most recognize today.

The property sold yet again in 2016 to the Tavistock Development Company. Within two years, and with much fanfare, they reopened the rooftop lounge for a monthly Brunch in the Sky. In fall 2017, damage sustained from Hurricane Irma forced the closure of dozens of rooms. Residual pain was still being felt when Tavistock announced redevelopment plans for the property.

This past June marked Pier 66’s last event before embarking on a two-year redevelopment project. Plans call for a mixed-use development with 384 rooms and suites, 100-plus residential units, thousands of feet of commercial space, and an expanded marina intended to host superyachts.

An architectural rendering shows what the new Pier 66 property will look like. Much of the existing property will be razed or redesigned. Fortunately, the Jetson-esque tower will be restored and the developer is seeking historic designation. Pier Top will reopen as a lounge. During construction, Pier 66 marina will remain open and guests can still enjoy Grille 66 and Pelican Landing.

Find more details at https://www.browardpalmbeach.com/news/amid-two-year-redevelopment-pier-66-remains-fort-lauderdale-icon-10370100

Home sales, dollar volume and median prices rose across South Florida in the third quarter, driven by an influx of buyers from high-tax states and declining mortgage rates. The numbers from the Miami Association of Realtors reflect a strong September, when sales in Miami-Dade and Broward counties climbed by double digits. July was also solid, as sales dollar volume soared, particularly in Palm Beach County. August proved to be a slow month, with a drop in closings across the region.

In Broward County, single-family home sales rose 4 percent in the third quarter, year over year, to 4,299 sales. Condo sales jumped 6.4 percent to 4,383.

Single-family and condo dollar volume also grew, up 7.7 percent to $2 billion, and up 6.6 percent to $951 million, respectively.

The median price for a single-family home increased to $370,000, a 4.2 percent jump, and the median price for a condo increased 4.8 percent, to $173,000.

If you’re looking to buy a home in South Florida, Click HERE to easily search for your new home. Or Check out our CURRENT ACTIVE LISTINGS HERE.