National Register of Historic Places

New River Inn

Fort Lauderdale, Broward County, Florida
Listed
June 18, 1972
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
72000303

About this property

The New River Inn is a historic site in Fort Lauderdale, Florida located at 231 Southwest 2nd Avenue. The New River Inn was constructed in 1905 by the area's first contractor Edwin T. King. It was commissioned by Nathan Philemon Bryan, a Jacksonville native and US senator. It was one of the first hotels built in the Fort Lauderdale area. The building was constructed of hollow concrete blocks and sand dredged from the nearby beach. This set the standard for modern construction in the region. It included sewer and irrigation systems along with running ice water and was lit with carbide lamps. The 24-room building served as a hotel from 1905 to 1955. It was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1972. In 1976, the Inn became the first out of the two buildings to house the Museum of Discovery and Science as the Discovery Center, and the first floor housed exhibits about natural history, while the second floor housed exhibits about non-natural history, and the exhibits were obsolete, so the museum was relocated in 1992, to another larger facility a few blocks away. The Inn now serves as a museum of Florida's past and pioneer life. The museum is owned and operated by the Fort Lauderdale Historical Society. Permanent exhibits include "Panorama of the Past" detailing the history of the Greater Fort Lauderdale area, a hotel room which has been decorated to appear as a typical hotel room of 1908, and the historic King-Cromartie House built in 1907. The New River Inn is part of a complex of buildings called Old Fort Lauderdale Village that is operated by the Fort Lauderdale Historical Society, The society offers both self-guided and docent-led tours. Brookins, Laurie (February 25, 1994). "Pioneering design decorators go to work on four Riverwalk buildings creating rooms in which Fort Lauderdale's settlers might have mingled". Sun-Sentinel. p. 1E. ProQuest 388761047. Broward County listings at National Register of Historic Places Broward County listings at the Wayback Machine (archived 16 February 2007) Old Fort Lauderdale Museum of History at the Wayback Machine (archived 10 March 2007)

Location

229 S.W. 2nd Ave.
Fort Lauderdale, Broward County, Florida
26.11952, -80.14727

Categories

COMMERCEARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Bryan Building
Industrial
0.2 mi
Fort Lauderdale Woman's Club
Early Republic
0.3 mi
Stranahan House
Industrial
0.6 mi
Dillard High School, Old
Industrial
0.6 mi
Williams House
Industrial
0.7 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Fort Lauderdale area 1838
1838Early Republic
0.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was New River Inn listed on the National Register?

New River Inn was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 18, 1972.

What type of historic resource is New River Inn?

New River Inn is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for New River Inn?

The period of significance for New River Inn is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near New River Inn?

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