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House Tours
HIS TORIC

PHOTOGRAPHY: DAVID WARREN

▴ The historic Bonnet
House waterfront estate.

These three historic Fort Lauderdale houses offer a peek into the birth of a
unique city. Each is ideal for history aficionados, families looking for a fun and
educational outing or those looking for a picturesque wedding venue.

BONNET HOUSE STRANAHAN HISTORY FORT

HOUSE LAUDERDALE
Chicago-born artist and self-taught
architect Frederic Clay Bartlett
created Bonnet House estate Built in 1901 by Fort Lauderdale’s History Fort Lauderdale has been
on 35-acres of oceanfront land founding father, Frank Stranahan, sharing the stories of the city’s
in 1920. The design of the main and opened to the public as a diverse community for over five
house was based on Caribbean historical museum in 1984, the decades. Among other features,
plantation-style architecture. The Stranahan House is the oldest the center maintains a 1907 house
estate was ultimately transformed surviving structure in Broward museum, an 1899 schoolhouse
into a preeminent heritage and County. Over the years, besides replica museum and a history
art museum containing original serving as a residence, the museum with displays focusing on
furnishing and an impressive property also operated as a post subjects ranging from archaeology
painting collection. The grounds office, trading post and town to Seminole culture. Exhibits trace
also encompass a rare example hall. A prime example of "Florida the history and development of
of native barrier island habitat, Frontier" architecture, this the Fort Lauderdale area with
which can be explored through museum, offering a glimpse into lifelike displays, artifacts, dioramas
the property’s vast garden the past, contains turn-of-the- and photographs. History Fort
area. Today, the estate serves century furnishings and historical Lauderdale also offers lectures and
to connect visitors with South photos of the area. Admission is workshops to the public and tours
Florida’s architectural, artistic and exclusively by guided tours lasting and activities for school and general
environmental legacy. between 45 and 60 minutes. groups.

900 N. Birch Road 335 S.E. 6th Ave. 231 S.W. 2nd Ave.
bonnethouse.org stranahanhouse.org historyfortlauderdale.org

28 SUNNY.ORG | @VISITLAUDERDALE