The New River Inn is a historic site in
Fort Lauderdale
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
,
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
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.][
]
Building
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.
History
The 24-room building served as a hotel from 1905 to 1955. It was listed on the U.S.
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 1972.
Modern times
In 1976, the Inn became the first out of the two buildings to house the Museum of Discovery and Science
The Museum of Discovery and Science is a museum focused on science located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States.
History
EcoDiscovery Center Expansion
In November 2011 the museum opened a 34,000 square foot, $25 million expansion, desig ...
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.][
]
References
Further reading
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External links
Broward County listings
a
National Register of Historic Places
Florida Division of Historical Resources
**
**
Museums in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
National Register of Historic Places in Broward County, Florida
History museums in Florida
1905 establishments in Florida
Hotel buildings completed in 1905
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