Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Lauderhill landmark
The Inverrary Waterfall has been declared historic.
The iconic Inverrary Waterfall off busy Oakland Park Boulevard was declared historic Monday, the first historic designation in the central Broward city of Lauderhill.
The cascading falls, at the intersection with Inverrary Boulevard, aren’t just manmade. They’re Disney-made, according to city officials.
Local lore has it that actor and comedian Jackie Gleason, a Lauderhill resident and golfer, reached out to the developer of Walt Disney World in Orlando and had the fountain built. It was then dissembled and rebuilt in South Florida, according to the city.
The city is engaged in a “Visit Lauderhill” marketing campaign asking people to “take a closer look.”
In applying the historic label Monday night, city officials declared that “more pictures are taken of this waterfall than any other site in Fort Lauderdale.”
The beach and the Everglades might have something to say about that.
City officials attributed the factoid to an advisory board member who submitted the application. But that resident, Thomas Harney, said he wasn’t suggesting the waterfalls are the setting for more selfies than the ocean. He said he meant the most photographed landmark.
Harney, a yacht and ship broker, is an Inverrary Association board member and member of the Lauderhill Art, Culture and Tourism Board.
“As a landmark,” he said with certainty, “this is the most photographed.”
Broward County Tourism President Stacy Ritter said she doesn’t have information about which Broward location has “most photographed” status, but she said the waterfall “seems to be a very popular place for wedding photos.”
Harney said every weekend, wedding parties capture their joy for posterity in front of the faux waterfall.
Lauderhill is on a mission to improve its image, marketing its diversity, history and culture.
Mayor Richard Kaplan suggested the listing of historic sites. The city also designated as historic the original City Hall, at 2000 City Hall Drive, now a park and cultural museum.