Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Church exterior protected
Developer to use preserved portion in mixed-use project
FORT LAUDERDALE — The city has agreed to protect the stone exterior of First Lutheran Church because of its place in Fort Lauderdale’s history.
The Romanesque stone facade originally adorned the county’s first Catholic church, St. Anthony’s, which was built in 1922 on Las Olas Boulevard.
St. Anthony’s eventually outgrew its space and relocated to Northeast Second Street. A member of First Lutheran who had constructed the original structure bought the stones for a dollar to use for his own church.
John Olsson disassembled and moved them in pieces six blocks to the north and made them part of the new church he was building at 441 NE Third Ave.
Commissioners unanimously approved the historic designation of the facade on Tuesday.
The building has been sold and is being incorporated into a new development project. It’s not sure how the church building will be used in the future.
The historic designation also covers the church’s pitched roof above the facade, but does not include other structures on the property that don’t have the stone exterior.
The potential developer of the site, TAHO Investments, has agreed to return the stained glass windows that were removed from the church last year, although recent research has determined the windows only date back to the 1980s.
“They’re not original windows. They’re pretty windows,” Commissioner Robert McKinzie said.
The current development plan calls for a 16-story structure with open space to serve as a plaza area between the church building and retail area to the south.
The church is not the first building to get special treatment for its exterior. Three sides of the former Lauderdale Beach Hotel on State Road A1A still stand after the city gave the art deco building protected status in 2002. The Las Olas Beach Club condominiums made the facade part of its development.
The effort to designate First Lutheran was initiated
last September by a private individual, Robin Haines Merrill, over the objections of the church, which had signed a contract to sell its property to TAHO Investments. The developer had previously proposed a 32-story apartment tower on the southern portion of the city block adjacent to the church state, but has since reduced that request.
Courtney Crush, who represented developer Itay Avital, said Avital always appreciated the architecture but had been concerned the designation might inhibit his ability to develop the rest of the property. He’s now satisfied the preserved portions can be incorporated into his mixed-use project, she said.
The commission has considered other applications brought by nonowners for historic preservation of older properties. One property was demolished before its case could be heard. In the others, all facing owner opposition, commissioners rejected historic status for two Alhambra Street beach resorts from the 1930s, but approved the designation for the 1925 Towers Apartment building at 824 SE Second St. by famed architect Francis Abreu.