History of Las Olas Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

East Las Olas Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Las Olas history

On October 1, 1915, Broward County was officially created and named for Napoleon Bonaparte Broward, Florida's governor from 1905 to 1909.

Until this time, the beach was accessible by boat only – and the beach was one of the major attractions. One of the first tasks for the first County Commission was to build a bridge connecting Fort Lauderdale to the beach. The first road to the ocean was called Las Olas, Spanish for the waves.

... visiting Stranahan House. Built in 1910, this is the oldest existing structure in not only Fort Lauderdale, but all of Broward County. Read more

The bridge opened in 1917 and as the major route of access to the beach, Las Olas was an important thoroughfare.

While other passages opened to the beach as years went by, Las Olas retained its position as one of the most important boulevards in South Florida. Not only will you find elegant neighborhood residences along the the Boulevard, but Las Olas remains one of the premier shopping streets in America.

The Riverside Hotel on Las Olas is the oldest hotel in Fort Lauderdale, founded by brothers Preston and John Wells in 1936.