Broward County Historical Commission

Broward County Historical Commission
Name	Broward County Historical Commission
Formation	1969
Type	Historic preservation commission
Location	Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Coordinates	26.1224° N, 80.1373° W
Leader title	Chair
Leader name	(varies)
Parent organization	Broward County Board of County Commissioners

Broward County Historical Commission is a county-level body dedicated to identifying, documenting, and promoting the historic resources of Broward County, Florida. The commission works within a network of municipal agencies, regional archives, and heritage organizations to evaluate historic sites, advise elected officials, and engage communities in preservation. Through surveys, markers, and educational programs the commission interfaces with repositories, museums, and planning entities across South Florida.

History

The origins of the commission trace to mid-20th century preservation movements that followed initiatives by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Historic American Buildings Survey, and state-level efforts such as the Florida Division of Historical Resources. Local advocacy by civic groups, historical societies, and preservationists responding to postwar development in Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Davie, and Pompano Beach prompted Broward County leaders to formalize an advisory body. Early work intersected with projects involving the Works Progress Administration-era documentation, the South Florida Archaeological Society, and records held by the Amaturo Family Foundation, resulting in countywide surveys, nominations to the National Register of Historic Places, and the placement of historic markers. Over subsequent decades the commission evolved alongside municipal historic preservation boards, the Florida Master Site File, and legislative frameworks like the National Historic Preservation Act and state statutes affecting cultural resources.

Organization and Governance

The commission is composed of appointed citizen members representing Broward County districts, serving under the authority of the Broward County Board of County Commissioners and coordinating with county planning, permitting, and parks departments. Commissioners frequently include historians, architects, preservation planners, and representatives of local historical societies such as the Historical Society of Fort Lauderdale and the Hollywood Historical Society. Governance practices follow procedures comparable to those used by the National Park Service for National Register documentation, while interfacing with the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation and university partners at Florida International University, University of Miami, and Nova Southeastern University. Advisory relationships extend to municipal landmark boards in Coral Springs, Weston, and Deerfield Beach, and to specialized agencies including the South Florida Regional Planning Council and the Southeast Florida Historical Consortium.

Programs and Initiatives

Programs administered or supported by the commission typically encompass historic resource surveys, heritage tourism promotion, commemorative marker programs, and grant advice tied to sources such as the Florida Humanities Council and state historic preservation grants. Initiatives often link with museums and cultural institutions like the Stranahan House, Bonnet House, and the Old Dillard Museum and coordinate with archival collections at the Broward County Historical Archives, the Broward County Library, and regional branches of the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian Institution research networks. Collaborative projects have included cultural landscape studies, oral history campaigns partnering with the Miami-Dade County Public Library System and the Everglades National Park outreach, plus technical workshops drawing experts from the American Institute of Architects and the Association for Preservation Technology.

Historic Preservation and Designation

The commission undertakes evaluations that support designation under local landmark ordinances, National Register nominations, and state-level recognition on the Florida Master Site File. Work includes preparing documentation consistent with standards set by the National Register of Historic Places, consulting with the Florida Division of Historical Resources, and coordinating archaeology reviews with the Archaeological and Historical Conservancy and the Florida Anthropological Society. Preservation efforts involve stakeholder consultations with developers, municipal historic preservation officers, and cultural stewards connected to properties such as pioneer homesteads, citrus groves, New Deal-era public buildings, early aviation hangars, and twentieth-century Modernist residences influenced by architects aligned with the Sarasota School of Architecture.

Outreach, Education, and Publications

Education and outreach are delivered via marker unveilings, walking tours, lecture series, and printed and digital publications produced in partnership with local publishers, university presses, and heritage foundations. The commission’s publications include illustrated site inventories, thematic studies on topics ranging from Everglades settlement to Afro-Broward heritage, and brochures used by tourism bureaus and visitor centers. Partnerships with the Broward County Historical Commission’s allied organizations foster curricular materials for K–12 educators, collaboration with the Broward County Public Schools history departments, and joint programming with institutions such as the Florida Historical Society, the Smithsonian Affiliations program, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Notable Projects and Landmarks

Significant projects supported by the commission encompass documentation and marker programs for landmarks including the Stranahan House, Fort Lauderdale’s Hurricane Risk Reduction structures, the Old Dillard Museum complex, and historic districts in Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, and Dania Beach. The commission has been involved in survey work for maritime sites linked to the Florida Keys and the Miami River corridor, preservation planning for transportation-related resources such as seaplane bases and rail depots tied to the Seaboard Air Line Railroad and the Florida East Coast Railway, and advocacy for sites associated with prominent regional figures, early settlers, aviation pioneers, and African American heritage landmarks. Collaborative conservation projects have also addressed the preservation needs of structures influenced by the Mediterranean Revival and Art Deco movements, as well as twentieth-century civic buildings commissioned by county boards and municipal governments.

Category:History of Broward County, Florida Category:Historic preservation organizations in the United States