Gillis - Broward County:

Broward Sheriffs Department motorcycle deputies pose in front of the c. 1928 Broward County Courthouse steps in 1952. Soon after, the courthouse was extensively remodeled section by section; today the section seen in this view has been completely replaced by newer construction. (H8352.1)

The Fort Lauderdale Casino Pool opened in 1928 at the south end of the beach, to the east of todays International Swimming Hall of Fame. A beloved venue, it served as a key recreational facility for countless local residents until its demolition in the 1960s. In this picture, Gene Hyde documents the 1936 annual Collegiate Aquatic Forum in progress. (H36.4)

By 1951, Sunland Park, which served Fort Lauderdales then-segregated African American community, was renovated to include a much-needed swimming pool and 16 additional acres. Today it serves the public as Joseph Carter Park. Here, young park patrons engage in a three-legged race in 1956. (H9362.1)

A bevy of requisite bathing beauties pose for the photographer beside the pool at the Sunspa Hotel on Hallandale Beach, just south of the Diplomat, c. January 1959. The moderne-styled Sunspa fell to the wrecking ball in 2002. (H17907A.4)

The Pompano Airport, shown here in its infancy in 1956, was a former landing strip that served training flights from the Fort Lauderdale Naval Air Station during World War II. Good flying weather, an influx of new residents, and abandoned military airfields help spur the development of the aviation industry in Broward. (H9110.2)

One of Fort Lauderdales more interesting mid-20th-century businesses was Riley Aircraft, which operated out of Broward County International Airport (now Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood) in 1952. Riley converted DeHavilland Navion aircraft into twin-engine executive-style aircraft. (H218.1)

Parishioners at the newly founded St. Clements Catholic Church receive mass about 1953. The congregation first met at Rivercrest Farm Dining Room, a restaurant across from the present Fort Lauderdale High School on Northeast Fourth Avenue. (H4321.2)

A newly married couple exits the beautiful St. Anthonys Catholic Church at 901 Northeast Second Street in Fort Lauderdale in 1953. Gene Hyde was both a photojournalist and studio photographer. Like many photographers, weddings were his bread and butter. (H190.4)

The marine industries had been an important part of the Fort Lauderdale economy since the earliest pioneer days. Smiths Dry Dock, shown here in 1952, replaced the earlier Dellevigs New River Boat and Engine Works at Tropical Point (Southwest Eleventh Avenue on New River). Smiths boasted a marine railway and constructed steel harbor tugs for the U.S. Army in this era. (H156.1)

On August 9, 1953, Broward Marine tows the first of its non-magnetic minesweepers constructed under a navy contract to Port Everglades. Minesweeper #109 was destined for use by the Dutch Navy. Here the vessel creeps through the opening at the Federal Highway Bridge (now the site of the tunnel). The Stranahan House (then Pioneer House Restaurant) is visible at left. (H1640.2)

In about 1957, the famous Chris Craft boat manufacturer brought its headquarters to Pompano Beach, shown here at its location south of what is now Atlantic Boulevard at Andrews Avenue. By 1977, it had become the worlds largest builder of pleasure boats. Above is an exterior and below an interior shot of the plant in October 1957. (H15030.2 and H14734.1)