Terramar House (Fort Lauderdale, Florida)

USA / Florida / Fort Lauderdale / Fort Lauderdale, Florida / North Ocean Boulevard (SR A1A)

Huge Taylor Birch was a Chicago attorney and legal counsel for Rockefeller's Standard Oil. In the early 1890s, he had traveled by rail to Titusville, the end of the line, and rented a sloop to make his way further down the Atlantic Coast. A storm forced him ashore at an inlet called Lake Mabel. He loved the area's stark beauty and it's isolation even more. Mr.Birch was a bit of an eccentric and did not like crowds, and this new Florida life style appealed to him.
In 1893, he bought up three miles of oceanfront property in what is now Fort Lauderdale for less than $1.00 per acre. He called the property Terramar and built a winter homestead. Terramar is a play upon words meaning land and sea.
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   26°8'28"N   80°6'10"W
This article was last modified 15 years ago