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If you’ve spent much time around Fort Lauderdale, you’ve probably driven past this a thousand times. Maybe it caught your eye for a moment. Or perhaps you simply noticed something colorful out your side window. You might have even walked past it hurriedly to catch a bus without really paying attention. But it’s there, bigtime. So huge that it’s easy to miss it completely. I’m talking about the massive mural on Broward Boulevard along the south side of the road between SW 1 and SW 2 avenues.
It’s worth taking time to stop for a closer look. I think it’s an impressive piece – for the sheer size if nothing else. I haven’t seen too many detailed murals that stand something like 50 feet high and 100 feet wide. This painting also has vibrant colors and pretty images, with grand-scale grapefruits toward the top and giant oranges at the bottom. Painted by Daddona Studios of Pompano Beach, the artwork tells some of the story of greater Fort Lauderdale’s early days.
If you look closely, you’ll see a barefoot mailman. These were the hardy souls who trudged shoeless along the beach in the late 1800s, delivering the mail to settlers in this area. The mural includes a paddlewheel steamboat, the Wanderer, and the Stranahan house with its sign, “Stranahan & Co.” There’s also a charming street scene that recalls the beginnings of Dania Beach, which is Broward County’s oldest community. Across a dusty dirt road hangs a banner that reads, “Dixie Highway Tourists Welcome to Dania.” Horses and buggies tangle with the newfangled horseless carriages as the first motoring tourists make their way to the Sunshine State from the north. This region’s natural surroundings are celebrated in this piece too. Look for the alligator and the egret. The mural is just another treasure that’s hidden in plain view – something quite beautiful, I think, that we tend to ignore. Many other gems are tucked here and there around the community. Early next week, I’m going to conclude this little stroll among some of them with a look at the largest and most unexpected of them all – a graceful artwork that was never intended as art.
It’s worth taking time to stop for a closer look. I think it’s an impressive piece – for the sheer size if nothing else. I haven’t seen too many detailed murals that stand something like 50 feet high and 100 feet wide. This painting also has vibrant colors and pretty images, with grand-scale grapefruits toward the top and giant oranges at the bottom. Painted by Daddona Studios of Pompano Beach, the artwork tells some of the story of greater Fort Lauderdale’s early days.
If you look closely, you’ll see a barefoot mailman. These were the hardy souls who trudged shoeless along the beach in the late 1800s, delivering the mail to settlers in this area. The mural includes a paddlewheel steamboat, the Wanderer, and the Stranahan house with its sign, “Stranahan & Co.” There’s also a charming street scene that recalls the beginnings of Dania Beach, which is Broward County’s oldest community. Across a dusty dirt road hangs a banner that reads, “Dixie Highway Tourists Welcome to Dania.” Horses and buggies tangle with the newfangled horseless carriages as the first motoring tourists make their way to the Sunshine State from the north. This region’s natural surroundings are celebrated in this piece too. Look for the alligator and the egret. The mural is just another treasure that’s hidden in plain view – something quite beautiful, I think, that we tend to ignore. Many other gems are tucked here and there around the community. Early next week, I’m going to conclude this little stroll among some of them with a look at the largest and most unexpected of them all – a graceful artwork that was never intended as art.
posted by LauderBLOGGER at 4:45 PM
Do you have a picture
Sure do. Here you go. http://www.daddonastudios.com/galleries/murals_misc/broward_county/FrameSet.htm
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