Bridge of the Isles

Bridge of the Isles. . During the 1920s Florida Land Boom, the present-day Nurmi Isles subdivision was dredged to create the four finger islands. Bridges providing access to each island were constructed, but no additional development occurred until Victor Nurmi purchased the property in 1944. Nurmi had a vision for development of the subdivision, and one of the first construction projects he undertook was the replacement of the 1920s bridges. The four new bridges were intended to be gateways to the islands. Designed as low-level bridges, they provided sweeping views of the subdivision’s palm-lined boulevards. The bridges included sidewalks and low-level, recessed lighting. Constructed by the Powell Brothers of Fort Lauderdale, they were of cast in place concrete slab engineering. The bridge railings were concrete, with simple relief designs similar to those of the original bridges. The bridges included Moderne design features in their decorative pedestals, urns, and lettering, which have been incorporated into the designs of the current bridges. The historic bridges were significant for their association with the history of Fort Lauderdale’s finger island development, and were replaced in 2015 and 2016.