History
Hendricks Isle and Isle of Venice History: 1920s Finger Isles to Waterfront Condos
By Glen Primak, GLEN PRIMAK GROUP · Updated
The finger isles
Broward County Libraries’ historical timeline records that in 1922 Charley Rhodes began dredging finger islands off Las Olas Boulevard to create the Venice subdivision. The same timeline quotes the “Venice of America” nickname from that era, which NOAA’s Coast Pilot still uses for Fort Lauderdale. The timeline does not name the individual isles.
Which developer first filled Hendricks Isle and Isle of Venice is not clearly documented in the public sources we checked.
What the county plat records show
Broward County Property Appraiser legal descriptions place the three streets on these recorded plats:
| Street | Recorded plat (Broward plat book–page) |
|---|---|
| Hendricks Isle | Victoria Isles (15-67) and Lauderdale Isles Amended Plat (16-33) |
| Isle of Venice Dr | Nurmi Isles Island No. 4 (24-43) |
| Gordon Rd | Navarro Isle (15-40) on the south end and Victoria Isles (15-67) on the north |
Most condominium units are now described by their condominium declaration rather than the underlying plat.
Postwar apartments
The oldest buildings still standing in county records date from about 1950: the BCPA year built is 1950 for Casa Grande on Hendricks Isle and for the Isle of Venice Apts at 90 Isle of Venice Dr, and the late 1950s for the co-ops at 2 Hendricks Isle (1957) and 180 Isle of Venice Dr (1959).
Rebuilding since 2000
Of the 30 condominium buildings in the directory, 20 have a BCPA year built of 2000 or later. Townhouse groups on both isles date mainly from 1996 onward. The county roll still carries rental apartment buildings, motels and marinas from the earlier era; see the market snapshot for the full parcel mix.
Neighbors
- Seven Isles, farther east on the north side of Las Olas, is a single-family neighborhood of finger isles. Seven Isles Guide
- South of Las Olas, Idlewyld dates from the early 1920s. Idlewyld Guide
Have a photo or document from the isles’ early years? Share it with us.
Sources
- A Timeline (Broward County history brochure): 1922 entry on the dredging of finger islands off Las Olas Boulevard — Broward County Libraries, Historical Archives (accessed Oct 24, 2026)
- Broward County Property Appraiser: legal descriptions and year built for parcels on Hendricks Isle, Isle of Venice Dr and Gordon Rd (pulled Oct 24, 2026) — BCPA (accessed Oct 24, 2026)