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Historic preservation board backs landmark designation for Frank Crossan House at 1313 South Andrews Ave.
Summary
The Fort Lauderdale Historic Preservation Board voted to recommend landmark designation for the southern portion of the parcel that contains the Frank Crossan House, sending the recommendation to the City Commission. The application was filed by the Broward Trust for Historic Preservation; the board found the property met three ULDR criteria.
The Fort Lauderdale Historic Preservation Board on Monday recommended that the City Commission designate the Frank Crossan House at 1313 South Andrews Avenue as a local historic landmark.
The recommendation, made at the board's Jan. 6 meeting, would apply to the southern portion of the single parcel that contains both the Crossan house and an adjacent three‑story commercial building. "I'm in complete concurrence with what staff has had to say with regards to the application and the research about," said Mikaela Conker, president of the Broward Trust for Historic Preservation, the organization that filed the application on Dec. 6, 2024.
Staff told the board the application had been revised to limit the legal description and the proposed designation to the southern half of the parcel and to update the property address from 1301 to 1313 South Andrews Avenue. The staff report recommended the board find the property met ULDR criteria C (association with a significant person), D (work of a significant architect), and E (architectural quality), as codified in section 47‑24.11.c.7 of the Unified Land Development Regulations (ULDR).
Owner and applicant representative Ira Marcus, who identified himself as attorney for the corporation that holds the Crossan House, described a multi‑decade restoration and said he bought the property to preserve it: "I've been very fortunate since about 2004 to be the gatekeeper of this gem of historic architecture," Marcus said.
Board members pressed staff and the applicant about parcel ownership and shared parking between the north and south portions of the parcel. Staff and the applicant said the applicant's submission and legal description apply only to the southern portion that contains the house, and that any private condominium agreements between owners are separate contractual matters outside the board's review. "Under 47‑14 of the ULDR, private deed restrictions or private covenants... do not fall within this jurisdiction," staff said during the discussion.
After discussion, a board member moved to recommend approval of the historic landmark designation for the southern portion of the parcel under case number UDPHPD24003 based on the staff findings; a second was made and the motion carried. The board's recommendation will go to the City Commission for a final decision.
The board's action is advisory; the City Commission is the final deciding body for local landmark designations. If the commission adopts the designation, the site would be recorded as a landmark site under the ULDR and the legal description provided with the application would define the landmark site.
