The Ocean Riviera Condominium of Fort Lauderdale

Hugh Taylor Birch’s son-in-law, Chicago native Arthur T. Galt, sold the last stretch of pristine beach between Palm Beach and Miami to Coral Ridge Properties, Inc. in 1953, forty years after he bought it. After overseeing a modest proliferation of small hotels and beach clubs, they built Edgewater Arms in 1959, a cooperative that set the template and tempo for the Galt Mile’s development. Coral Ridge Properties, Inc. hired Architect Richard C. Reilly to design a model high-end community to rival Bal Harbour, Worth Avenue and Lincoln Road that they planned to develop until they sold it to Westinghouse in 1965. In 1969, Westinghouse selected one of Reilly’s best architectural efforts to use as the blueprint for several buildings - the Ocean Riviera, the Regency Tower and Regency South. Despite minor variations, the design simplicity of the “three sisters” yielded large thick-walled rooms, efficient plumbing and electric systems and optimal utilization of deck parking and garage space. Today, these design gems are some of the Galt Mile’s best!  

The Ocean Riviera - officially the Ocean Riviera Association, Inc. - is a twenty-story luxury high-rise condominium located directly on the beach at 3550 Galt Ocean Drive in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The eleven units on each floor enjoy spectacular views of the Atlantic Ocean and Fort Lauderdale’s stunning city skyline. The one, two and three bedroom apartments are centrally heated and cooled by individual thermostatically controlled units efficiently optimized by a central water tower. Individual hot water heaters service each unit, guaranteeing adequate hot water despite any neighbor’s utilization proclivities. Large balconies afford residents unparalleled vistas of the world-renown Galt Mile Beach, the Association’s beautiful heated pool and patio deck, the Commercial Boulevard Pier, ocean liner traffic to and from the Port Everglades cruise ship docks, Florida’s Intracoastal Waterway and the Fort Lauderdale mainland.  Nested on Fort Lauderdale’s barrier island, residents are within minutes of fabled Las Olas Boulevard, the Galleria Mall, Riverwalk and numerous diversions offered by the “Venice of America”. One block from Florida’s famous Ocean Highway A1A, residents have easy access to restaurants, banks, pharmacies, a Library, grocery stores and supermarkets, salons, beauty and barber shops, medical centers, clothing stores, art galleries, insurance agencies, gym and exercise facilities, bakeries, travel agencies, florists and a post office. Also nearby is the quaint “Galt Ocean Village Shoppes” neighborhood known as “the Village”, an eclectic collection of unusual shops, eateries, antique stores, thrift shops and internet cafés. The “Village” plays host to the Fort Lauderdale Beach Community Center, where dozens of activities and events are offered to Ocean Riviera residents year-round at little or no cost.  Residents of the Ocean Riviera’s 203 units hale from across the country and all points of the globe. It’s exciting blend of personalities and cultures provides for a stimulating and fascinating environment. The Ocean Riviera “family” consists of weekenders (snowflakes), seasonal visitors (snowbirds) and full time year-round residents. Traveling residents and visitors face a twenty minute commute to the Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport and the Port Everglades cruise ship docks. This combination of lifestyles insures residents the benefit of friendly neighbors without the prospect of overcrowding or overtaxing of the Association’s facilities. 

In addition to a heated swimming pool and private access to the pristine Galt Mile beach, amenities available to Ocean Riviera residents include a professionally decorated lobby, 3 high speed modern elevators, patio deck, mail room, social and card room, party room with kitchen, Library, Meeting Room, a reception & security desk, a high tech security system, Premium Cable TV, central administrative building office, deeded parking in a secure garage, free parking on a patrolled deck, car wash stand, beach cabanas and lounge chairs, secure bike parking, modern laundry facilities, pest control, beautiful tropical landscaping, storage lockers and a trash disposal room on each floor.  Resident needs are looked after by a courteous staff of full-time professional personnel. The Housekeeping staff keeps the premises clean and attractive. A maintenance supervisor controls a staff with the expertise to operate, maintain and/or repair all of the essential electrical, plumbing, structural and HVAC systems that power a modern high-rise building. A 24-hour 7-day well-equipped professional security staff unobtrusively provides for our building’s security and the personal safety of our residents. Building personnel are managed by an experienced professional Building Manager. In the building office, administrative personnel manage building finances, keep appropriate records and address the needs of residents. The Manager oversees daily building operations, planning and construction challenges, staff scheduling and special problems.