Sitting on a prime 35 acres right at Fort Lauderdale Beach, is this wonderful historic house. It was built for the daughter of Hugh Taylor Birch (who also gave his 180 beachfront acres to the State) in 1919. She died in 1925 and her husband's next wife lived (the widow of Eli Lily) until the age of 109 in 1997. Since it wasn't a place to visit when I was growing up, I never went until now. It is a beautiful oasis in the heart of the city that has grown dramatically in recent years. As we waited in line to obtain tickets, the volunteers asked each party where they were from. Each one gave a different far away state. They didn't ask us--they said, "You're local?". Too funny.
