I

n the beginning, there was the west bank of the
Intracoastal Waterway, opposite the village of
Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. A dense area of mangrove

islands interlaced with murky waters -- alive with snook,
tarpon, snapper -- crowned by Casurinas and a few palms
swaying in the Trade Winds. 

Then along came Bert Haft and Jack Gaines, with a dream
of a beautiful residential area. Canals were dredged, sea
walls built, land was filled, streets and utilities were laid
out, home sites marked off and on the water side of each
was built a dock or “landing”. 

In 1960 when an Intracoastal Bridge on Commercial
Boulevard was in the offing, Haft-Gaines made their move.
They planned to develop “The Landings” in three stages:

• The First Section - from 52nd Street to 56th Court. 

251 homes

• The Second Section - from 56th Court to 59th Street.

116 homes

• The Third Section - the area which later became 

Bay Colony.

One of the first things Haft-Gaines did was build a
beautiful Main Entrance to The Landings at 55th Street and
Federal Highway (see photo). That entrance has changed
through the years primarily due to hurricane damage. After
Hurricane Wilma in 2005 the entire entrance had to be
taken down and rebuilt. 55th Street still remains the Main
Entrance to The Landings and is used by the majority of our
residents to enter or exit the neighborhood. 

The Landings & Bay Colony

4

About the Neighborhood

When The Landings Began

by Joe Welsch