Nyberg-Swanson House

Built circa 1912, listed in the National Register of Historic Places 1999
101 W. Dania Beach Boulevard, Dania Beach
(Formerly at 202 South Federal Highway)

Photo captions:

Nyberg-Swanson House, 1999
Image Courtesy of Bill Cunningham

Nyberg-Swanson House, 2011
Image Courtesy of Broward County Libraries Division

One of Dania Beach’s oldest structures, this one-and-a-half story five-bedroom Colonial Revival style residence is a good example of early 20th Century rusticated cast block. It was one of the earliest dwellings erected in the city of Dania, a city founded primarily by immigrant Danes and Swedes who settled in the area in the early part of the 20th Century.

Nyberg was an early tomato farmer and packing house operator in Dania. Early immigrants prospered in tomato farming and, as early as 1910, the Florida East Coast (FEC) Railway was shipping to northern U.S. cities from “The Tomato Capital of the World.” During the three-month winter harvest, more than 200 farmers shipped 1,000 to 1,500 train carloads of tomatoes north. In the late ‘40s, the tomato boom was over, as crops began to fail from salt water intrusion into the fields.

The Nyberg-Swanson house was constructed for Charles M. Nelson who was one of the community’s early residents. Nelson, a farmer, politician and developer, had immigrated to the United States from Denmark in 1896. He was among the first Scandinavian settlers in Dania. Between 1904 and 1917, he acquired numerous town lots and farm parcels and operated a truck farm. He was elected to the Dania Town Council, serving one term (1914-1915). His wife, Olive, helped organize the Dania Civic Improvement Club in 1913 and served as its first secretary. In 1917, the Nelsons sold their home to Carl Gustaf Nyberg and his wife, Emmy, for $4,700.

After Carl Nyberg’s death in 1918 (he only lived in the house one year), his wife, Emmy, married John Swanson. They were all immigrants from Sweden and active in the growing community. The Swansons continued to operate a truck farm and packing house and also speculated in real estate. Mr. Swanson held a seat on the Dania Town Council for a time. Emmy died in 1945. Swanson and/or family members lived in the house until 1975. The building was then used as a hair styling salon until the early 1990s. The 44-by-60-foot building was relocated to its present site in 1993 to preserve it from demolition. A Walgreens store is now on the original site. It is now office space for the Dania Beach Chamber of Commerce. For more information visit www.daniabeachchamber.org.