Old Davie School
Built 1918, listed in National Register of Historic Places 1988
6650 Griffin Road, Davie
Photo captions:
Old Davie School, c. 1918
Image Courtesy of the Fort Lauderdale Historical Society
Image of Old Davie School from 1926 Brochure
Image Courtesy of the Broward County Historical Commission
Old Davie School, c. 1970
Image Courtesy of the Broward County Historical Commission
This masonry building with notable Spanish, Mission and Moorish details was designed by August Geiger. Geiger was one of South Florida’s best-known architects and he served as architect to the Dade and Broward counties’ school boards. Many of his buildings still stand in Miami and other areas of Miami-Dade County. He also designed the Hallandale School and the old Fort Lauderdale High School, both of which no longer exist. The Old Davie School is a concrete building finished with a textured stucco surface. The T-shaped plan and shallow hipped roof behind a parapet wall create a symmetrical composition. Horseshoe-and bell-arched openings add decorative Moorish elements.
The Old Davie School was the first permanent school in the Everglades and was built at a cost of $12,000. When it opened its doors in 1918 it welcomed 90 students. It was in continuous use as a school through 1980. The large windows were carefully placed to take advantage of natural light and to facilitate cross-ventilation. It was the first facility in the area with indoor plumbing, making it a source of community pride. The concrete construction helped keep the building cooler as well as adding a fireproofing element.
Its solid construction proved valuable during the 1926 hurricane and other storms when residents sought shelter there, saving many lives. The large upstairs auditorium (41 by 70 feet) served as a space for social, recreational and civic gatherings in a town which was at one time largely isolated from the mainstream of South Florida until it became the bustling town that it is today.
A grass roots movement by civic leaders saved the building from becoming a bus maintenance repair shop for the Broward County School Board in 1983. The school board, responding to community interest in the building, donated the five-acre site to the Town of Davie for $1. Davie’s most enduring institution remains today much as it was in 1918. A Pioneer Village has been developed on the site to tell the story of Davie’s early culture with a combination of historic original buildings, some moved to the site, and reproduced structures built on the site. Two Florida homes have been relocated to the property and carefully restored to pre-and post-electric eras. The décor depicts life from the 1920s and 1930s. Having always served the area as an educational and community hub, the Old Davie School, supported by the Davie School Foundation, is now a museum and also is a rental hall for weddings, parties, ceremonies and more! For more information,
call 954-797-1044 or visit www.olddavieschool.org.