Walk into a Time Machine in AARLCC and Travel to the “Fabulous Forties” of
Fort Lauderdale’s Northwest 5th Avenue
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Broward County Commissioner Stacy Ritter tours “The Fabulous Forties on the Avenue” Exhibit
Stacy tours the 10th Anniversary exhibit at the African-American Research Library and Cultural Center with Assistant Regional Library Manager Essie Denoms to view their latest free exhibit, “The Fabulous Forties on the Avenue.” It has interactive displays, photographs and artifacts from 1940 to 1949 including a pristine condition 1941 Lincoln Continental convertible.
You can watch Commissioner Ritter’s tour on YouTube - Part 1 | Part 2 |
There is a certain time (the late 1940s) and a certain place (Northwest 5th Avenue in Fort Lauderdale) that have been plucked from the stream of time and preserved for one year in the gallery of the African-American Research Library and Cultural Center (AARLCC). This is something to celebrate! This is something to see!
Inside this Library exhibit you can walk down a crowded street filled with a wide variety of stores, a school and a home. You can journey through a historical time line of events, observe the tools used to work in the crop fields, inspect a real ice box used to keep food cool using blocks of ice, browse the shop windows to see artifacts on loan from members of the community and you can cool off in the Victory Theatre and watch film clips of the era.
The gallery exhibit opened in November 2011 and continues to be a great hit. Here are some of the comments captured in the record book...
“Excellent art show. The best I’ve seen yet.”
“Fantastic exhibit – I came all the way from Philly to see it.”
“Words can’t explain, wow.”
“Brought back lots of memories.”
“Moving, wonderful, a must see. We’ll come again and again.”
The exhibit will be open through December, the 10th year anniversary of AARLCC.
| Share Your Memories of the Fabulous Forties on the Avenue |
While visiting the exhibit, you can share your experiences, record greetings and comments via the Fabulous Forties on the Avenue kiosk. These recordings are made at low resolution for ease in automatically emailing a copy to the participants. In January, the exhibit will close after a one-year run, but these memories will live on.
Fabulous Forties on the Avenue Kiosk Moments 
The Fabulous Forties on the Avenue exhibit is available to view any time the library is open (from Noon to 8 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on every other day of the week). Ask at the Welcome Desk if the exhibit doors are closed.
The African-American Research Library and Cultural Center is located at 2650 Sistrunk Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale, 954-357-6282.