Description:
Broward Boulevard Streetscape project encompasses a three mile span of roadway with landscaping, bus stops, pedestrian sidewalks and crosswalks. With the purpose to revitalize the corridor, the project aims to foster a sense of the community's identity. The artistic elements are comprised of design with a theme of "Everglades" for nine bus shelters with benches, medallions for twenty bus stop poles, forty five entryway light poles and thirteen neighborhood gateway signs, tree grates and trash receptacles. The artists team also contributed design for the patterned pavers of the sidewalks and crosswalks. This transportation project took eight years to complete (1996-2004).

Artist Statement:
"In January of 1905, he (Napoleon Bonaparte Broward) assumed the governorship and began an administration that would later be called the Broward Era. His impact on the entire state would
prove to be enormous, and nowhere would this impact be greater than on the New River and the Everglades to the West." - Stuart B. McIver

Fort Lauderdale rose up out of the Everglades. Governor Broward, for whom Broward Boulevard is named, began the long process of draining the everglades swamps, eventually leading to
the habitation and urbanization of the area. While Broward County and Dade County can both be thought of, and designed with a "South Florida" motif, it is this strong connection with the
everglades that separates Broward from Dade.
"Fort Lauderdale, Gateway to the Everglades" - F.W.DeCroix Combining the overall theme of Everglades and our concerns both at the micro and macro level, we established a series of sub
themes based on the natural environment, historical
circumstance, and the multicultural reality of the corridor's neighborhoods. These sub themes, however, all tie back to the major theme of the Everglades.

"During the dry winter season, gator holes become biological microcosms, teeming with the life of the Everglades…" - Steven  L. Walker and Matti P. Majorin

During the winter dry spell, the alligator burrows into the everglade mud and hibernates. The holes they create fill with water and thus become havens for water animals that the alligator ordinarily prays upon: herons, otters, snakes, red belly
turtles and other various fish, amphibians, mammals and birds.

These holes are truly multicultural or multi-species. The animals living together in a harmonious system become a perfect multicultural metaphor. Therefore, the animal imagery we selected and used throughout our designs can all be found coexisting in the alligator burrows.

Medallions: Medallions depicting the variety of plants and animals living in the Everglades and South Florida area, hang from the poles located at the bus stops on the Broward Boulevard Corridor. The medallions serve as identifiers of areas or
neighborhoods.

Patterned Pavers: Of all our designs meant to unify the corridor, the patterned sidewalks and crosswalks is the most pronounced. We created designs reminiscent of various natural patterns found
throughout the Everglades. The primarily red sidewalks host a yellow and charcoal diamond pattern that extends the length of the corridor. The crosswalks, designed with flowing blue pavers,
is reminiscent of the meandering Everglade waterways.

Together, the sidewalk and crosswalks create a strong visual continuity in an otherwise diverse urban streetscape. We wanted to emphasize the need for caution when crossing Broward
Boulevard, especially at the school crossing. Therefore, keeping with our Everglades and natural environment theme, we added a stylized snake-paving pattern at the boulevard's major crosswalks.

Tree Grates: Keeping with the natural environment theme, tree grates (designed by Raymond Olivero, a Duane Hanson Allied Artist recipient) are based on solar, lunar and cultural images.

Bus Shelters: Our bus shelters, which are major pedestrian nodes along the corridor, are designed to reference the chickee, a Florida Native American shelter. Along the roof ridge of each shelter sit a pair of stylized stainless steel alligators. Inside the
shelter, the ceiling hosts decorative palm patterns while stylized alligator benches provide seating.


Alligator Benches: Finally we designed the Broward Boulevard Alligator Bench to provide seating at each of the boulevard bus stop. Nonetheless, the stylized alligator bench can also be sited elsewhere on the corridor.