STRANAHAN HOUSE IS VERY UNIQUE TO BROWARD COUNTY IT'S THE OLDEST REMAINING
STRUCTURE IN THE COUNTY THE HOUSE ITSELF WAS CONSTRUCTED ON THIS SITE
WHEN YOU WALK THROUGH THE FRONT DOOR OF THIS HOME YOU'RE TRANSPORTED IN TIME TO
A DIFFERENT DIFFERENT ERA THIS IS SO UNIQUE IN THE SETTING THAT WE'RE IN AND
IN THE ENVIRONMENT HERE OF DOWNTOWN FORT LAUDERDALE WHERE ALL AROUND US THINGS
ARE BEING REGENERATED WE HAVE NEW CONSTRUCTION ON OUR FOUR SIDES THE SITE
HAD BEEN USED PREVIOUS TO THAT IN THE LATE S BUT IT BECAME THE FIRST
TRADING POST OF THIS PART OF SOUTH FLORIDA AND IN THE MID 1980s HE HOUSE
WAS BROUGHT BACK TO ITS FORMER GLORY AND RESTORED TO THE MUSEUM THAT YOU SEE HERE TODAY
WE'RE ON A PRIME LOCATION HERE ON THE NEW RIVER IN DOWNTOWN FORT
LAUDERDALE AND THE NEW RIVER ITSELF IS A TIDAL RIVER WE HAVE WATER EXCHANGING WITH THE
OCEAN TIDES HERE WE HAVE NOTICED OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS THAT IN HIGH HIGH
TIDE SITUATIONS OF WHAT'S REFERRED TO AS KING TIDE WE ACTUALLY HAVE HAD WATER
STARTING TO RISE UP AND COVER SOME OF THE REAR PATIO SURFACES BECAUSE OF THAT
WE NEEDED TO TAKE A LOOK AT OUR HISTORIC SEAWALL WE KNEW THAT THERE MAY BE SOME
ISSUES WITH THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY OF THAT WALL WE WENT AHEAD AND UNDERTOOK
SOME OF THOSE STUDIES AND WE DID DISCOVER THAT WE WERE GOING TO NEED TO
REPLACE THAT WALL WHICH WE DID GET SOME GRANT MONEY AND WE HAVE ACHIEVED THAT
PROJECT AND THAT HAS HELPED SOMEWHAT MITIGATE SOME OF THIS HIGH HIGH TIDE
SITUATION HOWEVER WE KNOW SEA LEVELS WILL CONTINUE TO RISE AND THAT WATER IS
NOT JUST COMING OVER THE SEAWALL BUT IT'S IT'S COMING UP THROUGH THE GROUND
WATER AS WELL AND SO WE CONTINUE TO HAVE GROUNDWATER SWELLING UP IN OUR LOWEST
ELEVATIONS ON THE RIVER FRONT SIDE OF THE HOUSE
WE UNDERSTAND THAT IN THE FUTURE AND THAT MAY BE DECADES AWAY IT MAY BE A
HUNDRED YEARS AWAY WE DON'T KNOW WE MAY BE FACED WITH DEALING WITH LITERALLY
LIFTING THE ENTIRE STRUCTURE OF THE HOUSE TO A HIGHER ELEVATION THERE'S
STRONG SUPPORT FOR THIS MUSEUM WITHIN THE COMMUNITY AND I THINK WITHIN THE
ENTIRE SOUTH FLORIDA COMMUNITY WE HAVE SO PRECIOUS LITTLE HISTORY TO REFER TO
HERE IN SOUTH FLORIDA IF WE LOSE A FACILITY LIKE THIS I THINK IT'S A
DEVASTATING LOSS FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS
AND NORTON SCULPTURE GARDENS IS A BEAUTIFUL TWO ACRE URBAN SANCTUARY RIGHT
HERE IN WEST PALM BEACH ON THE INTRACOASTAL WATERWAY AND NORTON IT WAS
AN INCREDIBLE ARTIST WHO LIVED HERE AND WORKED HERE THIS STUDIO ACTUALLY WAS
BUILT IN AND THE LANDMARKED HOME WHERE SHE LIVED WAS ACTUALLY BUILT IN
BEING ON THE WATER AND HAVING THAT FEELING OF BEING ABLE TO LOOK OUT AND
SEE THESE MAGNIFICENT TROPICAL PLANTS AND INCREDIBLE ART AND THE WATER IS JUST
THE TRIFECTA IT'S THE BEST
WE UNDERSTAND THAT THE RISING WATER IS NOW ACCELERATED SO WE KNOW THAT WE MUST
THINK ABOUT THIS AND DO EVERYTHING THAT WE CAN TO PREPARE FOR THE RISING WATER
BECAUSE WE KNOW IT'S HAPPENING I KNOW THAT IN FLORIDA THERE'S VERY POROUS ROCK
ALONG THE SEAWALL AND RAISING IT MAY NOT BE THE SOLUTION IT'S LIKE A SPONGE IT
STILL ALLOWS FOR THE WATER TO TO COME OUT SO IT DOESN'T REALLY DO THAT MUCH IN
TERMS OF PROTECTING US AS AN ORGANIZATION OR RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF A
STRATEGIC PLAN WITH THE HELP OF A HISTORIC ARCHITECT WHO CAN UNDERSTAND
THAT EVEN THOUGH WE WOULD LIKE NOT TO HAVE TO DO THESE THINGS WE KNOW IN ORDER
TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE ENJOY FOR YEARS THAT WE'LL NEED
TO LOOK AT THE WINDOWS WE'LL NEED TO LOOK AT THE DOORS AND WE'LL NEED TO MAKE
SOME REALLY GREAT DECISIONS ABOUT HOW WE FORTIFY THIS WEATHER FOR THE FUTURE
WHEN YOU CAN ACTUALLY VISIT A PLACE WHERE SOMEONE LIVED AND WORKED YOU DO
HAVE THAT SENSE THAT IT DOES MATTER AND IT MATTERS NOT ONLY FOR THE PRESENT BUT
FOR THE FUTURE AS WELL
THE SKY AX WAS BUILT IN THE S BY JAMES DEARING AN AMERICAN BUSINESSMEN TO
FUNCTION AS HIS WINTER HOME SINCE THE S VIZCAYA HAS BEEN OPEN TO THE
PUBLIC AS A MUSEUM OWNED BY MIAMI-DADE COUNTY AND SINCE WE'VE BEEN
OPERATED BY A NOT-FOR-PROFIT ORGANIZATION IN MANY RESPECTS I WOULD
SAY THAT JAMES DEARING MAY NOT HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT THE LONG-TERM
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS OF BUILDING A HOUSE ON THE BAY BUT IN A NUMBER OF
OTHER WAYS HE ABSOLUTELY WAS VERY MUCH A CONSERVATIONIST AND VERY INTERESTED IN
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT AND THE DESIGNED ENVIRONMENT
WHEN ONE APPROACHES THE SKY TODAY YOU PASS THROUGH THIS GORGEOUS LUSH FOREST
NATURAL ROCKLAND HAMMOCK AND A MANGROVE FOREST THAT THEN AND TODAY REALLY
PROVIDES SOME IMPORTANT PROTECTION AGAINST RISING SEAS SEVERAL YEARS AGO WE
DECIDED TO TAKE SOME STEPS TO BUILD A SEAWALL TO PROTECT SOME OF OUR NORTHERN
GARDENS WHEN JAMES DEARING FIRST BUILT FISKE AIA HE ACTUALLY CONSTRUCTED WHAT
APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN A SEAWALL CIRCA AND IT'S ONLY SEVERAL INCHES TALL
WE REALIZED IT WAS CRITICAL TO BUILD ANOTHER SEAWALL FOR THIS LOCATION AND
WITH MARINE ENGINEERS WE DID SO YEAR FLOOD PROJECTIONS UNFORTUNATELY ONLY
ABOUT THREE YEARS AFTER THAT WALL WAS COMPLETED HURRICANE
IRMA DID STRIKE IT DID BREACH THE SEAWALL AND IT'S A REALLY IMPORTANT
LESSON ABOUT THE VALUE OF BUILDING BEYOND WHAT APPEARED TO BE RIGOROUS
CODES AND PROJECTIONS IN LIGHT OF HOW THE CLIMATE IS IS SO EVIDENTLY CHANGING
THERE ARE GREAT MANY PROJECTS THAT WE HAVE TACKLED AT VEZ KIYA TO MAKE THE
PROPERTY MORE RESILIENT WITH EACH CAPITAL PROJECT WE LOOK AT INSTALLING
DIFFERENT TYPES OF HURRICANE PROTECTION ON WINDOWS AND DOORS
THE SKY IS WATER FRONT ELEMENTS ARE PROBABLY THE MOST VISIBLE SYMBOLS OF THE
POTENTIAL IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE THAT SEA LEVEL RISE ONE OF THE PROJECTS THAT
WE'VE BEEN REALLY EXCITED ABOUT BECAUSE IT BRIDGES DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF OUR
ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY VISION HAS BEEN THIS INITIATIVE TO DEVELOP D
MODELS OF VARIOUS OF OUR VULNERABLE ELEMENTS ON THE PROPERTY THESE
THREE-DIMENSIONAL RENDERINGS WHICH ARE DONE WITH TECHNIQUES SUCH AS LASER
SCANNING AND PHOTOGRAMMETRY HAVE ENABLED US TO CREATE MODELS BOTH DIGITALLY AND
ALSO TACTICALLY THAT HAVE GIVEN US AN OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE OUR VISITORS ACCESS
TO THESE VERY DIFFICULT TO REACH PARTS OF VIZCAYA THE GREAT THING ABOUT THE D
MODELING PROGRAM AS WELL IS THAT WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO REALLY UNDERSTAND FROM
THESE THE EFFECTS OF LONG TERM EROSION ON VULNERABLE AREAS WE THINK WE WILL
HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN DECADES TO COME AND
WITH THESE D RENDERINGS WE ALSO HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PROVIDE VERY DETAILED
INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CONSERVATION OF THESE ELEMENTS
PEOPLE SEEM TO BE VERY SUPPORTIVE OF OUR WORK IT IS REALITY BASED WHILE IT IS
ALSO NON DEFEATIST WE ARE DOING EVERYTHING THAT WE CAN TO PROTECT THIS
GUY WITH THE INFORMATION THAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE TO US BUT WE ALSO ARE OPEN TO
DISCUSSING DIRE CONSEQUENCES THAT FACE US ALL AND THERE ARE CERTAINLY
DIFFICULTIES AND CHALLENGES WHEN ONE GOES DOWN THAT ROAD BUT THUS FAR IT'S
IT'S BEEN THE RIGHT PATH AND FRANKLY THE ONLY ACCEPTABLE PATH FOR US AND THOSE
WHO HAVE ENGAGED WITH US IN THESE CONVERSATIONS THANKFULLY SEEM TO GET IT