Young Mansion and Gardens
Feel like you have been transported to an Andalusian villa in the south of Spain. Built in 1925 as the personal residence of the founder of Hollywood by the Sea, Joseph W. Young. This 23 room Spanish Moorish architectural gem was designed by the prominent Indianapolis architects, Rubush and Hunter, with help from Young’s personal friend- famed architect Addison Mizner.
In addition to building the City of Hollywood, Mr. Young also developed Port Everglades where Fort Lauderdale Airport is today, and he served as the first Mayor of Hollywood. The mansion is listed on the National Historic Register of Historic Places and the Florida State Heritage Register.
In the roaring 1920’s Joseph Young dreamed up and built his entire city by the sea in only 5 years. At the time he was one of the 100 wealthiest Americans in the United States, and he spared no expense in creating the Young Mansion. This estate displays all the classical features of Spanish/Moorish architecture, including an inner courtyard, various types and levels of roofs, balconies, balconets, loggias, arches, parapets, scuppers, enriched corbels, and a terrific bell tower. Exterior materials include clay barrel tiles, terracotta, thick stucco, heavy timbers, and wrought iron. Large stone urns flank the major entrances, and five life sized white marble statues are replicas of famed Italian sculptor Antonio Canova’s work. The interior of the house is distinguished by hardwood and clay tile floors, heavy beamed twelve-foot ceilings, wrought iron interior gates, fixtures, arches, and stuccoed or rough plastered walls. Past US Presidents, including Hebert Hoover, Warren G. Harding, and Franklin D. Roosevelt all played billiards with Mr. Young at the mansion.