Colee Hammock Was Established in 1916. Its Name Still Has Two Origin Stories.

Colee Hammock was established in 1916 on land Mary Brickell acquired in 1874, and it runs from Broward Boulevard south to the New River, between the Sospiro and Himmarshee Canals. Its homes range from 1920s Mediterranean Revival to newly built estate residences, with Las Olas running straight through it.

Where Colee Hammock Starts and Stops

The boundaries are simple. Broward Boulevard is the north edge. The New River is the south edge. The Sospiro and Himmarshee Canals frame it on either side.

That puts it just east of downtown and on the path to the beach. Residents walk to shops and restaurants on Las Olas. The ocean is a bike ride away.

Colee Hammock sits in the city's District 4. It is a residential pocket inside one of the busiest parts of Fort Lauderdale, and the neighborhood works to keep it that way.

The Land Is Older Than the Neighborhood

The story here starts well before 1916. Charles and Frankee Lewis were living on this land in 1793. The tract became known as the Lewis Donation, 640 acres granted to Frankee Lewis.

Mary Brickell acquired it on February 25, 1874. The Colee Hammock subdivision followed in 1916.

Development was slow at first. In 1921, real estate pioneer M.A. Hortt bought nearly all of the lots and then sold them off one at a time. That lot-by-lot history is part of why no two streets here look alike.

The Name Has Two Origin Stories

Most people assume Colee is a misspelling of Cooley. It might not be.

William Cooley was the leader of the early New River settlement. In January 1836, his family was killed in an attack on his homestead. That attack began the Second Seminole War in South Florida and led to the founding of Fort Lauderdale as a military post in 1838. His name was spelled several ways in old records, Colee among them.

The Colee Hammock neighborhood association tells it differently. By its account, Mary Brickell used the name to honor the engineer who did her plat work. Local reporting names him James Louis Colee.

Both versions still circulate. What is settled is where Cooley's memorial stands. The city's historical marker for him is at Cooley's Landing Park in Sailboat Bend, not in Colee Hammock.

The Architecture Is the Point

Colee Hammock is one of the few close-in neighborhoods where the housing stock spans a full century. Homes approaching 100 years old sit on the same streets as brand-new estate residences.

The styles on record here:

• Mediterranean Revival
• Mission Revival
• Art Deco and Moderne
• Bungalow
• Frame Vernacular
• Minimal Traditional
• Ranch

Three homes show the range:

• 403 Tarpon Terrace, a 1925 Mediterranean Revival home by architect Francis Abreu
• 1620 E. Las Olas Boulevard, the Sheppard Estate, in the Spanish Eclectic style
• 432 SE 17th Avenue, a 1926 Craftsman Tudor Revival

Abreu matters to buyers here. He designed several significant homes in this neighborhood, and some of them are still standing.

What Daily Life Actually Involves

A few practical details that do not show up on a map:

• Parking permits. Colee Hammock requires residential parking permits, issued to residents.
• The homeowners association is voluntary. Membership in the Colee Hammock Homeowners Association runs $75 a year and covers updates on events, programs and city legislation.
• The river is the southern edge. Colee Hammock Park sits along the New River, a shaded green space inside the neighborhood.
• Las Olas is the spine. Shops, restaurants and the route to the beach are all a walk or short ride away.

Who Colee Hammock Fits

This neighborhood is not for every buyer. It is for the buyer who wants walkability and history more than a private seawall on every lot.

Most of the homes here are about the street, not the dock. The reward is a quiet, tree-lined block a few minutes from downtown and the beach. The tradeoff is that an older home is only as good as its last renovation.

We did not quote a price in this guide. Colee Hammock mixes 1920s homes and new construction on the same block, so a neighborhood average says very little. The number that matters comes from a market analysis built on recent comparable sales for the specific home.

Working With Lourdes Maestres in Colee Hammock

Lourdes Maestres has sold luxury homes in Fort Lauderdale for 17 years. She knows which Colee Hammock streets hold their value, and which older homes are carrying more work than their photos show.

If you are thinking about buying or selling in Colee Hammock, reach out to Lourdes and the MPH Team. We will start with the home, not the average.