Florida Heritage Site Marker to Be Set for Broward Marine, the Denison Family’s Origins

The legacy of the Denison family lies–quite literally–in Broward Marine, where Frank Denison solidified his mark on the yachting industry by purchasing the shipyard (then called Dooley’s Dry Dock) in 1948. Fast forward 72 years later, when Broward Marine and the Denison legacy will be commemorated with a State of Florida Heritage Site Marker at the location of the original shipyard.

With so many years of history attached to the Denison name, it is a true honor that this historical marker will be placed at the original site of Broward Marine this Saturday, November 12, 2022. The installation will take place at Safe Harbor Lauderdale Marine Center at 2020 Southwest 20th Street–or “Denison Way”–in Fort Lauderdale, which is also known these days as the “Yachting Capital of the World”, a big part because of the mark Broward Marine and the Denison family has had on the yachting industry. The timing is quite fitting as the local 2022 Fort Lauderdale Boat Show, the largest in-water boat show in the world, came to a close just last week.

Among many accomplishments, Broward Marine is known for its successful Minesweeper program during World War II, running a production schedule of four 144′ wooden minesweepers and seven 173′ minesweepers at a time under contract with the U.S. Navy. At one point, Broward Marine became the largest private employer in Broward County, Florida. For these and many other milestones, it comes as no surprise that Broward Marine will be honored with this historical marker this upcoming weekend. The Denison team is beaming with pride for this huge moment in the family history.