On your left, look for the pale green, old-school hotel with a long shaded porch arcade and a row of colorful flags out front… that’s the Riverside Hotel.
Now, this place has been holding down Las Olas longer than just about anything around it. The building itself went up in 1925, but the Riverside as we know it opened in 1936, perched right by the New River and next door to the Stranahan House like an older sibling who’s seen some things and doesn’t need to brag about it.
In 1934, three Wells brothers bought the hotel for $8,250 cash… which is roughly about $190,000 today. Not bad for a three-story, 30-room spot in a town that was still figuring out what kind of city it wanted to be. Back then it opened under the name “Champ Carr Hotel,” named for the first manager. Imagine being so good at your job they name the whole building after you… and then later change it back anyway.
The Las Olas Company has kept ownership from the start, and the hotel’s had a real “come on in” reputation-especially in 1947, when a hurricane pushed locals to take shelter here. You can almost hear the wind outside and the low, nervous chatter inside…the kind of night that turns a hotel into a lifeboat.
Over the years, plenty of big names checked in-politicians, governors, even a president-because nothing says “Florida business” like a meeting near the river with a breeze and plausible deniability. Totally just here for the sunshine.
In 2002, they poured about $25 million into renovations-around $42 million today-adding a 12-story tower and doubling the rooms, while keeping the classic curb appeal.
When you’re set, St. Anthony School is a 13-minute walk heading east.
