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Back in the early 1920's before
the city of Hollywood was
a ciry the tract of swampy
south Florida land stretching
east from the Atlantic Ocean
west to The Everglades was a
tangle of pine forests, palmetto plants, marshland and tomato farms.
Before hope of any construction could begin, serious land clearing
work was required. The Hollywood Land and Water Company,
under the direction ofpromoter-developer Joseph W. Young Jr. un-
dertook the process of tr-rming acres of undeveloped land into what
he called "Hollywood-by-the-Sea." The real estate boom ofthe 20's
motivated Young to offer a $5,000 cash prize to his best salesman.
Jack Kagey, sold nearly half a million dollars in properties in less
than three months. His prize money went towards building what
would soon be known as Kagey Mansion.
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In the summer of 1924, Kagey and his wife Eva began the construc-
tion of a Mediterranean revival style home on Harrison St, where
it still stands today. Sources vary over the amount it cost (estimates
range from $ I 6,000 to $34,000). It was completed a year before
the city of Holll"rvood was incorporated. The home survived a hur-
ricane in September I 926 that put the kibosh on the land boom and
cut the city's population by almost ninety per-cent.
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The home changed owners soon after and in the 1930's it was
owled by a business magnate ofthe ever-popular "brillo pad." In
the 1940's it was rumored to have been a gambling parlor, accord-
ing to Bill Foster. His twin brother Edward lived at the mansion
with his wife and three children in the 1950's. In 1 960 the Foster
family converted it into the Johnson-Foster Funeral Home, which
remained a mainstay on Young Circle for thirty years. The Kagey
home was nearly doubled in size, including the construction of
a chapel along the east side border. Many of the home's original
featues fiom the 1920s were preserved such as glass doorknobs,
wood moldings, wrought-iron railings, arches and the second floor
balcony tiles.
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ln 1991, the Kagey Mansion, now city-owned, was tumed over to the
Hollywood Art and Culture Center (ACCH) for a $1 annual fee. The
Art and Culture Center's original home was 1301 S. Ocean Drive,
where it had been operating since its inception on November 2, I 975.
The non-profit corporation began moving its library pianos, art col-
lections and display equipment into the former funeral home. The
move allowed the existing Art Center to expand display space and
add classrooms for youth and adult arts education programs.
The Hollyrvood Art and Culture Center needed $ I 72,000 to bring
the building up to code. City officials agreed to pick up the $25,000
tab for asbestos removal. The home was renovated with private and
historical state grant monies and opened on February 2, 1992, with
the exhibition I s Seen By Both Sides, a collection of 83 works by
20 American and 20 Vietnamese artists. AIso in the early '90s, the
Center opened its Arts School, located adjacently at 1626 Harrison
Sheet. In 2000, the Art and Culture Center began overseeing opera-
tions and programming of Hollyrvood's Cenhal Performing Arts Cen-
ter, a 500-seat theater right around the comer at 1770 Monroe Sheet.
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Whether you enjoy artwork, photography, films, paintings, or prefer
a bit of theater, the Center offers a full calendar of both exhibi-
tions and live shows that run throughout the year. As one of eight
Major Cultural Institutions in Broward County, the Center receives
matching funds from the county to offer the public a plethora of
fine arts experiences. My own art appreciation experience started
with the In Search For Ever After photo exhibit by Sarah Michelle
Rupert, which was full of colorful, quirky yet compelling photos of
fairy tale characters caught by the camera's lens, including Sleeping
Beauty in bed (wearing her pink taffeta dress of cowse) complete
with sleep blinders and a dozen alarm clocks on her nightstand.
My favorite: Snow White with her back to the camera, wearing
yellow rubber gloves, washing piles of (dwarf's?) dishes in the
kitchen. Another cool exhibit was Samantha Brooks' 1000 Missed
Connections. Here Brooks'work examines the Craigslist website
section where personal ads look for people they saw in public but
had no way ofcontacting. Brooks travelled to those locations and
camera in hand, photographed the area referenced in the ad along
with a screen shot of the original "Missed Connection" posting. Is
someone looking for you?
Continued on Pg. 28
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* Custom Framing
. Ready-Made Frames
. Photo Restoration
Exciting monthly Paint-For-Fun nights.
Monthly Art-walk.
Classes and Demonstrations.
Private lessons available.
Group classes.
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