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Norman Johnson Collection, 1960-1964

 

Summary

Extent:
1 Flat File Drawer
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Norman Johnson Collection, Broward County Historical Archives, Broward County Library.

Background

Scope and content:

The Norman Johnson Collection documents the development of Sunrise Golf Village and the City of Sunrise from 1960 to 1964. It contains 3 large aerial photographs of Sunrise; 1 real estate promotion brochure titled "Better Living Begins in Sunrise"; 1 Sunrise Golf Village scrapbook; and 1 advertisement with text "Upside-Down House Moved to New Location".

Biographical / historical:

In 1960 Norman W. Johnson bought 2,650 acres just north of Plantation for $10 million and began developing his city. The village was next to a golf course and off Sunrise Boulevard, so he called it Sunrise Golf Village when it was incorporated in 1961. It became Sunrise in 1971. Gov. Farris Bryant appointed Mr. Johnson its first mayor, even though he was not a resident of the village and never would be. There were no residents in the village. What his fledgling city needed, Mr. Johnson reasoned, was something -- a sales gimmick -- that would lure prospective buyers into the rural, far-west reaches of the county to look at his homes.

By July 1960, the Upside-Down House had been built for $11,500 on Sunset Strip and opened to the public. Furniture and fixtures were bolted, nailed, wired, glued or welded in place, a Pontiac convertible was parked in the carport and shrubs filled a planter in front of the home -- all upside down. The topsy-turvy house was also a model of the 10,000 homes that Mr. Johnson was building in the development and selling for $10,745. The Upside-Down house quickly became an area attraction, drawing 12,000 curiosity seekers and prospective home buyers the first four days it was open. A two-page photo spread followed in Life magazine, and aviators began using it as a landmark. By the early '70s, when it was destroyed, more than 1 million people had toured the inverted house.

Johnson was training as an Army Air Force pilot when World War II ended, and soon after his discharge he moved to Davenport, Iowa, where he built 200 homes before moving to south Broward in 1948. One of his first ventures in Florida was constructing the Adobe Hacienda motel in Hollywood. He ran the inn, which still stands, for 10 years before selling it. A short time later, he bought a small private airport and began developing several hundred homes in his Look subdivision, between what is now Johnson and Sheridan streets and Dixie Highway and Interstate 95. He used the airport runway as the community's main street.

His Plantation Isles subdivision followed in 1957, and he moved his family into one of the first homes he built. He later was president of the Plantation Chamber of Commerce. Sunrise came next. He built the state's first "true" condominiums, developed his village and was mayor from 1961 until 1967, when John Lomelo was elected to the post. He set up an office on a road he had named Sunset Strip -- after his favorite television show, 77 Sunset Strip -- and had the Postal Service number the building 77 even though it was out of sequence. By 1966, Mr. Johnson was looking around for another venture. By year-end, he and partner Stephen A. Calder had opened their Miami-Hollywood Speedway, west of Hollywood. Mr. Johnson was operating partner of the racetrack for the next 16 years, before trying retirement. Retirement didn't work, Bruce Johnson said, and his father, a car buff, began building handcrafted Johnson Presidential and Johnson Phantom cars styled after classic models of the 1930s. By the time of his death in 1990, Mr. Johnson's garage in Davie had sold 87 of the specially ordered Presidential cars or car kits and 260 Phantoms.

Acquisition information:
Norman Johnson donated the materials to the Broward County Historical Commission on 09/01/1982 (Accession BCHA-1982.1).
Processing information:

This collection received container level processing by Erin Purdy in June 2025. The collection was processed at the item level and the finding aid was updated by Erin Purdy in April 2026. This finding aid may be updated to reflect new descriptions as well as acquisitions to the collection.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

The Norman Johnson Collection is open for research.

Preferred citation:

Norman Johnson Collection, Broward County Historical Archives, Broward County Library.

Location of this collection:
Broward County Historical Archives, Broward County Library
100 S. Andrews Avenue
Fort Lauderdale
FL
33301
USA