Offered here is an intact large-format aerial photography archive documenting South Florida during the 1970s condo, canal, and coastal development boom, before much of the region reached its later level of dense high-rise construction and suburban buildout.
Based on visible landmarks, waterways, architecture, and development patterns, the roll appears to document portions of Broward County and possibly northern Miami-Dade County. Preview frames appear to include the Fort Lauderdale / Port Everglades area, Point of Americas, Hallandale Beach / Hollywood Beach, the Intracoastal Waterway, South Ocean Drive / A1A, residential finger-canal communities, marinas, beachfront construction, and expanding high-rise development.
These images capture South Florida in a transitional period — before many later towers, redevelopment projects, shoreline alterations, and modern infill changed the appearance of the coast. Some frames show established beachfront development, while others preserve earlier views of open parcels, lower-density neighborhoods, canal systems, waterfront infrastructure, and areas still undergoing major expansion.
This is not a typical group of loose negatives. It is a complete, continuous, uncut aerial survey roll containing approximately 85 exposures, preserved in its original sequence exactly as acquired.
The film remains on its original large metal reel, measuring approximately 10 inches in diameter, with the film itself measuring roughly 9 to 9½ inches in width. These are exceptionally large aerial negatives, far beyond the size of ordinary photographic film.
The negatives appear to represent a coordinated professional aerial photography project created for surveying, development, mapping, planning, documentation, or related commercial purposes. The roll has intentionally been left intact in order to preserve the original flight sequence and archival continuity.
Handwritten notations on the reel reference Tom McGill, approximately 85 exposures, and survey code “4444.” McGill is known to have had a residence in Fort Lauderdale, which is consistent with the apparent South Florida subject matter.
The original reel is marked with the name Tom McGill, an experienced aerial photographer associated with Fort Lauderdale, Florida, who photographed the images on this roll.
Subjects visible throughout the roll include:
* Beachfront condominium development
* Residential finger-canal communities
* Intracoastal waterways
* Marinas and boating areas
* Port and harbor approaches
* Hotels and high-rise construction
* Causeways and major roadways
* Waterfront neighborhoods
* Open land and undeveloped parcels
* Commercial and residential expansion
* Shoreline infrastructure
* Areas later transformed by heavier modern development
The positive preview images shown in this listing are provided only to help illustrate the content of the negatives. The sale is for the original intact negative roll itself.
Because the film remains on the roll, it is difficult to photograph every frame in a way that fully conveys the detail and clarity contained in the original negatives.
This archive may be of interest to:
* South Florida historians
* Broward and Miami-Dade researchers
* Collectors of aerial photography
* Museums and archives
* Authors and publishers
* Documentary filmmakers
* Real estate and land-use historians
* Preservation groups
* Urban planning researchers
* Collectors interested in Florida’s pre-modern-buildout landscape
An unusual visual record of South Florida before decades of later redevelopment and coastal intensification, documenting a region in the middle of one of the most important growth periods in its modern history.
Please view pics to get a more accurate idea of item’s condition.
Sold “AS IS”, no returns, so please view pictures and be certain before purchasing this item.
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