Hallandale Beach began in the 1890s as a small farming settlement along Henry Flagler's newly built Florida East Coast Railway. The community took its name from Luther Halland, who opened a trading post and became its first postmaster. Swedish and English families were drawn by the frost-free climate and inexpensive land, and by 1900 about a dozen families were farming the area. The first school opened in 1904 and the first church in 1906.

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Hallandale was incorporated as a town in 1927, shortly after the great hurricane of 1926, and became a city in 1947, which allowed it to extend east to the Atlantic shore. Gulfstream Park opened in 1939 and grew into one of the country's best-known Thoroughbred racetracks, home of the Florida Derby.

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After World War II the area became a favorite of winter visitors and retirees, and residential towers rose along the Intracoastal Waterway. The Olympus, set on Three Islands, was built in the 1970s as a waterfront community with its own marina, pools and gardens. In 1999 the city adopted the name Hallandale Beach, reflecting its place on the coast. The photos below offer a glimpse of the Olympus in its earlier years.