On the scene at Gale Residences Fort Lauderdale’s broker celebration: PHOTOS

To commemorate its luxury Gale Residences Fort Lauderdale condo project going vertical, Harvey Hernandez’s Newgard Development Group recently hosted a private soiree at the bayfront construction site.

More than 125 brokers, their well-heeled clients and even a pair of commissioners came to check out the 12-story condo tower’s progress two months after it broke ground. The fête was catered with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, and pop violinist Timothee Lovelock performed for the crowd.

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Construction workers recently poured the first floor of the 129-unit Gale at 401 Bayshore Drive, with the expected opening now slated for early 2018. Newgard is financing construction with a $36 million loan from HALL Structured Finance, a private lender based in Dallas, Texas.

Units at the building range in size from 800 square feet to 2,100 square feet, with prices starting in the mid $500,000s. Newgard is also renovating the historic Escape Hotel in Fort Lauderdale into a 96-room Gale hotel, which will be managed by Menin Hospitality when it opens. Dev Motwani’s Merrimac Ventures is a partner in the development.

The developer said 75 percent of the Gale’s units have so far been sold. Amenities include a lounge deck on the eighth floor, swimming pool, private theater and a gym. — Sean Stewart-Muniz