"As many of you have seen, the Club has been demolished, and we are full steam ahead," owner Terry Paterson wrote to members in the Lighthouse Point Yacht Club's October 2026 newsletter. Demolition began September 8. The building that came down had hosted the city's charity events, its mariners and its tennis players for six decades, according to The New Pelican.
The club is still open, though. With the clubhouse gone, daily life at 2701 NE 42nd Street has moved toward the water. Members now come in along the docks, eat under a tent and play on the courts that are left. The marina is the one part of the property the plan doesn't change, and the order of the build decides what comes back first.
A Clubhouse That Was Closed Long Before It Fell
The club dates to 1961, when it was founded "to meet the social needs of the Lighthouse Point community," according to the club's own history. Over the years it hosted weddings, birthdays and celebrations of life. Paterson bought the property in 2017.
Getting from that purchase to demolition took nine years. In May 2023, The New Pelican reported that Paterson had paid $16 million for the roughly 10-acre property. The same story covered two setbacks: asbestos found in the 60-year-old clubhouse, and a fire plans review requiring a redesign so the new clubhouse could hold 1,550 people. The September 2026 New Pelican story says the clubhouse had been closed since 2022. During that time members used the tennis courts, the pool area and outdoor dining, and membership kept growing anyway.
So the club has already gone four years without its main building. What's different this fall is that the empty building has become an active construction site, fenced off, and the routes around it have changed.
The Front Door Moved to the Water
The newsletter describes a property you now reach from the docks. A temporary access ramp runs along D Dock, just past the bend beyond C Dock. A permanent ADA-compliant ramp is being built on D Dock and will be the main way into the pool area for the rest of construction. The fitness center is also reached from around the bend of D Dock, up the ramp to the pool deck.
Parking now splits by where you're headed. Members going to the fitness center, pool deck, dining area or marina park on the left side of the property. Members going to the club offices or tennis courts keep driving and park on the right. A parking attendant greets everyone who arrives Monday through Friday. Valet starts at 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday in the left-side lot, and the valet attendant can also help members down the dock. Nobody is allowed inside the fenced construction areas.
What Still Runs, and When
The newsletter says Shipwrecked, the courts, the pool deck, the fitness center, dining and the marina all stay accessible on site, with routes that will shift as work moves around the property. Here is the schedule it lists:
| Amenity | Status this fall | Hours listed |
|---|---|---|
| Shipwrecked lunch and dinner | Open, tented dining area | Wed–Sat 11:30 a.m.–9 p.m.; Sun 11:30 a.m.–8 p.m. |
| Happy hour | Running | Wed–Fri 4–6:30 p.m.; all day Sunday 11:30 a.m.–8 p.m. |
| Fitness center | Open for the entire build | Daily 5 a.m.–9 p.m. |
| Tennis courts | Partly open | Dawn to dusk |
| Little Skippers | Open, drop-off program continues | Wed–Sat evenings, until 10 p.m. Fridays |
| Pool | Closed for renovation | Targeted to reopen by year-end |
| Marina | Unchanged | 78 deep-water slips |
The kitchen has changed a bit too. Wednesday Pasta Night has gone from a buffet to one curated Italian entrée each week. A new fall menu has arrived, and the bar has added a Tokyo Mule made with vodka, sake and fresh lime.
The marina is the steadiest piece. It takes boats from 30 to 120 feet, with 30-, 50- and 100-amp service, and the redevelopment plan leaves it as it is. Boating season is just starting, so the dock side of the club is getting busier at the same time construction is taking over the land side.
What the Build Takes First
Some of what's being lost is small and short-term. Site preparation requires digging around Courts 9 and 10, which may disturb parts of the clay. The pickleball court is being torn down for Phase 1 because crews need that area for construction access. Court 6 stays open. Daylight saving time ends soon, and the tennis staff has put up temporary court lights until the permanent fixtures go in.
The pool is the bigger loss. According to the owner's message, vibration from the demolition damaged parts of the pool's underground plumbing, and strong storms in September damaged more equipment. The club chose a full renovation over temporary repairs: plumbing, new equipment, Diamond Brite and tile, aiming to reopen by the end of the year. For now the swim program has moved away from the club. Young swimmers meet Mondays at 4 p.m. at the club's tennis center for dryland training. Practice on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays is at a Pompano Beach aquatic center, with dryland at 5 p.m. and swimming from 5:30 to 6:30.
The Order the Rest Comes Back In
The newsletter lays out the construction sequence in steps:
- Survey the site and finish layouts, the focus for the month following the October newsletter.
- Drive pilings and do the underground civil work.
- Lay foundations, then run underground plumbing and electrical.
Housing comes first in the timeline, before the clubhouse. The New Pelican reported that construction on the first townhome building has to begin within 30 days of demolition. The developer's agreement gives Paterson 40 months to finish everything on the site. The plan includes 21 luxury townhomes of 3,600 to 4,750 square feet each, plus a new tennis center and café and a pool complex. Marketing materials cited by The New Pelican say only three townhomes are still unsold. In September 2023, New Pelican coverage described permits for 16 townhomes, so the residential piece has grown since then.
The finished clubhouse will be much larger than the building it replaces. The club's development page lists 45,850 gross square feet, including a 19,475-square-foot rooftop. The amenities it describes include:
- Three lit rooftop Har-Tru courts and two lit ground-level courts
- A 4,000-square-foot tennis-center bistro
- A 2,500-square-foot children's center with indoor basketball
- A junior-Olympic pool, an outdoor spa pool and a second-floor adult jacuzzi
- A divisible 280-person banquet hall, a piano lounge, a tapas bar, a card room and a bridal suite
Mayor Kyle Van Buskirk told The New Pelican, "I am glad the city and the developer are now moving forward with this dream of Lighthouse Point Yacht Club members."
The Fall and Holiday Calendar Around the Fences
The club scheduled its October 21 groundbreaking as an invitation-only event because space on site is limited, with Shipwrecked and the courts set to close at 3 p.m. that day. Paterson wrote that a larger celebration for the whole club will follow once the site can hold it. The club's social calendar keeps running in the meantime, and it overlaps with the city's holiday events:
- Friday, October 30: Social Committee Golf Cart Parade, 4:30–7 p.m., then a Halloween Party at the club from 6–10 p.m. Members are encouraged to decorate their carts.
- Saturday, November 7: Kids Day with fall crafts and relay races, run with the head swim coach.
- Thursday, November 26: The club is closed for Thanksgiving.
- Wednesday, December 2: The city's Lighthouse A'Glow, 6:30–8:30 p.m. at 3500 NE 27th Avenue, according to the City of Lighthouse Point calendar.
- Friday, December 4: A Trolley Parade on the club's save-the-date list.
- Sunday, December 20: The city's Santa Around the Point, 2–5 p.m.
Shortly after those dates comes the pool renovation's year-end target, the first piece slated to return. Pilings and foundations come after that. The marina stays as it is the whole time.
If you own a home near the waterfront and are wondering how a block being rebuilt this heavily affects your own property, Hasnaa Boutros brings two decades of property and association management experience to that question. Request a free home valuation and get a clear, data-informed view of your home while the yacht club rebuild moves ahead.
