Flagler's St. Augustine Hotels The Ponce de Leon, the Alcazar, and the Casa Monica

by Graham, Thomas

• ISBN13: 9781561643004
• ISBN10: 1561643009
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-03-01
• Publisher: Pineapple Press

Summary

Near the end of the nineteenth century Standard Oil millionaire Henry Morrison Flagler ventured to St. Augustine, Florida, America's Oldest City, and transformed it into an exotic travel destination for the social elite. He raised magnificent, fanciful SPanish Renaissance hotel palaces on what had been orange grove and salt marsh. Then he connected his creation with the outside world by building a modern railroad system. Flagler's hotels stand as monuments to innovation in architecture and engineering. They were the first large buildings in the United States constructed of poured concrete, and they pioneered use of novel amenities like electric lights, steam heat, and elevators. They are still a vital part of modern St. Augustine. The Ponce de Leon, Flagler's preeminent hotel, now houses Flagler College; the Alcazar now holds the City Hall and the Lightner Museum. Only the Casa Monica (previously called the Cordova) is presently a hotel. Thomas Graham is a professor of history at Flagler College in St. Augustine, where he has taught since 1973. He is a native of Miami and can trace his ancestry back to early Spanish Colonial times in Florida. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Florida and received his M.A. and B.A. from Florida State University. He has served on teh board of directors of both the Florida Historical Society and the St. Augustine Historical Society.

Author Biography

Thomas Graham is a professor of history at Flagler College in St. Augustine, where he has taught since 1973. He is a native of Miami and can trace his ancestry back to early Spanish Colonial times in Florida. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Florida and received his M.A. and B.A. from Florida State University

Table of Contents

Introduction	7	(2)
Henry Morrison Flagler	9	(6)
The Ponce de Leon Hotel	15	(25)
The Cordova Hotel (Casa Monica)	40	(2)
The Alcazar	42	(14)
The Rises and Declines of St. Augustine as Premier Resort Town	56	(20)
The Alcazar Redone: The Lightner Museum and the City Hall	76	(4)
The Ponce de Leon Reborn: Flagler College	80	(2)
The Cordova Reborn: The New Casa Monica	82	(2)
Epilogue	84	(1)
Select Bibliography	85	(2)
Index	87