The Former Ponce de Leon Hotel - Flagler College

The Ponce de Leon Hotel was an exclusive luxury hotel built by Standard Oil co-founder and railroad magnate Henry Flagler and competed in 1888. This was the first major project for the architecture firm of Carrere & Hastings. The hotel was on of the first buildings in the country to be wired for electricity, with power being supplied by DC generators installed by Flagler’s friend Thomas Edison. Flagler hired staff to turn on and off the power for his residents, because the residents were too afraid of the new electricity. The hotel construction used poured concrete and local coquina shells as used by Franklin Smith on his house Villa Zorayda. The interior design of the hotel was headed by Louis Comfort Tiffany who provided the stained glass windows in the hotel’s dining room. The furnishings were provided by Pottier & Stymus and murals done by artist George Masqueray. The twin towers of the hotel contained 8,000 gallon water storage tanks to provide running water to guests. Some of the guest at the hotel included Presidents Grover Cleveland, Theodore Roosevelt, Warren G. Harding, Lyndon B. Johnson, millionaires John Jacob Astor J.P. Morgan, Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, writer Mark Twain, Joseph Pulitzer and baseball great Babe Ruth. The hotel became one of the most famous hotels of the Gilded Age. The hotel saw a decline in visitors in the 1910’s and 1920’s as Flagler’s railroad brought tourists further south to warmer climates. During World War II, the Hotel was taken over by the federal government and used as a Coast Guard training center. After the war the hotel was opened again and tourists came back to the city, but this boom was short lived. The hotel building became Flagler College in 1968 and the college started to restore parts of the hotel to its original grandeur.

Here is what caught my eye; I hope you enjoy!

One of the 79 Louis Comfort Tiffany stained glass windows in the former hotel dining hall. This remains the largest Tiffany stained glass window collection still in use.

Informational postings regarding the building

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The grand entranceway of the historic hotel was once called the most elegant room in St. Augustine.

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Mr. Flagler’s St. Augustine

By Graham, Thomas

St. Augustine in the Gilded Age (Postcard History: Florida)

By Rogero Bowen, Beth, St. Augustine Historical Society

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

By Graham, Thomas

The spiked ball and chain used outside the hotel grounds was originally used to prevent enemy ships from entering the harbor under the cover of darkness.

A statue of Henry Flagler outside the main entrance to the college.

This fountain is the centerpiece of the courtyard

Looking up from the courtyard at one of the towers

The main entrance to the former hotel

Outdoor space surrounding much of the hotel’s main level

This building was the first major poured-in-place concrete building in the United States.

The front entrance facade and one of the towers

Outside building details

An outside stairway leading to the outside space with arches and rocking chairs

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Another couple images of the Rotunda, the opulent lobby greeting guest when they arrived at the hotel. The ladies depicted in the gold rotunda ceiling represent: Adventure, Air, Earth, Fire, Discovery, Conquest, Water, and Civilization.

Detail of the ceiling

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Details of the wood carved elements in the main lobby

The main lobby floor is comprised of hand-laid African Mosaic Tile. Teams of 50 men laid tile 24 hours a day to complete the floor in time.

The main entrance to the Dining Hall

The main staircase in the lobby

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One of eleven Austrian chandeliers designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany inside the Grand Parlor

The beautiful ceilings in the Grand Parlor

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The ceiling murals in the four outside quadrants of the room were painted by Virgilio Torjetti. It is possible that these are the last remaining examples of his work.

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Exhibits in the Grand Parlor

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The Grand Parlor main room fireplace and chandelier

A few images of the elaborate ceilings in the Dining Hall

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The painted ceilings, Tiffany stained glass windows and twin second-story orchestra balconies on either side of the dining room. This would allow uninterrupted music, when one orchestra took a break, the other would play.

The 14,212 square foot dining room with 48-foot barrel-vaulted ceilings

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Back outside

The original building and grounds of the hotel have been the centerpiece of Flagler College since 1968, and they conduct tours of a few public areas of the old hotel. The driving force behind the college’s development was Lawrence Lewis Jr, Henry Flagler’s grand nephew.

What you should know:

• Tickets can be bought on-line or on-site.

• Check the website for days and hours of operation.

• People are friendly and helpful.

• On the street parking is available, some metered; check posted parking regulations signs.

• Public restrooms are available.

• You can spend 1 to 1.5 hours here or more depending on your level of interest.

• Tickets for the tour of first floor public rooms only.

Location: 74 King Street, St. Augustine, FL 32084

For more information: Flagler College