The magnificent structure was erected between 1885 and 1887 by Henry M. Flagler, the hotel and railroad magnate whose activities contributed greatly to the development of Florida’s eastern coastal area.  Designed by New York architectural firm of Carrere an Hastings, the building reflects the Spanish Renaissance style throughout.  The hotel was first the major edifice in the United States to be constructed of poured concrete, a mixture of cement, sand, and coquina shell.  The interior is decorated with imported marble, carved oak, and murals painted by Louis Tiffany of  New York.  The Ponce de Leon Hotel was the flagship of the Flagler hotel system which soon extended all along the east coast of Florida.  Located in the “Winter Newport,” this resort hotel entertained celebrities from around the world,  including several U.S. Presidents.  During World War II, the hotel served as a Coast Guard Training Center.  In 1968, this historic landmark was converted into Flagler College, an accredited liberal arts institution.  Independent and coeducational, the college serves students from across the nation.

The Villa Zorayda was constructed in 1883 as the winter home of Franklin Smith, a Boston millionaire who was so impressed by the magnificaence of the Alhambra Palace which he saw during a visit to Granada, Spain, that he decided to build the as the exact replica of one wing of the palace at one tenth of the original size.  The 12th century palace had been built by the Moors who had ruled Spain for six centuries before being expelled in 1492.  Smith, a gifted amateur architect, designed the house himself, using the innovative technique of constructing the building with poured concrete reinforced with crushed coquina stone.  Many other materials used in finishing the residence were imported from Spain.  In 1913, the building was bought by Abraham S. Mussallem.  In 1922, it became a nightclub and gambling casino which closed in 1925 when Florida outlawed gambling.  In 1936, it was opened as a tourist attraction called the Zorayda Castle, exhibiting items fitting the architectural theme of the building.  The property was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.

Built by Henry Flagler, the Alcazar Hotel opened as a companion to the Ponce de Leon in 1888.  The building, one with poured concrete, was designed by John M. Carrere and Thomas Hastings who modeled its facade after a Moorish palace in southern Spain.  The hotel remained closed from 1932 until publisher O.C. Lightner purchased the building from the Florida East Coast Hotel Company in 1947 and deeded it to the city memorabilia.  In 1969, the voters of St. Augustine approved a bond issue to renovate the structure to house the museum and also municipal offices.  After remodeling, the building was dedicated as St. Augustine City Hall on April 27, 1973.  The Lightner Museum reopened to the public on August 12, 1974.

Grace United Methodist Church is a reminder of the tremendous physical impact Henry Flagler had on St. Augustine. This complex of structures resulted from a compromise between Flagler and the congregation of Oivet Church. That group of northern Methodists agreed to exchange the land on which their church and parsonage stood for a new complex designed by John M. Carrere and Thomas Hastings. Flagler, in turn, employed the same architects in designing his Alcazar Hotel, which rose on the former Olivet site. Construction began in 1886 and was completed in late 1887. Grace Methodist Episcopal Church was dedicated in January 1888. The church and parsonage are excellent examples of the Spanish Renaissance Revival Style of architecture, and the decision to execute the design in poured concrete resulted in unusual and aesthetically pleasing structures which have stood the tests of time and the elements. Grace United Methodist Church was entered in the National Register of Historic Placed on November 29, 1979.

St. Augustine had no Protestant church when it became an American town in1821. At first, a united Protestant church was favored. Many denominations sent missionaries such as Presbyterian Eleazer Lathrop, who first arrived in 1821. By October, 1823, the few resident Presbyterians had decided to build their own church. Rev. William McWhir arrived to organize the congregation. In 1824, the First Presbyterian Church was constituted and a cornerstone was laid for a structure. That church, which was located on St. George Street, housed Florida’s first formally constituted Presbyterian congregation in to 1890.

Address: St. Augustine Beach, Anastasia Island

Directions from Current Location