Posts tagged Thomas Edison
Flagler College announces anniversary celebration to commemorate 125th anniversary of the Hotel Ponce de Leon
Oct 12th
Flagler College will celebrate the 125th anniversary of the Hotel Ponce de Leon with a yearlong commemoration of the National Historic Landmark 
built by Henry Flagler. The Ponce is the centerpiece of the college’s St. Augustine campus, and was included on the Florida Chapter of the American Institute of Architects’ list of top Florida architecture.
built by Henry Flagler. The Ponce is the centerpiece of the college’s St. Augustine campus, and was included on the Florida Chapter of the American Institute of Architects’ list of top Florida architecture.
January 10, 2013 marks the anniversary of the opening of the Ponce in 1888. The celebration will include events focusing on the architectural, artistic, recreational and sociological impact the hotel has had on modern society, as well as showcase its historic and architectural highlights.
In conjunction with “Celebrating the Legacy: 125 Years of the Hotel Ponce de Leon,” the college has taken on the final restoration of the hotel, the Solarium. The domed Solarium rises from the center of the building and is flanked by symmetrical roof terraces and twin towers that pierce the St. Augustine skyline. These dramatic outdoor spaces afford unparalleled views of the city, the nearby Intracoastal Waterway and Bridge of Lions, as well as the Atlantic Ocean.
The Solarium served as a place where hotel guests gathered for conversation, enjoyed entertainment or watched activities taking place in town. It has been closed for more than 20 years, and the restoration is expected to be completed in 2013.
The anniversary celebration will honor the legacy of Flagler’s entrepreneurship and community-building. The founding partner with John D. Rockefeller in Standard Oil, he launched a resort empire along Florida’s east coast with construction of the Ponce. The Spanish Renaissance Revival hotel incorporated the talents of New York architects John Carrere and Thomas Hastings (New York Public Library) and Bernard Maybeck (Palace of the Fine Arts, San Francisco), interiors and 79 stained glass windows by Louis Comfort Tiffany, murals by George Maynard and steam power and electricity by Thomas Edison. The Ponce’s twin towers serve as an anchor to St. Augustine’s historic area.
“Celebrating the Legacy” will include: an opening day tour with period re-enactors leading guests through the Ponce on the same day the hotel first opened its doors; an exhibit of beautifully preserved original blueprints of the Ponce; a “Celebrating the Legacy” exhibit on the hotel’s construction, sports, leisure and arts; a community lecture series by Flagler professors; and a gilded age speaker series.
For more events and details about the celebration, go to www.ponce125.com
Source: Flagler College
Flagler College’s Hotel Ponce de Leon Included in ‘Florida Architecture: 100 Years. 100 Places’ List
Apr 24th
The former Hotel Ponce de Leon – the centerpiece of Flagler College in St. Augustine and a National Historic Landmark – won the write-in vote to be included in the Florida Chapter of the American Institute of Architects’ “Florida Architecture: 100 Years. 100 Places” competition.
To celebrate its 100th anniversary, the organization asked Floridians to vote on the top 100 buildings in an online competition. The Fontainebleau Miami Beach took first place in the popular vote. The Ponce wasn’t included in the original list of 100 structures, but it garnered enough write-in votes to be recognized.
More than 2 million votes were cast in the competition.
The Ponce joins other Florida architectural structures including the Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg, Cinderella’s Castle in Orlando, the Historic Capitol Building in Tallahassee, the Florida Aquarium in Tampa and the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed campus of Florida Southern College.
A former luxury hotel, the Ponce was built by Henry Flagler and it opened in 1888. It is widely considered one of the best examples of Spanish-Moorish Renaissance architecture.
When you first see Flagler College you will think it is part of the original old city. But the school was founded in 1968. The original Hotel Ponce de Leon, which now serves as the residence hall and is the center of the college was built in 1888 and is an architectural masterpiece.
Thomas Edison, whose winter home is in Fort Myers Florida, personally assisted in making The Hotel De Ponce de Leon the first building in Florida wired with electricity. In addition, Louis Comfort Tiffany of the famed Tiffany Stained Glass created the stained class inside the hotel.
The rest of the campus matches that historical architecture and as a result is a major attraction for visitors to St Augustine.
Statue of Henry Flagler at Flagler College, St Augustine
Flagler College is an independent, four-year, comprehensive baccalaureate college located in St. Augustine, Fla. The college offers 24 majors, 29 minors and two pre-professional programs, the largest majors being business, education and communication. Small by intent, Flagler College has an enrollment of about 2,500 students, as well as a satellite campus at Tallahassee Community College in Tallahassee, Fla. U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review regularly feature Flagler as a college that offers quality education at a relatively low cost; tuition is $22,500, including room and board. A relatively young institution (founded in 1968), Flagler College is also noted for the historic beauty of its campus. The main building is Ponce de Leon Hall, built in 1887 as a luxury resort by Henry Flagler, who co-founded the Standard Oil Company with John D. Rockefeller.
For more information contact: Brian Thompson, 904-819-6249, bthompson@flagler.edu
