Ponce de León Hotel

St. Augustine, United States

Exterior only

Visible from the street; the inside is private.

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Built between 1885 and 1887 in St. Augustine, Florida, the Ponce de León Hotel was a luxury winter resort designed by the renowned New York architecture firm Carrère & Hastings in the Spanish Colonial Revival style, blending Mediterranean and Moorish Revival elements. Commissioned by millionaire Henry M. Flagler, a Standard Oil co-founder, it opened in January 1888 and represented a technological landmark: the first major building in the country constructed entirely of poured concrete, using local coquina stone as aggregate, and among the first buildings in America wired for electricity from its inception, with power supplied by DC generators installed by Thomas Edison. The hotel's success launched Carrère & Hastings toward world prominence—their portfolio would eventually encompass over 600 projects, including the House and Senate Office Buildings at the US Capitol and the New York Public Library. Since 1968, the building has served as the centerpiece of Flagler College's campus. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated as a National Historic Landmark.

Architect

Carrère and Hastings

Movement

Mediterranean Revival architecture Moorish Revival architecture

Type: university building, former hotel
Heritage: National Register of Historic Places listed place, National Historic Landmark
Place: St. Augustine, United States

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Location

29.89222, -81.31500