Free previewStop 8 of St. Augustine Walking Tour: Nights of Lights and the Old City
A Hotel Bought for a Hobby
You're standing outside the Lightner Museum, the big building with the twin towers right across from Flagler College. Locals still call it by its first name, the Hotel Alcazar. Put a hand on the wall if you like. It's poured concrete, and in 1887 that made this one of the earliest buildings of its kind anywhere in the world.
Henry Flagler built it. You met him at the last stop, the Standard Oil man behind the Hotel Ponce de Leon. The Ponce was for the very richest guests. The Alcazar was built to fill up the winter crowd riding south on Flagler's railroad. Two young New York architects, Carrère and Hastings, designed both buildings. Years later they would design the New York Public Library.
The Alcazar was built for people who came to be pampered.
That's the opening. The rest plays at stop 8 of St. Augustine Walking Tour: Nights of Lights and the Old City (3 min in all). Unlock the tour to hear it all, or try stop 1 free first.
