Ponce de Leon Hotel
Ponce de León Hotel | |
The Ponce de León Hotel, today Flagler College | |
| Location | 74 King Street |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 29°53′32″N 81°18′54″W / 29.89222°N 81.31500°W |
| Built | 1885–1887 |
| Architect | John M. Carrere and Thomas Hastings |
| Architectural style | Spanish Colonial Revival architecture |
| NRHP reference No. | 75002067 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | May 6, 1975 |
| Designated NHL | February 17, 2006 |
| Designated NHLDCP | April 15, 1970 |
The Hotel Ponce de Leon, also known as The Ponce, was a luxury hotel in St. Augustine, Florida, built by millionaire developer and Standard Oil co-founder Henry M. Flagler. Built between 1885–1887, the winter resort opened in January 1888. The hotel was designed in the Spanish Colonial Revival style as the first major project of the New York architecture firm Carrère & Hastings, which gained world renown for more than 600 projects, including the House and Senate Office Buildings flanking the US Capitol. Their final project was the New York Public Library.
The hotel is the first of its kind constructed entirely of poured concrete, using the local coquina stone as aggregate. The hotel is one of the first buildings in the country wired for electricity from the onset, with the power being supplied by DC generators installed by Flagler's friend, Thomas Edison.
Since 1968, with the founding of Flagler College, the original building and grounds of the hotel serve as the centerpiece of the campus Flagler College.