Leading the captains of industry, the social doyennes, the debutantes, the idle rich and their host of servants to South Florida was none other than one of their own – Henry Flagler.
Real estate tycoon, Standard Oil partner and railroad baron, Flagler had been promoting the benefits of a winter respite in the southern climes sine the late 1870’s.
First in St. Augustine, and then off the shores of Lake Worth, at Palm Beach, he built luxury hotels. Realizing the need for reliable transportation he simultaneously set up establishing a railroad. Originally known as the “ Flagler Line” and by 1895 becoming the Florida East Coast Railway, the tracks eventually ran from Jacksonville to Biscayne Bay near Miami.
In 1902, the 72 year-old Flagler presented Whitehall, a 55- room Beaux Arts Mansion as a wedding present to his third wife, Mary Lily Kenan.
Gleaming white against the blue skies, the house, designed in Classical Revival, instantly grabbed attention. Large rooms dominated by marble floors and columns are matched by the heavy use of gilding and opulent furnishings. Built in an era when one’s abodes reflected one’s social standing and wealth – the New York Herald deemed Whitehall -"More wonderful than any palace in Europe, grander and more magnificent than any other private dwelling in the world..."
Entering Whitehall today, visitors can still revel in the grandeur. Although the uniformed doormen are gone – the large bronze doors with lions’ heads remain. Immediately inside the Grand Hall is just that – imposing with seven different types of marble used on stairs, furniture and sculpture, a dropped ceiling with its central dome possessing the painting of “Crowning of Knowledge” and flanked with smaller depictions of “Prosperity” and “Happiness”.
Walking the first floor and one notices the rooms have definite masculine or feminine atmospheres – clearly showing whether Flagler or Mary Lily frequented the rooms more. The richly red Library holds sway with an Italian Renaissance feel and faux plaster ceiling designed to look like wooden beams.
Coming into the Music Room and the décor lightens up with recessed lighting, embroidered chairs and gilded walls. Reminiscent of Louis XVI and adorned with silk fabric and light woods – the Drawing Room’s softness and sensuality additionally reflected Mary Lily’s Southern roots.
In 1903 a Bal Poudre was given in honor of George Washington’s birthday, and marked the inauguration of the Grand Ballroom. Painted cupids alternate amid bucolic scenes on the walls as the parquet floors reflect the light from Baccarat crystal chandeliers. Pictures from the event show the guests powdered and bewigged and dressed in sumptuous gowns and jewels.
On less auspicious occasions the Flaglers would dine al fresco in the outdoor Courtyard, which provided both light and cooled the house with ocean breezes.
Upstairs their Master Suite reflects the couple’s closeness as unusual for the time period – they shared it. With gilded walls, mirrors, and fabrics the large room literally shines in its Louis XVI finery.
Guest accommodations equally possess richness and style. Usually named for the color palette like the Pink and Blue rooms or a major design component – such as the Heliotrope Room’s usage of the flower in its wall covering – the rooms housed the Flaglers’ coterie of guests through out the months of January and February.
Each winter the couple would travel by private railcar to Florida. No. 91 – called “A Palace on Wheels” sits restored to its 1912 elegance with oak paneling now sits in the Flagler Kenan Pavilion on the home’s grounds.
Whitehall remains a monument to love alongside Lake Worth. Plan a visit soon.
For more information on famous Floridian snowbirds see:
florida-travel.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_ringlings_of_sarasota
florida-travel.suite101.com/article.cfm/geniuses_getaway
