The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-05-12
the PONCE DE LEON.
Hotel spIendours that Surpass the
Luxuries of the AncIents.

gustfne. ancient and lazy. To the front tn,
ocean doomed, the white caps growing under
| a westerly wind. Overhead flock of pig.
cons reminding one of that other Venice,
| drifted here and there, their wings breaking
against the sunshine of the upper deep, as
| the crisp waves broke two hundred feet be.
low.
But who made up the party thus comfOrta-
bly, circumstanced?
Let Mr. e. G. Benedict rest after his cruise
through tropical seas, before he is put
through his PAGES in print Let Mr.. I'll. b.
Plant, tremendous developer and builder
prosecute his great work in peace for awhile.
1t is with the fourth member OF the party
that we have to do at present.
And one Of the most remarkable men OF
this day he is.
A steadfast face; features reposeful but
not inert gray eyes that gaze at you unwink-
ing from beneath steady lids; square and
resolute jaws. a broad, deep forehead; a fine
ly shaped, well-poised head sl0w-motioned
man, conveying the suggestion OF repressed
energies; soft spoken and deliberate of
speech laughing low, but not infrequently
alert, but with the quiet watchfulness of the
waiting eagle poised in the blue; charming
in the deeper sense of strength with kindli-
talked-Of man in this country for the past
year, the builder of Ponce de Leon Hotel.
Mr.. Flager will have spent 100000 on
the Hotel Alcazar and grounds when he has
finished. This is stupendous,, but it gives
him the finest hotel in the world. Gen. San
ford, who was Minister to Belgium, and who
has spent years ON the Continent, says there
is nothing in Europe to approach 1t in beau
ty or magnifcence. Mr.. H. b. Plant says.
Il have studied It closely, and it Is the
greatest individual enterprise l have any
record Of. 1t is amazing that any man should
have had the courage to spend millions so
layishly in an old and dead city,"
Let me explain the investment. The
Ponce de Leon" is the hotel proper; the "Al-
cazar' is a separate building across the street.
1t was originally intended to hold the cafes,
baths, bar, billiard rooms, tennis courts, &C.,
for the great hotel, but it has outgrown its
design. The Ponce de Leon has been OPP en-
for the winter, the Alcazar is not yet finished
The Ponce de Leon cost about $2,500,OO0; the
Alcazar will cost even more.
The Ponce de Leon has been repeatedly de-
scribed. 1t is a hotel for the accommodation
of 800 to 1000 guests, with court OF several
acres enclosed by wings having two, rows CT
rooms, central hall, and immense brick pi-
azza-ways, covered. 1t has immense Moor
ish gateways for entrances. Over $4,000
was spent in decorating the walls and CELL
ings of the rotunda and dining room, and
$1,000 for one mantelpiece alone. Inc
spendor of the hotel has been the wonder Oh
the world for season.
But the AlcaZar will outstrip it in beauty
and elegance. The AlcaZar covers twenty
eight acres Of ground. You approach 1t
from broad asphalt streets. 1t is fronted by
an open garden, through which run walks as
smooth as marble, turned at the sides with
white copings Within these copings are
flower beds of indescribable richness. In
the central walks are enormous marble pa
sins, from which rise fountains with count
three or four acres, and is simply dream Of
light and color. The AlcaZar stands square
against its farther end, broken in the centre
by superb arched gateway, through which
you go into a second court, calea Inc
ture than this is seldom seen. The superb
AlcaZar rises on every side. Behind is the
arched way through which you entered. In
front, the gorgeous dining room and offices
of the hotel, above which rise three stories OF
splendid architecture, closes the view. On
either side this imposing structure continues,
the ground floor being given up to dainty
shops and booths. The footways are exquis-
itely tiled, and the walks are of asphalt
toned into beautiful colors. Above, the
fronts of enormous lions, artistic and i'm
pressive, look down on the court In the
centre the asphalt is cut into running way
of crystal water, thirty feet wide and hun
bred feet long. From the water rise delicate
fountains, under the FLASHING Of which are
the Nile, and lotos plants. On every side
are acres of flowers and grass, fashioned in
curious beds and growing with startling lux.
uriance of color, but blending In reposeful
harmony The dining room. looking out ON
this court and through the broad archway
into the court. will seat 1000 guests, and is as
handsome as the view 1t commands.
Beyond this stretches the Alcazar proper
and a nobler pile it would be hard to find.
There are lines upon lines OF rooms en- suite
and single, finished with lavish but tasteful
hands, The bar and billiard room when
finished will put to blush the tawdry inery
of Stokes's famous Hoffman House place.
1t is estimated that 500, 5000 will be spent in
decorating and equipping the saloon alone:
In this part OF the Alcazar are the offices OF
the hotel, fitted with splendor to be COM
pareh only to the Ponce de Leon.
Beyond the Alcazar proper come the baths.
These are simply marvellous. There are
huge marble rooms for the Turkish baths.
Great concrete spaces in which an ordinary
house might be placed, and enormous pools
for the Turkish and Russian baths alone oc-
cupy more space than the Markham House
entire.
But the wonder is yet to come. Back of
these rooms is the sea BATH This is stipend
dous cave Of solid concrete 1874 feet in length
"a feet across, and from to 30 feet deep.
Do you realize these dimensions? The build
er who built the base Of the Bartholdi statue
declares that the ruins in Rome show no
such masonary or concrete work, and that
this bath stands without a precedent in
sacred or profane history. Into this cavern
Gus depth Mr.. Flagler will literally let the
sea- Above it rise the three stories OF the
AlcaZar, leaving the view clear, however, to
the glass roof ninety feet away. through
which the tropical sun beats genially even in
December. On the first floor are hundreds
Of drawing rooms, just as at Cape May or
Coney Island. On the floor abovels cafe,
the tables so placed as to overlook the pull
sating sea beneath. On the next are bache-
lor quarters fitted with the utmost luxury
Here gentleman can leave his rooms in the
morning III slippers and bathing suit-de-
scend by elevator to the sea for plunge or
swim-can splash to music from band sus-
pended midair above him-return one floor,
and while he reads his morning paper eat
such breakfast as Delmonico could not
surpass and return to his room
to dress for the day. About the bath and
above it will be flowers galore in hanging
gardens and terraces.
After going over this amazing building
with its tennis courts, archery grounds, al
leys, &c, with Mr. Flagler and Senator CAM
er0n, a prominent New Yorker said
Now add million dollars more to this
and make Monte Carlo. You will then
have such resort as will attract visitors
from every quarter of the globe the year
round"
81 am too much of presbyterian. 'Mr.
Flagler replied, to establish q gambling
house. Besides, have firm belief that IL
you give the American people wholesome,
innocent and healthful amusement they Will
be satisfied. have SPARED nothing TO- DO
this, but nothing shall carry me further than
this"
The Ponce de Leon was built in eighteen
months. The Alcazar will be built in less
time. To expend S6,000,000 in building. In
less than two and a half years is big under
taking
When Mr.. Flagler is away from ST.. Au-
gustine he has photographs taken of the
work every Saturday night, so that he can
see precisely how it has advanced.
But has it paid?
Yes. Contrary to the expectation OF every
human being, except, perhaps, mr.: Flagler,
it has paid. For sixty days this season
people were turned away from the Ponce de
Leon. Frequently 1000 people sat down to
dinner. and the receipts for the sixty days
were over $500, 900 or $1,000 day. The run
ming expenses could not have been more
than S2,500 day, and it is said $1,000 would
cover everything. At the higher figure the
profits for the sixty days would be $4,000
or per cent on s., 100000, the cost of the
hotel. But for thirty days preceding and the
the thirty DAYS following this flush period
there was an estimated profit OF 81 600 day
so that the profit of the hotel which in this
case means the rent, was not less than $780,
600 for the season. With the Alcazar opened
the capacity of the enterprise will be doubled
and its earning capacity more than doubled.
The rates? Five dollars day and upward
Eight out of ten visitors pay 50 day. The
other two, taking private parlors, or extra
rooms, pay from eight to 800 day. The
suite Of rooms engaged by Mr.. Pulitzer were
$3.50 week, The Duke OF Newcastle paid
GEon n ,.,ool~ for bic rooms. ordered in an extra