The Republican journal., 1889-04-18
Hotel Ponce de Leon.
WHAT ST. AUGUSTINE CAN SHOW IN THE WAY
OF IIOTELS-WHAT CAN BE HAD FOR FORTY
DOLLARS DAY.

OF IIoTELS-WHAT CAN BE HAD FOR FORTY
DOLLARS A DAY.
Correspondence of the journal.
ST. AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA. If any of your
readers hold any grudge against me for writing
this letter, let them lay it at the door of the
| Ponce de Leon, for that the cause of it
We arrived here at p NJ. AS we swept
through the beautiful grounds and drove up to
the door of 1.-The handsomest hotel in the
world gong sounded and our barge was
quickly surrounded by coored porters. Many
of your readers have read descriptions of this
hotel, but for The benefit of those who have not,
| will give my impressions. There are three
of the most beautiful hotels here | ever saw.
and they are all together with only street to
divide their grounds. viz: The Ponce de Leon,
the A!caZar, and the Cordova. They are own
ed by one man, Henry l.. Flager, of New
York. and cost about S5,000,000. But | will
confine myself to the Ponce de Leon, as this
takes the lead and bears the proud distinction
of being the handsomest hotel in the world.
As one approaches the hotel he is struck
with the beauty of the graceful toWerS-the
broad roof with their red crnkled tiles and
dormer windows, the porticoeS, loggia> and
the corner turrets carried up into low towers
with open galleries and ONerhanging roofs
The main material is she'll concrete. Brick is
used in the arches and columns, while the or
namentS are of terra Gotta, which has very
pleasing effect. The front entrance leading to
the hotel is through a covered archWay into Il
fountain court. Across this court. directly or
posite the archWay. is the principal entrance to
the hotel. This court is $50 feet square in
closed on three sides by the walls of the hotel
and on the fourth. which is the front, by a one
story portco closing i'll this end. containing the
gateway i'll the centre. This large court is
beautihed by a fountain in the centre. with
walks flowers and pretty shrubs surrounding
it. There are covered Verandas the first
and second stories of the hotel facing this
court. The Ve>tibule opens into Il corridor
surrounding "A rotunda which occupies the
great central space of this main building. On
the right Il broad hall leads past the hotel
office, another on the left leads TO the parlor>,
while directly opposite a broad stairway of
marble and African onyx leads to landing
from W hich is entered the dining hail In an
tique letters set in mosaic in the floor of this
landing are these lines:
"Who'er has travelfd lfe's dun round,
Where cr his stages may have been,
May sigh TO think he still has found
The Walmest welcome at an inn
The pavement of veStibue, corridors and
rOtunda, is mosaic of tiny hit- of marble
laid in cement. The wainscoting of the ye>ti-
bule is of choice Numidian marble imported
from Africa.
But to 20 back to our arrival. The arrival
ment under an archWay. ] was >omeW hat pre-
pared for all the elegance that meets the eye a'
"he sterS from the basement inlo iLt 'oTiltlpi'
nut' as crossed 10 Tue once could not help
thiHhih@ n4W tame descriptions are TO thG
realities We found the terms at this hotel
were 500 to $40 day for each person. When
two persons occupy the same rooms they make
! "iHcount. t uiu NOT take 9lo gay SUITE.
-S"' lilal we cared aliNlnih@ anout lhe Iri'c-
nh' nh' ho'--hht we duht IKE me way !! iaccd.
ha wa MFar bow ittn ltuin, =.
hhhusoihe mahogany set TWO or lhfee easy
thalrS, a chifohlef' handsome fi'epiace, lrl>i
point lace curtains ahd Il beautiful ilght colored
NtINel carpet. A. iidN expressed IL "a perfect
@ein Oh afooul. ne WINDOWS We're easement
Styit. LOOKING from the windows me most
neautii ui SlSnl met me eye. he east aItoNe o
the dlnln& hall, with lt> handsome stained
gia>s windows brllliahtiy l.luininated taken
win the towers tufrets ana portirots OF thlS
elegant structure, surrounded by walks, palms
ana handsome ShruhbefN' hllde the most per
lcrl picture we ever saw. one could not tcr
gNclmmlng, "W hat picture for an arti>t''
lhere are no hackfoom> III thi> hotel: Every
one iook> on some >uth picture a> tht abcNe.
me dhlnS hl!l Is SIMPLY magnificent. 1t seats
Ho itope, ne man iia'i j. ninety lett square
IL Is divided ny TWO seinl-clrcliar acoNe> ON
Ime M eaSt ana west ENDS by rows OF OAK columns
ne ceilings are thIly-slA leet from the lloor
10 ihe apex oi the vault. l ne rounded ehus ol
the aicoNes nave great haE WlhhoW>. TWO
hu:lGlahs s"'ierieS oNerhahS lhe hali, from
Whith music ana song issue during dlnhtr.
ihi> NAN @ha!i Is the pilue anu masterpiece ol tDc
hoiei. ne "eailh ol aaofhiilehl ana beauty
OF form Whith everywhere charn lhe eye i
supplemented by richness ana harmony OF
coloIN. Ahh'>l lhe eltfc tHd> OF thc rolilldeu
cAt@h>iohS are hhd?ulhttii misses ol stained
Slass "lndoW>. Whlch taken WIN me creamy
Atio"' me plNai'iilS >hade ol ihe lftsG"ll'%-
ana tle various contrasting roloTS produce
l''hhcss He'uoh sceh' "iil iioi attempt ~
dtsrrlpe the ifescoihg, WIN the dahclhS cuplts
Win ontStfetGhed hahds' representing the least,
some extending clusters OF grapes otheTH
"ie"u' cups ol WIFE, ttc.' Ill "eIcGi1e 10 Uie
guests lhe louf seasons represented by temaie
hsutes' i''ei i'ia'us' spanish >hlpS Ill i'li san
ana oln', NtNfSGs representing the ~ II
'cHtuls y ~ "Uut tahI "eeh> 10 eAaihihe
ilc peautlul ueSiSnS uoAe III Solu' sl'Ner'
pl"nIe' cle'' ny 'ue pe>t altSts money
con-" procure Mhlch cover me W"iiS ana
fel'Ilss VI lhis Gle9ahl HAIL. "nfn Is GluailS
noautllu iioil the ilShlH ana >haHes thfough
the stained 2la'> WINDOWS OF from the cleclflc
ilEht> III tiie NeElli2, iEe -Tailn paFior i d
i!as lilrtht room lotA'o leet' ,'ut ihese af@e
dimensions are suppIehehleu ny thG dl>p">-
toii ol plers ahu arches Wn,eh p:eak up lhe
pafloI mo many corners. we met tapl. :.
.tne former owner q MAUD - aha Party. at
tnlS hotei' ~ referring 10 the par!oi ne >ftlh.
hau occasion 10 ''e III NahutrhhtS paftorS
on business ahu MS pliNate parIors are hot 50
rlch ana LUXURIOUS aS lheSe. Inc decorations
are III "hite anu Soid WIN cupids ana Sarlahds
ana hliny draPery amld the clouds IN the cor
uel cehlilSS. lnese ceiiihSs were painted Ill
farlS on canvas by celebrated artist ana then
roAeu before shlpplhs 10 thls country. Inc
H,i iNeu ilahte WIN its Gioch OF transparent
hcAic'n ohA \ - one ol 'ht priHcipai lcatures
ol this peautilui room. III Is Impossible 10
4esGTlpe me rlehness M ana beauty OF TINS parl9r'