Whitehall (Flagler Museum)- Palm Beach, FL

In regards to Gilded Age architecture, Carrère and Hastings could do no wrong. While they would go on to build many impressive Beaux Arts mansions throughout the country, some of their earliest work was for Henry Flager in Florida. After impressing the tycoon with several St. Augustine projects, including his exclusive Ponce de Leon Hotel, they were retained to construct his magnificent 75 room mansion, Whitehall.

As a partner in Standard Oil, early Florida developer, and founder of the Florida East Coast Railway, Henry Flagler had an unlimited budget when constructing a winter retreat and wedding present for his much younger third wife, Mary Lily Kenan Flagler. It was fortunate he had deep pockets; even before the wedding, Flagler spent a not so small fortune lobbying Florida Legislature to change the state’s divorce laws. At the time, he was still married to his second wife, a woman he committed to a mental institution, and needed a divorce post-haste. No surprise, he got the law changed, and Mary got her house.

In 1900, Carrère and Hastings started construction on Flagler’s elaborate winter residence, meant to rival the palaces of Europe, and closer to home, Newport. What emerged was a 75 room, 100,000 square foot Beaux Arts Neoclassical beauty, which was deemed by The New York Herald as “grander and more magnificent than any other private dwelling in the world.”

Overlooking Lake Worth, the monumental mansion features a substantial entrance portico with broad marble steps and six Roman Doric columns in the center of its front facade. The two story, five bay central section, with side gabled roof and paired chimneys, is flanked by two one story projections, topped with red tiled hipped roofs. Rectangular in shape, the building was modeled after an Italian Renaissance palazzo, with the rooms arranged around an inner courtyard. As a finishing touch, Carrère and Hastings enclosed the property with an intricate iron fence, which still stands today.

Inside, the massive 110 x 40 foot entrance hall was designed to be the largest room of any Gilded Age private residence. Seven varieties of marble were used in the space, which features 16 paired free standing Ionic columns with bronze capitals. Above, a gilded ceiling with a central oval dome features The Crowning of Knowledge, which depicts the Oracle of Delphi imparting Apollo’s message of divine inspiration through arts and literature.

With lush interiors designed by the New York firm of Pottier & Stymus, the first floor contains a collection of elaborate and highly gilded rooms, including a library, billiard room, music room, breakfast room, dining room, and drawing room. While all are magnificent, some are exceptionally exquisite.

For instance, the Louis XIV style music room, which exemplifies Gilded Age design. With Baccarat crystal chandeliers made by Edward F. Caldwell & Co., recessed lighting, intricately carved moldings, and an 1249 pipe organ, it is a luxurious space meant for entertaining. Each season, a resident organist was hired to provide music on demand.

Also intended for entertaining was the Louis XV style Grand Ballroom, with its arched doors and windows, featuring lunette paintings. Above, three large Caldwell and Co. crystal chandeliers, complemented by 12 gilded bronze and crystal wall sconces, whose light was reflected in the room’s large mirrors. Each year, a fabulous Bal Poudré, or powdered wig ball, was held at Whitehall in honor of George Washington’s birthday, which was considered the highlight of Florida’s social season.

The love of all things French continues in the Louis XVI style Drawing Room, a space designed for female guests. An elegant retreat, the room features walls adorned with silk fabric and wood paneling, with aluminum leaf plaster details. Above each door and window, a cameo of Marie Antoinette, Louis XVI’s unfortunate wife, who was revered by wealthy Gilded Age ladies. Above, another intricate ceiling, featuring a central medallion painting of cupids.

Upstairs, there are an obscene amount of bedrooms. Fifteen in total, they line long corridors, like a hotel. While the master suite was once again decorated in the Louis XIV style, other bedrooms incorporated more contemporary designs, such as modern American with matching wallpaper and fabrics, and Art Nouveau. The mansion’s five guest rooms were each equipped with a private bath and large closest, also reminiscent of an hotel. The third floor contained five additional bedrooms, used by the household staff.

In 1913, Henry Flagler died at the property, after falling down the Grand Staircase. Mary died just four years later. The massive mansion was left to Mary’s niece Louise, who sold the estate to developers. A large ten story, 300 room hotel tower was added to the property, which operated until 1959. By that time, the hotel was outmoded, and slated for demolition; fortunately, the property was purchased by Jean Flagler Matthews, Henry’s granddaughter, who removed much of the hotel addition, and established a museum in the historic mansion. Today, the only reminder of this era is the former hotel’s dining room.

In 2005, the museum added the $4.5 million Beaux Arts style Flager Kenan Pavilion to the property, which houses Flagler’s restored No. 91 rail car, that he used to travel to Whitehall. It makes for an interesting addition and works well with the mansion. A stunning home with a world class art collection, repeat trips are required to this Gilded Age masterpiece.