Florida! - Lifestyle of the Rich and Famous

Since Hubby restores historic homes, my mom thought he would enjoy a tour of a historic mansion while we were in Florida. So we headed off to the Flagler Museum.

This charming, little bungalow for two was built as a wedding gift for Henry Flagler's 2nd wife. All she wanted was a cottage by the sea. I hope she was happy with the 75-room, 60,000 sq. foot winter home he created for her.

Top: The foyer. I think my entire house would fit in this room!
Middle Left: Even the ceilings were extravagent with detailed, gold-leafed moldings.
Bottom Left: More gold-leafing detail along the top of the stairwell. Not only expensive, but time-consuming too! And time is money!
Bottom Right: Marble staircases. Marble columns. Marble walls.

Flagler, who co-founded Standard Oil with Rockefeller, had quite a bit of spare pocket change. So he hired the best architects and designers.

Top Left: One of the 12 guest rooms.
Top Right: Each bedroom had a thermostat like this one.
Bottom Left: Every room had beautiful, ornate lighting fixtures. This one is simple compared to others.
Bottom Right: Even the servants rooms were nice.

Flagler ordered Whitehall to be "more wonderful than any palace in Europe, grander and more magnificent than any other private dwelling in the world..." And when it was finished in 1902, the home definitely was. It also had the most advanced technology of the time - electric lighting, central heat, telephones, and 22 bathrooms.

Yet, despite having 22 bathrooms, Mr. and Mrs. Flagler shared the master bath!

Top Left: All the bedrooms across the front of the house had adjoining doors.
Top Right: The veranda wrapped around the 2nd floor and looked down onto the courtyard.
Bottom Left & Right: The extra large master bathroom (complete with shower).

Flagler's 2nd wife, Mary Lily, was a musician. So, of course, they had a beautiful music room with several pianos and a pipe organ. She also had a grand piano in her sitting room, where she received her guests. And they employed an organist who lived at the mansion. Any time Flagler wanted to hear music, he would ring for the organist. Hmm... I think I'm in the wrong line of work!

My favorite room - the Music Room!

At some point in the tour, a small child awakened me from my stupor of looking at all the pretty things. Little Dude and Grandma had been making their own way through the museum armed with an activity book the museum created for kids.

Seriously, it was the BEST idea I've seen from a museum in a long time. Each page featured a different room in the museum and Little Dude had to search the room to find the pictures shown on the page. It was a live Seek-and-Search puzzle (Little Dude's favorite puzzle)!

The book kept Little Dude so busy that several people complimented him on how well-behaved he was.

Left: Papa reading about the mansion to Little Dude.
Right: Little Dude took Grandma for a spin (literally) in the foyer.

The mansion wasn't the only thing to see at the museum. Flagler also had his own private railcar. Since he built the railroads down to Florida (and hotels such as The Breakers) all the way to Key West, he needed his own railcar so he could oversee construction. It had an office, a space for the news reporters who travelled with him, a bedroom, a kitchen, a bathroom, and even a copper-lined shower!

Top Right: Little Dude showing off his 1st smashed penny.
Middle Left: Would you like a spot of tea? Little Dude is ready for kitchen duty!
Middle Right: Where the reporters stayed.
Bottom Left: The shower.

Top Left: Flagler used the lion motif throughout the property.

It was a perfect way to spend a rainy day.

Yours Truly with Little Dude and Hubby.