McCarthy Album 11, Photograph 136

Item

Title: McCarthy Album 11, Photograph 136
Description: Caption: "Ponciana [sic] and Whitehall Hotels. Ponciana {sic] is the Largest Frame Bldg. Hotel in the World. Palm Beach, Florida. July 8, 1934." Both the Royal Poinciana Hotel (center) and the Whitehall Hotel (far right) can be seen in this photograph, taken from across Lake Worth. The Royal Poinciana, built by Henry Flagler as a resort retreat for wealthy guests, opened in 1894. Renovations eventually enlarged the hotel to a length of 1,800 feet, with over three miles of corridors and hallways, and rooms for over 1,000 guests. At one point, it was reputed to be the largest wood structure in the world. Attendance declined in the 1920s, however, as tourists were attracted to more modern facilities. Damage by a hurricane and the Great Depression combined to close the hotel in 1934. The building was razed a year later. The Whitehall Hotel started its existence as a mansion, also built by Flagler, as a present for his wife. After Flagler's death in 1913, the home was sold to a group of investors who erected an eleven-story tower and converted the entire complex to use as a resort hotel. In 1959, the Henry Morrison Flagler Museum purchased the building. It now serves as a museum.
Contributor: Audrey Fullerton-Samora of Sacramento, great niece of William and Grace McCarthy, donated the William M. McCarthy Photograph Collection to the California State Archives in 1996.
Coverage: Palm Beach, Florida
Date: 7/8/1934
Format: JPEG, scanned at 400 DPI, 24-bit color
Identifier: 96-07-08-alb11-136
Language: English
Publisher: California State Archives, a division of the California Secretary of State's Office
Source: Image of an item within the William M. McCarthy Photograph Collection (96-07-08)
Subject: Royal Poinciana Hotel and Whitehall Hotel, Palm Beach
Type: Still Image

Item sets: William M. McCarthy Photograph Collection

Media: 96-07-08-alb11-136.jpg