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The Architecture of Leisure: The
Florida Resort Hotels of Henry Flagler and Henry Plantby Susan R.
Braden, Gary
R. Mormino, Raymond Arsenault
Hardcover: 456 pages 7”
x 10” (2002)
$34.95
"A
major contribution to Florida and American architectural history. . . .
Braden's exhaustive research and excellent writing have brought the
story of
Flagler and Plant's hotel empires to vivid life."--Donald Curl, Florida
Atlantic University
"Through
an impressive blending of images, architectural analysis, and cultural
perspective, Braden uncovers the multi-layered meaning of the Florida
resort
hotel."--Carroll Van West, Center for Historic Preservation
As
the rail barons who transformed Florida pushed their lines southward,
they also
created a string of resort hotels to attract wealthy northerners with
an
appetite for balmy climates and luxurious accommodations. Susan Braden
tells
the story of the magnificent pleasure palaces created by Plant and
Flagler and
the impact of their conspicuous scale and opulence on the Florida
wilderness.
Braden
traces the enterprises that brought Plant and Flagler to Florida and
then
examines each of their hotels, describing the architecture, how they
physically
functioned, and what they offered their guests in the way of recreation
and
leisure. From the Spanish Renaissance of St. Augustine's Ponce de Leon,
to
Georgian Revival in Palm Beach's Royal Poinciana, to the Islamic
Revival of the
Tampa Bay Hotel and the Alpine ambience of the nearby Belleview, her
individual
profiles of each hotel show how the builders mixed recognizable style
with physical
and functional independence, and then capped both with an aura of
blatant
luxury on a scale previously unknown in Florida. The hotels' creators,
by
catering to the newly realized needs and demands of their affluent
patrons,
brought civilization to the frontier and established the legacy of
tropical
fantasy and escape that endures in Florida to this day.
Braden's
research draws upon architectural plans and archival resources, as well
as
memoirs and accounts written by Gilded Age visitors and employees, to
re-create
the experience of Florida's winter resorts. Floor plans and abundant
illustrations--many never before published--make this book a richly
visual
documentation that will appeal to architectural historians,
preservationists,
and general readers curious about Florida's pioneering tradition of
exotic
escape and the resplendent structures in which it was born.
Susan
R. Braden is assistant professor of art history at Auburn University.
.....
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