I am on a nostalgic run, and I need to bring you back to my Florida. The real living in gorgeous Ormond Beach, Volusia County. I have written plenty on it but here is one more memorable spot, Sadly, could not find a picture, and when you visited and lived a mile from it makes me sadder ,but need to have it in my blog for the memories of always. Therefore, here is my rendition on the Casements of Ormond Beach !!! Hope you enjoy it as I.
The Casements at 25 Riverside Drive is a 9,000 square-foot (about 836 sq meters) mansion , famous for being the winter residence of American oil magnate John D. Rockefeller. When adjusted for inflation, Rockefeller’s wealth today would be $663.8 billions! It’s fascinating to think, then, that the reason Rockefeller lived in this modest home was because when he lived across the street at the now-razed Ormond Hotel, they raised his rent and he didn’t like it. While he was here overseeing his far-flung empire, to the people of Ormond Beach he was simply known as ‘Neighbor John, He enjoyed living here because he thought the sea and air and daily rounds of golf would help him live to be 100. He was close, he lived to the age of 97, passing away right here.
The Rockefeller Gardens, is a beautiful area on the riverfront with wide paths for strolling, is also part of the attraction and serves as the scenic backdrop for several cultural festivals throughout the year. The Casements Guild, a non-profit organization, volunteers daily to provide tours of the facility as well as operating a gift shop. It takes about 90 minutes, doesn’t cost a dime, and you’re right across from a lovely park that fronts the Intracoastal Waterway (on the Halifax river) , and just a few blocks from the ocean. Plus, there are added displays, including Boy Scout memorabilia and Hungarian festival costumes. Etc. The home has many rooms that are used for various exercise classes, dance classes, art classes, and a kitchen, which is used for various cooking classes. The facility may also be rented for weddings, socials, memorials, business meetings, and seminars. The home is equipped with a sound system, computer, projector, drop-down screen, and wireless microphone and podium. It ,also ,features many banquet style tables and comfortable seating.
John Anderson and James Downing Price opened the Ormond Hotel on January 1, 1888. Henry Flagler bought the hotel in 1890 and expanded it to accommodate 600 guests. It would be one in a series of Gilded Age hotels catering to passengers aboard his Florida East Coast Railway, which had purchased the St. Johns & Halifax Railroad , After many years trying to save the hotel, no buyer could be found, and the city decided to razed it in 1992 ,and built condominiums in its place as seen today unfortunately as I voted to save it. One of Flagler’s guests at the Ormond Hotel was his former business partner at the Standard Oil Company, John D. Rockefeller. He arrived in 1914 and after four seasons at the hotel bought an estate called The Casements, that would be Rockefeller’s winter home during the latter part of his life. Sold by his heirs in 1939, it was purchased by the city of Ormond Beach in 1973 and now serves as a cultural center. It is the community’s best-known historical structure, and indeed many wonderful events as well can be tour with proper reservation.
The official Casements : http://www.thecasements.net/index.html
The city of Ormond Beach on the Casements: https://www.ormondbeach.org/433/The-Casements
There you go folks, sad not to find a picture but here in my blog for the memories of always anyway the full credit it deserves to this wonderful spot in my life. Again, plenty on Florida in my blog , but this is unique ,with many wonderful memories of the Sunshine State, not to ever forget them. Again,hope you enjoy this post on the Casements of Ormond Beach as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 