Again ,looking back into my albums, I found me new old paper pictures not yet in my blog, These tell of a memorable time in my life and full family, which enjoyed much coming to Saint Augustine, Florida !!! Happy to find me this picture to tell you personally about this wonderful sight in the City, The Lightner Museum is a wonderful place we have enjoyed here over the years living not far south. Therefore, let me give you my take on the Lightner Museum of Saint Augustine, Florida !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I
The Lightner Museum 75 King Street . Enjoy the atmosphere and artwork of another age at this elegant Museum, formerly the Alcazar Hotel. The Lightner Museum is a museum of antiques, mostly American Gilded Age pieces . The first floor of the museum houses a Victorian Science and Industry Room displays shells, rocks, minerals, and Native American artifacts in beautiful Gilded Age cases, as well as stuffed birds, a small Egyptian mummy, a model steam engine, elaborate examples of Victorian glassblowing, a golden elephant bearing the world on its back, and a shrunken head. Moreover, the first floor contains a music room, filled with mechanized musical instruments—including player pianos, reproducing pianos, orchestrions, and others—dating from the 1870s through the 1920s. It formerly featured a Victorian village, with shop fronts representing emporia selling period wares; this area is now the gift shop.
The second floor contains examples of cut glass, Victorian art glass and stained-glass work from Louis Comfort Tiffany’s studio. The third floor, in the ballroom’s upper balcony, exhibits paintings, sculptures, and furniture, including a grande escritoire created for Louis Bonaparte, Napoleon’s brother and King of Holland between 1806 and 1810. On view from the ballroom’s upper balcony is the now drained swimming pool. The pool now hosts the Cafe Alcazar. Most of text coming from wikipedia,
The Hotel Alcazar was commissioned by Henry Flagler, to appeal to wealthy tourists who traveled south for the winter on his railroad, the Florida East Coast Railway. The hotel had a steam room, massage parlor, sulfur baths, gymnasium, a three-story ballroom, and the world’s largest indoor swimming pool; however, after years as an elegant winter resort for wealthy patrons, the hotel closed in 1932. On August 20, 1947 Chicago publisher Otto C. Lightner purchased the building to convert the old hotel into a hobbies museum. He used the space to house several collections, including his own extensive collection of Victorian era art . He then turned it over to the city of St. Augustine and the museum opened to the public in 1948. The museum occupies three floors of the former Hotel Alcazar and is housed in the former health facilities of the hotel, including the spa and the Turkish bath, in addition to its three-story ballroom.
The official Lightner Museum: https://lightnermuseum.org/
The City of St Augustine on tourist services : https://www.citystaug.com/618/Visitor-Information-Center
The Florida historic coast on St Augustine and the Lightner Museum: https://historiccoastculture.com/venue/lightner-museum/
The St Augustine tourist office on the Lightner Museum: https://www.visitstaugustine.com/thing-to-do/lightner-museum
The State of Florida tourist office on the Lightner Museum: https://www.visitflorida.com/listing/lightner-museum/25787/
There you go folks, ths is an unique sight that should be on top of the list when visiting Saint Augustine, as I always had, and looking forward one day eventually to revisit. Again, hope you enjoy this post on the Lightner Museum of Saint Augustine, Florida !!! as I,
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
