Lightner Museum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
Alcazar Hotel
|
|
.jpg)
The Lightner Museum, originally the Alcazar Hotel, with a statue of Pedro Menéndez de Avilés on the ground.
|
|
 Location in Florida
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | 75 King Street St. Augustine, Florida |
|---|---|
| Built | 1887 (museum opened 1948) |
| Architect | Carrère and Hastings |
| Architectural style | Spanish Renaissance Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 71001013 |
| Added to NRHP | February 24, 1971 |
The Lightner Museum is a super cool museum in downtown St. Augustine, Florida. It's full of old and interesting items, especially from a time in American history called the Gilded Age. The museum is located inside a beautiful old building called the Hotel Alcazar. This building was built in 1887 and has a special look called the Spanish Renaissance Revival style. It's so important that it's listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which means it's a historic landmark.
Contents
History of the Building
The Alcazar Hotel: A Grand Beginning
The Hotel Alcazar was built by a very rich man named Henry Flagler. He wanted a fancy hotel for wealthy people who traveled south for the winter on his train, the Florida East Coast Railway. The hotel was designed by famous architects from New York City, Carrère and Hastings. They used the beautiful Spanish Renaissance Revival style for its design.
These same architects also designed another grand hotel across the street, the Ponce de León Hotel. That building is now part of Flagler College. Both hotels are special because they were some of the first buildings in the world made using poured concrete. The architects later designed other famous buildings like the New York Public Library and the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C.
Hotel Features and Closure
The Alcazar Hotel was very luxurious. It had a steam room, a massage parlor, special sulfur baths, a gym, and a huge ballroom that was three stories tall! It also had the world's largest indoor swimming pool at the time. For many years, it was a popular winter getaway for rich guests. However, the hotel eventually closed its doors in 1932.
From Hotel to Museum
On August 20, 1947, a publisher from Chicago named Otto C. Lightner bought the old hotel building. He wanted to turn it into a museum for hobbies and collections. He filled the space with many different items, including his own large collection of art from the Victorian era.
Mr. Lightner then gave the building to the city of St. Augustine. The museum officially opened to the public in 1948.
The museum building itself is a sight to see. It has an open courtyard with tall palm trees and a pretty stone arch bridge that goes over a koi pond.
Exploring the Museum
The Lightner Museum uses three floors of the old Hotel Alcazar. It's set up in what used to be the hotel's health areas, like the spa and the Victorian Turkish bath. The museum also uses the hotel's amazing three-story ballroom.
First Floor Wonders
On the first floor, you'll find the Victorian Science and Industry Room. Here, you can see cool things like shells, rocks, minerals, and old Native American artifacts. These are displayed in beautiful cases from the Gilded Age. You can also spot stuffed birds, a small Egyptian mummy, a model steam engine, and amazing examples of Victorian glassblowing. There's even a golden elephant holding the world on its back and a shrunken head!
The first floor also has a music room. This room is filled with old musical instruments that play by themselves. These include player pianos, reproducing pianos, and orchestrions. They date from the 1870s all the way to the 1920s. This area used to have a pretend Victorian village with old-fashioned shops, but now it's the museum's gift shop.
Second and Third Floor Treasures
The second floor shows off beautiful cut glass, Victorian art glass, and amazing stained-glass pieces made by Louis Comfort Tiffany's studio.
The third floor is in the upper balcony of the ballroom. Here, you can see paintings, sculptures, and furniture. One special piece is a large writing desk, called a grande escritoire, that was made for Louis Bonaparte. He was Napoleon's brother and was King of Holland from 1806 to 1810.
The Ballroom Gallery has oil paintings by artists like Paul Trouillebert (Cleopatra & the Dying Messenger), Léon Comerre (Maid of Honor), and Albert Bierstadt (In the Yosemite). You can also see sculptures by Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux and Randolph Rogers.
From the ballroom's upper balcony, you can look down into the huge swimming pool, which is now empty. This area is now home to the Cafe Alcazar.
Museum Partnerships and Improvements
The Lightner Museum works with local tourism groups like Visit Florida and the Florida Attractions Association. In 2021, the museum started a program called Lightner Local. This program helps artists from Northeast and Central Florida by giving them space to show their work. The museum is also part of Culture Builds Florida and the St Johns Cultural Council. In 2021, the museum made improvements to its storage areas with help from a grant of $162,000 from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
Images for kids
-
Tower detail of the Lightner Museum
-
Taxidermic bird (detail) at the Lightner Museum
-
Shrunken head exhibited at the Lightner Museum
-
Louis Comfort Tiffany stained-glass window of St. Augustine, exhibited at the Lightner Museum
-
Historical marker
-
Pedro Menéndez de Avilés Statue - May 2019
-
Alcazar Hotel Historic Marker
-
Courtyard - May 2019
-
Courtyard Koi Pond - May 2019
-
Lightner Courtyard
.jpg)
See also
