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 cool museum in downtown St. Augustine. It's full of old and interesting items, especially from America's Gilded Age. The museum is actually inside a really old building called the Hotel Alcazar, which was built way back in 1887. This building has a special look called Spanish Renaissance Revival style. It's so important that it's listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Contents
History of the Alcazar Hotel
Building a Grand Hotel
A very rich man named Henry Flagler decided to build this hotel. He wanted a fancy place for wealthy tourists 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 gave it a beautiful Spanish Renaissance Revival style. These same architects also designed the Ponce de León Hotel right across the street. That building is now part of Flagler College. Both of these buildings were special because they were some of the first in the world made using poured concrete! Later, these architects designed other famous places like the New York Public Library and the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C.
Hotel Life and Closing
The Hotel Alcazar was super luxurious. It had a steam room, a place for massages, 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 people. But eventually, the hotel closed its doors in 1932.
Becoming the Lightner Museum
On August 20, 1947, a publisher from Chicago named Otto C. Lightner bought the old hotel. He wanted to turn it into a museum for hobbies and collections. He filled the building with many different items, including his own large collection of art from the Victorian era. Then, he gave the building to the city of St. Augustine, and the museum officially opened to the public in 1948.
The building itself is a big part of the museum's charm. It has a beautiful open courtyard with tall palm trees. There's even a stone arch bridge going over a pond filled with colorful koi fish.
Exploring the Museum
The Lightner Museum uses three floors of the old Hotel Alcazar. You'll find exhibits in what used to be the hotel's health areas, like the spa and Turkish bath, as well as the grand ballroom.
First Floor Wonders
On the first floor, you'll find the Victorian Science and Industry Room. Here, you can see amazing collections of shells, rocks, minerals, and old Native American items. They are displayed in beautiful cases from the Gilded Age. You can also spot stuffed birds, a small Egyptian mummy, a model steam engine, fancy examples of Victorian glassblowing, a golden elephant holding the world on its back, and even a shrunken head!
The first floor also has a music room. It's full of 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 look like a 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 examples of cut glass, Victorian art glass, and amazing stained-glass pieces. Many of these are from the famous studio of Louis Comfort Tiffany.
The third floor is in the upper balcony of the old ballroom. Here, you can see paintings, sculptures, and furniture. One special piece is a huge writing desk (a grande escritoire) 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 what used to be the huge swimming pool. It's now empty and is home to the Cafe Alcazar, a place to grab a bite to eat.
Museum Activities and Support
The Lightner Museum works with local groups like Visit Florida to help promote tourism. In 2021, the museum started a program called Lightner Local. This program helps artists who live in Northeast and Central Florida by giving them space to show their work. The museum is also part of Culture Builds Florida, which supports arts and culture in the state. In 2021, the museum made improvements to its storage areas thanks to a grant of $162,000 from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
Gallery
-
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
