Flagler College to Commemorate 125th Anniversary of the Hotel Ponce de Leon

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Flagler College will celebrate the 125th anniversary of the Hotel Ponce de Leon with a year-long commemoration of the National Historic Landmark built by Henry Flagler. The centerpiece of campus, The Ponce is on the Florida Chapter of the American Institute of Architects' list of top Florida architecture. January 12, 2013 marks the anniversary.

“Celebrating the Legacy: 125 Years of the Hotel Ponce de Leon”

In conjunction with “Celebrating the Legacy: 125 Years of the Hotel Ponce de Leon,” the college started final restoration of the hotel, the Solarium. The domed Solarium rises from the center of the building flanked by symmetrical roof terraces and twin towers. Dramatic outdoor spaces afford unparalleled views of the city, Intracoastal Waterway, Bridge of Lions, and Atlantic Ocean.

In the Solarium, guests gathered, enjoyed entertainment or watched activities. It’s been closed for more than 20 years. Restoration is expected to be completed in 2013.

The celebration will honor Flagler’s entrepreneurship and community-building. The founding partner with John D. Rockefeller in Standard Oil, he launched a resort empire along Florida’s east coast with construction of the Ponce. The Spanish Renaissance Revival hotel incorporated the talents of New York architects John Carrere and Thomas Hastings (New York Public Library) and Bernard Maybeck (Palace of the Fine Arts, San Francisco), interiors and stained glass by Louis Comfort Tiffany, murals by George Maynard and steam power and electricity by Thomas Edison. The Ponce’s twin towers are an anchor to St. Augustine’s historic area.

“Celebrating the Legacy” will include: an opening day tour with re-enactors; an exhibit of beautifully preserved original blueprints; a “Celebrating the Legacy” exhibit; a community lecture series; and a gilded age speaker series.

For details on the celebration visit www.ponce125.com.

Flagler College is an independent, four-year, comprehensive baccalaureate college located in St. Augustine. The college offers 24 majors, 29 minors and two pre-professional programs, the largest majors being business, education and communication. Small by intent, Flagler College has an enrollment of about 2,500 students, as well as a satellite campus at Tallahassee Community College in Tallahassee, Fla. U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review regularly feature Flagler as a college offering quality education at a relatively low cost. Founded in 1968, Flagler College is also noted for the historic beauty of its campus. For more visit www.flagler.edu.