Whitehall - A Gilded Age Estate Built for a Bride

Having been caught up (yes, I admit it) in the love-fest for all things turn of the 20th century that have been produced lately for television ie… Downton Abbey, Selfridges, etc., I realized it was time to tackle a travel article that I had been putting off, Whitehall and the Henry Morrison Flagler Museum in Palm Beach Florida. 

Inspired by the fabulous fashion, graceful art and elegant architecture of that enterprising, creative, reach-for-the-stars time in history, I will take you on a virtual journey through this architectural icon of The Gilded Age. This grand estate is the epitome of this unique period in U.S. history.

From the end of the Civil War to the crash of the Stock Market in 1929, “American Culture” as we know it today, was born.  This period was dubbed The Gilded Age by Mark Twain in 1873 and it was a time of unparalleled growth in technology.  The captains of industry and commerce of this era became wealthy beyond what most can imagine today (think Facebook).

America's upper classes and even the merchant classes, traveled the world, visiting the great European cities and the ancient sites of the Mediterranean, as part of what was called the “Grand Tour” collecting art, china, crystal, fine lace and decorative items, paying homage to their western cultural heritage.  When they returned to the states, they recreated the elegance of Europe in their own lives, while utilizing the best of modern American ingenuity. 

The grand homes built during this period were an expression of the owner’s wealth and status in society and most were built by architects trained at the “Ecole de Beaux Arts” in Paris. They were furnished with antiques coming into America from France, Spain, and Italy through dealers and auction houses in New York.

It is said that in 1902, when the Whitehall was completed, the New York Herald proclaimed that it was "more wonderful than any palace in Europe, grander and more magnificent than any other private dwelling in the world."

I must say, as we viewed the beautiful mansion, I could easily imagine what would have been the United States’ “royalty”, the kings and queens of capitalism, gracing the tall porches.  I could imagine ladies draped in silk dresses, and adorned with costly jewelry, fur and feathers.  Stiffly starched men would have been standing proud in fine linen and tuxedos, sporting cigars and top hats as they greeted each other and were ushered in for entertainment.

As one of these “Captains of Industry” to be, Henry Morrison Flagler was born in 1830 and epitomized the spirit of 19th century entrepreneurialism.  At the age of 14, he left home to seek his way in the world, starting out working in a grain store for 5$ a month plus room and board.  Not surprisingly, he eventually married the daughter of the owner, Mary Harkness.

He went on to found a salt mining company, invested further in the grain business, and finally formed an oil company with John D. Rockefeller (Standard Oil) accumulating great wealth along the way.

Mary’s poor health brought Henry and his wife to Florida in search of a better climate, but she did not recover and died a short three years later.   With a young son to raise, Henry remarried to Ida Shourds, the woman who had nursed his sick wife. 

Naturally, the businessman in Henry Flagler was always in search of new opportunity and he could see the tourism promise Florida held.  He built several hotels along Florida’s east coast and soon realized that easy access to these hotels required a railroad.  He established and built one segment at time, what would become the East Coast Railway System and when completed, it ran all the way from Jacksonville Florida to Key West.  His personal rail car is on display at Whitehall.

Do to mental illness, Henry’s marriage to Ida Shourds didn’t last long and he eventually married his third and last wife.  At the ripe old age of 70, Henry married a much younger 34 year old, North Carolina belle, Mary Lily Kenan.  It is said that she always wanted a marble palace, so Henry built the grand estate, Whitehall, as a wedding present for his young bride.

Henry commissioned the same architects responsible for his Hotel Ponce de Leon in St. Augustine, John Carrere and Thomas Hastings, to design his 75 room mansion. They were of course graduates of the prestigious  Ecole de Beaux Arts. The mansion was situated on the eastern bank of Lake Worth and was built in the midst of a coconut palm grove. 

The couple used the home as a winter retreat from 1902 until Flagler's death in 1913, establishing the Palm Beach season for the wealthy society of the Gilded Age. 

Facing the east and a rising sun, Whitehall’s façade, with its massive Doric columns, is intended to convey the sense that you are approaching a Greek temple to Apollo, the sun god, home of the Muses of Arts and Literature.  The large marble urns on the steps are carved with Bacchanalian Scenes.

You can easily imagine the grand balls, elegant teas, garden parties and weekend house parties held at the beautiful home.  With this image in mind, we climbed the stairs to spend a few short hours investigating what would have been the exclusive and affluent life lived at Whitehall. 

The Grand Entrance Hall with its double staircase does exactly what it was intended to do, and that is to impress anyone entering the home.   

Carrère and Hastings designed the entryway to be the largest and grandest of any room in a private home built during the Gilded Age.   Seven varieties of marble were used in creating the floor, walls, stairs, furniture, and sculpture for the Grand Hall.  The ceiling is highly decorated with plaster figures and objects and its central dome depicts Pythia, the priestess of the Oracle of Apollo at Delphi. The painting was done on canvas and then fitted into the ceiling space. The room is filled with antiques, paintings and sculptures from around the world as befit Henry Flagler’s image.

As we progressed from room to room, the wealth and privilege of these titans of business was displayed before us. 

This photo of Henry Morrison Flagler Museum is courtesy of TripAdvisor

The Library, which was used by Flagler as a reception area to greet guests and meet with business associates, was decorated in the masculine style of the Italian Renaissance. Flagler family portraits are mounted on the Library walls, including a painting of Henry Flagler above the fireplace.

In the Music Room, Mrs. Flagler held meetings for her women’s club.  They gathered for programs of academic and literary lectures and musicales.  The long room doubled as an art gallery and arranged on the walls are some paintings from Flagler's collection.. The "Lady in the Veil" marble bust in the southeast corner of the Music Room was sculpted by E. Fiaschi in a style popular in the late nineteenth century.

The Courtyard allowed for ocean breezes to flow throughout the house, which helped to keep it cool in the Florida climate and the Flaglers used the space often for dinner parties.  The fountain is designed to replicate the “Fountain of Venus” in the Boboli Gardens in Florence. 

Gentlemen visitors to Whitehall often gathered in the Billiard Room for entertainment.  Interest in billiards became popular with men of the Gilded Age period and most estates included game rooms.  A Caen Stone mantle with Swiss-style decoration is featured over the fireplace and the Billiard Room's molded plaster ceiling is painted to reflect the Swiss design of the room. 

The Grand Ballroom is designed and decorated in the Louis XV style.  Above each of the fifteen doors is a lunette painting created specifically for Whitehall.  They alternate between Watteau-style bucolic or pastoral scenes and Boucher-style scenes with Cupids. The chandeliers were made by Edward F. Caldwell & Co. and are hung with Baccarat crystals and gilt bronze and crystal wall sconces ring what would have been a glittering space when dancing was held there in the evenings.

The Dining Room was designed in the French Renaissance style. The Flaglers held large elegant dinner parties in this room.  The wall coverings are green silk, and are reproductions of the original fabric. The cast plaster ceiling is painted to look like wood and inset rosettes portray romanticized dolphin creatures. The fireplace mantle has been carved with elaborate culinary references such as shells, crabs, and fruit.

The Drawing Room was used as a more intimate gathering place for music and conversation by Mary Lily and her guests. The room is decorated in the delicate Louis XVI style, with silk fabric and light wood. Shiny aluminium leaf, which was as expensive and as precious as gold during much of the Gilded Age was used on the plaster ornaments.  Above each door and mirror is a cameo of Queen Marie Antoinette.

The Steinway grand piano was made specifically for this room and its decorative details match the details of the room and incorporate the theme of Love and Poetry.

Mary Lily’s Louis XV inspired Private Sitting Room or Morning Room on the second floor, was unusually far away from her bedroom, but it had a fabulous view of Lake Worth and she used it to entertain bridge parties, practice music and maintain her private correspondence.

The Guest and Master Bedrooms were just as beautifully decorated as the main floor rooms.  The largest of Whitehall's fourteen guest rooms was referred to as the Colonial Chamber and had a private bathroom and large closet.

Additional guest bedrooms included: the Colonial Room, the Blue Room, the Pink Room, the Louis XV Room, the Gold Room, the Heliotrope Room, and the Green Room. Pottier and Stymus, who designed Whitehall’s interiors, named each room for its primary color or decorating theme.

Blue Room (below)

Pink Room

Gold Room

Louis XV Room

Heliotrope Room

Colonial Room

Green Room

The Silver Maple Room is adorned with figures painted in the pre-Raphaelite-style on the bed, chest and the fireplace mantle.   The figures on the bed's headboard depict musical arts while the footboard figures illustrate the four seasons.

Henry and Mary Lily shared the Master Suite which was decorated in the Louis XIV style.  This was not a common practice at the turn-of-the-century. The suite included two separate dressing chambers and a large bath area.

The Yellow Roses room is decorated with "Marechal Niel" rose patterned wallpaper and fabric.  Matching wallpaper and fabric was a turn-of-the-century innovation and J.C. Salter, Flagler's secretary, often used this room as his bedchamber since it was conveniently located near the staircase leading to Henry Flagler’s office.   I guess he didn’t mind all the roses! 

The second floor west wing, housed thirteen separate servants' bedrooms.  These servants accompanied the family to Whitehall each winter. Five rooms located on the third floor were used by the staff of the Flaglers' guests, as it was customary at the time for wealthy individuals to travel with their own personal attendants.

In 1925, the stately home became a hotel and a 10 story tower addition was added on the lake-front side of the property.  As part of the museum restoration process the tower was removed with the exception of what would have been the dining room of the hotel. 

Originally, this area which is to the west of the Grand Ballroom was a columned, marble floored veranda which overlooked a small garden and provided a commanding view of Lake Worth.

As you finally leave the elegant rooms of Whitehall and walk out to view the modern skyline of Palm Beach, you realize what incredibly beautiful architecture and design the Gilded Age inspired.  It was a time of unprecedented change and creativity in American culture and the wealthy families who built these beautiful mansions thankfully left them for us to explore generations later as part of the Henry Morrison Flagler Museum. 

The fabulous historical reference above has been provided by Henry Morrison Flagler Museum