Flagler College

The magnificent structure that is now home to Flagler College was once the Ponce De Leon Hotel. Built between 1885 and 1887 by railroad magnate Henry Flagler, the luxury hotel served guests to St. Augustine until the 1960’s when it was acquired by Flagler College. The Ponce de Leon Hotel was one jewel in the necklace of high end tourist facilities that Henry Flagler built along the Atlantic connected by his Florida East Coast Railway. It was the first structure in the United States built of concrete poured on site and one of the earliest buildings wired for electricity. The two great towers were originally tanks to supply the hotel's guest with the luxury of running water. In 1963 the hotel made history again when US President Lyndon Johnson attended a celebration of the 400th anniversary of St. Augustine's founding. Local black activists were able to negotiate the inclusion of black residents, a rarity at the time. In 1964 the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King led protests in which local high school students occupied the dining room of the Ponce de Leon, which was normally white only. Local police used dogs and cattle prods to remove and arrest the protesters, but the movement continued until the passage of the Civil Rights Act the next year. In 1968, at the instigation of Lawrence Lewis, Flagler's grandson, a private liberal arts college was founded centered on the old hotel. Flagler College is today one of the top Southern colleges, particularly well known for its programs of Deaf Education. Tours of the building are available on the hour from 10 AM until 3 PM when school is not in session.