Villa Zorayda

Lovers of fine art, architecture and history—particularly Spain’s Moorish legacy—will want to make the Villa Zorayda a must-see when visiting St. Augustine, FL. The King Street landmark is striking for its ancient Moorish appearance. St. Augustine is one of many southern locales where generations of wealthy northerners have retreated during the harsh winter months. Franklin W. Smith, a Boston architect, built his winter home here in 1883. Smith, who had traveled extensively in Spain, designed a scale replica of part of the grand Alhambra Palace in Granada. He used a mixture of compressed coquina shell and concrete as the structural material, simulating Moorish building fabric. Architects of other historic edifices in St. Augustine followed suit, adapting the Moorish revival style. In 1903, Smith began leasing the property. Soon, it was known as the Zorayda Club. Abraham Mussellam bought the facility in 1913, two years after Smith’s death. During the 1920s, it was a high-class casino. The Mussellam family made it their private home during the early Depression years. A collector of oriental rugs, antiques and art, Mussellam opened it as the Villa Zorayda Museum in 1934. Audio tours (available in English, Spanish and several other languages) take 45 minutes to an hour. Visitors marvel at the building itself and its rare contents of rugs, bronzes, art, painted ceramics, furniture, the elegant Court of Lions with its arches and columns, and various curios (such as the ornate metal tent warmer). The windows are of many sizes and shapes—an intentional design element, intended to confuse evil spirits attempting to enter. Perhaps the most famous object is the “Sacred Cat Rug,” found in an Egyptian pyramid. It reportedly contains hair from cats that populated the banks of the Nile more than 2,000 years ago. Anyone who treads on it allegedly will be cursed. The Villa Zorayda Museum is on the National Register of Historic Places. It was reopened in 2008 after an extensive eight-year renovation.