Henry Morrison Flagler Museum

The Henry Morrison Flagler museum is a magnificent palace built in Palm Beach in 1902 that closely rivals some of the most exquisite of palaces in Europe. It is designed and decorated in the Beaux-Arts style with close attention paid to every detail.

Henry Flagler had the mansion of 55 rooms designed by architects John Carrère and Thomas Hastings, and built as a winter retreat and wedding present for his third wife Mary Lily Kenan Flagler. The mansion called Whitehall is one of the large estates built at this time that are seen as examples of a coming of age in architecture and sophistication in the United States. Besides having the elements of the great design and art of any grand house in Europe, Whitehall adds the American refinement of efficiency and comfort incorporating the latest American domestic technology available at the time.

Henry, one of the barons of the Gilded Age, was a founding partner of Standard Oil. Henry also distinguished himself as a great visionary who was the first to begin developing Florida for tourism. Besides establishing many of Florida's historical hotels, Henry succeeded in building a railroad all the way from Jacksonville to the Florida Keys. Today, many streets, buildings and other Florida sites are named Flagler, after this great developer.

The Museum and its garden areas are well maintained. When stepping inside, the museum is as clean and fresh as it must have been in its early days. The tour leaders "docents" are knowledgeable and feel truly passionate about the museum. It is a pleasure just being there. The Museum is unusual in that it allows photographs to be taken as long as flash photography is not used.

The drawing room.

My favourite corner of the drawing room.

The dining room.

The breakfast room has an English look.

The music room is lit with Baccarat chrystal chandeliers.

The ballroom is fashioned after the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles.

The master bedroom.

Fit for a prince.

The gate and palms.

Many thanks to my twitter friend @Maybellinete for suggesting the visit to the Henry Morrison Flagler Museum. If you would like to see it in more detail, you might like visiting her blog known as Froulala by clicking on the link in the left column of this blog.

A Visit to Worth Avenue

Palm Beach is a jewel in Florida with its grand hotels, and houses, many of them having a distinctive Spanish Mediterranean look. Its gardens are formal and have been kept groomed and well-manicured for decades with flowering vines and layers of hedging. The town has an overall feeling of elegance that harkens back to the early decades of the twentieth century. It seems a little as if time is standing still.

Everything about Palm Beach is special. It’s best to park the car and walk around to take in the atmosphere and enjoy just being there. Just exploring Worth Avenue stretching east from Cocoanut Row to the Atlantic Ocean will take the better part of the day even if you are not on a serious shopping trip with lots of ready cash.

At first flush, impressive in itself, Worth Avenue is full of high-end designer brand shops such as Nieman Marcus, Saks, Tiffany, Kaufmann de Suisse, Valentino, Christofle, St. John, Stubbs & Wootton, etc. But it is even more than that. There are also beautiful antique shops, shops selling art, shops with unusual gifts, and jewellery shops, all carrying the best of quality. It is known as the top shopping area in the world. Worth Avenue is truly an experience you will not want to miss. Along the street are many little laneways known as vias that take you into charming courtyards with small gardens surrounded by more shops.

If you go, you will notice that most of the people look as if they have self-consciously taken great care to wear something appropriate to the experience of walking along Worth Avenue. It might be to pay homage to the history of the street, or to make sure they are as well dressed as the friends they might meet. They are probably wearing what will be in fashion in New York later in the summer.

Lunch at the famous Taboo on Worth Avenue is one of the things to do. You might try their crab stack with a Caesar salad. While you’re having lunch, fashion models will stroll by your table wearing choice clothing, jewellery, and handbags to tempt you to the stores nearby.

You'll enjoy visiting Select Fine Art specializing in 19th and 20th Century European and American Paintings and fine quality antiques. When I was there, I saw lovely sterling silver picture frames and other exquisite sterling silver objects. Currently, there are also several beautiful tables with inlaid wood, one having a beautiful marquetry surface.

You might also enjoy visiting the Daniella Ortiz shop in the Gucci Courtyard behind Gucci and across from Tiffany and Chanel. Daniella Ortiz is a young talented designer who has launched her own line of handbags and jewellery, all designed and handcrafted in Argentina. Daniella Ortiz’s handbags and jewellery have great style and elegance. I especially like her reds and blues.

The Gucci courtyard.

A stunning display of Baccarat crystal in Mary Mahoney's window.