Lightner Museum

Coordinates: 29°53′30″N 81°18′51″W / 29.89167°N 81.31417°W / 29.89167; -81.31417
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Alcazar Hotel
Spanish Renaissance Revival[2]
Websitewww.lightnermuseum.org
NRHP reference No.71001013[1]
Added to NRHPFebruary 24, 1971

The Lightner Museum is a museum of antiques, mostly American Gilded Age pieces, housed within the historic Hotel Alcazar building in downtown St. Augustine. This 1887 Spanish Renaissance Revival style building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

History

Hotel Alcazar

The hotel was commissioned by

Ponce de León Hotel across the street, now part of the campus of Flagler College. Both structures are notable for being among the earliest examples of poured concrete buildings in the world. These architects later designed the New York Public Library in New York City and the Russell Senate Office Building
in Washington, D.C.

The hotel had a steam room, massage parlor, sulfur baths, gymnasium, a three-story ballroom, and the world's largest indoor swimming pool; however, after years as an elegant winter resort for wealthy patrons, the hotel closed in 1932.

On August 20, 1947 Chicago publisher Otto C. Lightner purchased the building to convert the old hotel into a hobbies museum. He used the space to house several collections, including his own extensive collection of Victorian era art.[3][4] He then turned it over to the city of St. Augustine and the museum opened to the public in 1948.[5]

The building is an attraction in itself, centering on an open

stone arch bridge
over a koi pond.

Museum

The museum occupies three floors of the former Hotel Alcazar and is housed in the former health facilities of the hotel, including the spa and the

Turkish bath
, in addition to its three-story ballroom.

The first floor of the museum houses a Victorian Science and Industry Room displays shells, rocks, minerals, and Native American artifacts in beautiful

orchestrions
, and others—dating from the 1870s through the 1920s. It formerly featured a Victorian village, with shop fronts representing emporia selling period wares; this area is now the gift shop.

The second floor contains examples of

Napoleon's brother and King of Holland
between 1806 and 1810. The Ballroom Gallery has oil paintings by Paul Trouillebert (Cleopatra & the Dying Messenger), Léon Comerre (Maid of Honor), and Albert Bierstadt (In the Yosemite). It also has sculptures by Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux and Randolph Rogers.[citation needed]

On view from the ballroom's upper balcony is the now drained swimming pool. The pool now hosts the Cafe Alcazar.[6][7]

The Lightner Museum partners with local tourism initiatives such as Visit Florida and Florida Attractions Association. In 2021, the museum developed a local artists initiative called Lightner Local, with support from the Benjamin and Jean Troemel Arts Foundation, awarding exhibition space for artists who lived in Northeast and Central Florida.[8] The Lightner is a member of Culture Builds Florida, the Division of Arts and Culture for the state of Florida, as well as the St Johns Cultural Council. In 2021, the museum completed improvements to its storage facilities using a $162,000 grant award from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.[9]

Gallery

  • Tower detail of the Lightner Museum
    Tower detail of the Lightner Museum
  • Taxidermic bird (detail) at the Lightner Museum
    Taxidermic bird (detail) at the Lightner Museum
  • Shrunken head exhibited at the Lightner Museum
    Shrunken head exhibited at the Lightner Museum
  • Louis Comfort Tiffany stained-glass window of St. Augustine, exhibited at the Lightner Museum
    Louis Comfort Tiffany stained-glass window of St. Augustine, exhibited at the Lightner Museum
  • Historical marker
    Historical marker
  • Pedro Menéndez de Avilés Statue - May 2019
  • Alcazar Hotel Historic Marker
  • Courtyard - May 2019
  • Courtyard Koi Pond - May 2019
  • Lightner Courtyard
    Lightner Courtyard

See also

References

  • Ossman, Laurie; Ewing, Heather (2011). Carrère and Hastings, The Masterworks. Rizzoli USA. .
  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ Lightner Museum. "Lightner Museum" brochure, circa 2007.
  3. ^ "LIGHTNER, OTTO CURTIS - NumismaticMall.Com". Archived from the original on 2019-03-26. Retrieved 2019-08-19.
  4. ^ "Lightner Museum St. Augustine Information Guide". Archived from the original on 2019-08-19. Retrieved 2019-08-19.
  5. ^ "Lightner Museum". staugustine.com. St. Augustine Record. 2012. Archived from the original on January 5, 2012.
  6. ^ "Cafe Alcazar - Lightner Museum". Archived from the original on 2019-08-19. Retrieved 2019-08-19.
  7. ^ "Cafe Alcazar in St. Augustine, FL". Archived from the original on 2019-08-19. Retrieved 2019-08-19.
  8. ^ "Local painters invited to apply for solo exhibitions in Lightner Museum's East Room Gallery". The Ponte Vedra Recorder. 14 January 2021.
  9. ^ "Lightner Museum Announces Successful Completion of IMLS-funded Improvements to its Collection Storage". Lightner Museum. 14 February 2022.

External links