Granddaughter Mary

 

Mary is excited that the decision is made. She will be attending in the fall, Flagler College (more commonly known as “Flagler”). We are all wondering (even Mary) why Flagler? As Nicki says, "Flagler seems to be the common sense decision that God is leading the family toward," especially since their residency is Florida (although they have never lived there.)  Being military they picked Florida years ago as a home state- Florida and Alaska have no state tax- go figure. None of the other U S colleges would wave the "out of state tuition" for military dependants.  She was accepted at several European schools a few in Ireland one of which was St Andrews.  (Granny Jo's advice was choose St Andrews. There she might meet a certain Prince "Tom, Dick or Harry?" lol  :)      

Mary is looking  at  communications/ international affairs major with perhaps a major or minor in theatre.   

I HAVE DONE A LITTLE RESEARCH,


BECAUSE THIS HELPS ME FEEL CONNECTED.

......very interesting trivia here....

Flagler College is located on the northeastern coast of Florida in the heart of the historic city of St. Augustine on 19 acres, the centerpiece of which is the now named Ponce de Leon Hall, built in 1888 as a luxury hotel, Ponce de Leon Hotel, by Henry Morrison Flagler.  The Coast Guard commandeered the hotel during World War II and used it as a training center. 

Henry Flagler was an industrialist, oil magnate, and railroad pioneer. His hotel was one of the nation’s first electrified buildings, with 4000 electric lights! When it was first opened the building’s twin towers provided the running water, with each holding 8,000 gallons. Elaborate materials were used in construction such as, imported marble, Tiffany glass, and 24 carrot gold leaf for the painted details.  Muralist, George Maynard created Spanish coats of arms, Spanish proverbs, signs of the zodiac,horses and fish.

Henry Flagler died in 1913. His grandson, Lawrence Lewis Jr., had a vision to create a private liberal arts college on the grounds of the hotel. In 1967 the Ponce de Leon Hotel’s doors were closed, but in 1968 the doors reopened as Flagler College.

Ponce De Leon Hall houses approximately 480 female students and the dining hall.  

The centerpiece of the courtyard is a fountain which functions as a sundial.  There are 12 frogs around the outer edge of the fountain and 4 turtles in the center.

Notice that the fountain is in the design of a sword

inserted in the ground.

 Beyond the fountain is the entrance doors.

Main entrance door to Ponce de Leon Hotel which is now the women's dorm, Ponce de Leon Hall.

Lots of symbolism.
The two plaques on the top right and left contain Spanish proberbs. The door way contains sea shell and lobster images.

When the hotel was originally built, it had 3 basic themes. The first theme was Spanish through the use of terra cotta roofing from Spain and lion statues. Second was the religious theme such as cheribs, celtic knot designed in the stone around the fountain, angels, Greek and Roman mythology and third was the use of aquatic objects such as mermaids, shells and dolphins.



Lining the walls of the entrance hall are plaques honoring  three Greek kharites - also called 3 graces or charities:
Beauty
Joy
Abundance

The main entrance to Ponce de Leon Hall is breathtaking. Overhead is the ornately painted

24 carrot gold leaf domed ceiling.

  On all sides the elaborate woodwork has been restored




   Look at your feet and you will discover hand laid African mosaic flooring. The flooring is almost perfect accept for the one piece that supposedly was moved by Henry Flagler   who believed that only God is perfect.

This 80-foot domed ceiling is supported by eight ornately carved oak pillars. These eight hand-carved wooden caryatids are said to be modeled after the famed caryatids of the Acropolis in Athens 

The following three pictures show the intricate work of George Maynard and associate's, standing ladies.

The interior dome displays stunning murals

by George Maynard

These murals represent the four elements and the four stages of Spanish exploration:

adventure, discovery, conquest and civilization

 

Entrance to the Rotunda at Ponce de Leon Hall.
The marble stairs lead to the college Dining Room.

During the hotel era this beautiful and functional,
central point of the hotel linked the public spaces to the guest rooms

Today it is the gathering place for tours to begin and also for students to study during the quiet times. 
Check out the students sitting on the floor of the rotunda 
a few pictures above.

This photo looks across one of Flagler College's many gardens toward the college's main dining hall.

                  Flagler College's dining hall is truly elegant.

The semi-circular hall sits on the north side of

Ponce de Leon Hall ...

The 800 seat Dining Hall has an elliptical
barrel-vaulted ceiling,





pierced with Tiffany stained-glass windows




 View of a musicians’ gallery from the main floor.




View from the musicians’ gallery down toward the main floor.



The graceful angels in the dining hall

represent the four seasons.

 The Dining Hall is said to host the largest private        collection of Louis Comfort Tiffany stained glass windows in the world.  

Clerestory windows with Tiffany stained glass are along the Dining Room side walls.

The majestic Spanish Galleon under full sail is George Maynard’s rendition of the one that brought Ponce de Leon to the land of flowers in search of the Fountain of Youth.

Students at Flagler dine in style -- million dollar Tiffany windows, Maynard murals and stunning woodwork plus beautifully carved oak chairs imported in 1800's from Austria. Today students casually take their meals seated on these chairs in this very elegant environment.

What is now known as the Flagler Room was originally the Grand Parlor for the ladies of the Hotel.  

Original art work of Angelic canvases by Virgilio Tojetti, stunning Tiffany Austrian crystal chandeliers, carved wood, imported marble, oriental carpets, ornate furniture, exquisite vases and a historical photo gallery of the Flagler family accentuate the interior.

Henry  Morrison  Flagler

Mary  Lilly  Flager (3rd wife)



Adorning the room is a massive onyx Thomas Edison clock,

one of the first ever to be used in a public building.

   



The College has five residence halls, two for women and three for men.  All residence halls are card access security controlled and located within easy walking distance of other campus facilities including classrooms, faculty and administrative offices, the Library, the Dining Hall, Student Center and recreational facilities.  There is no interdorm visitation- No boys in girls rooms- No girls in boys rooms.   All new freshmen must live in College housing.   

Tiffany stained glass windows in the student staircase of the Flagler College women's dorm. Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848-1933), who had been known primarily as a painter, received his first major commission in glass when he was asked to design the hotel’s stained-glass windows.

One interesting thing,

Aunt Karin, who is an Alumna mentioned on her facebook:

Karin Hickox Wieland: We had ghosts in our dorms. I'll tell you about it all later. grammy thinks I'm crazy, but weird things happened.

Some Flagler legends:

Ponce de Leon Hall girls dormitory, as did the once Ponce de Leon Hotel, has numerous ghost stories. One such story is how the mistress of Henry Flagler haunts the 4th floor where she hung herself.

Another ghostly resident is a little boy who while chasing his ball, fell to his death off an interior balcony. Many people have reported having a little boy tugging at them, asking them to play with him. Others have reported seeing a ball bouncing or rolling down the hallways.

Perhaps the most famous ghost of this building is the Lady in Blue. The Lady in Blue was a guest of the hotel, who has never left. During her earthly stay, she met and had an affair with a married man. There was an emotional scene at the hotel between the lady, her lover and his wife. The Lady in Blue stood up and ran upstairs, heading for her room. On her way up the steps she tripped over her skirt and tumbled down the stairs to her death. Her ghost is one of the most frequently reported.   She has been seen and heard crying in the hallways and sitting in the dining room in  the middle of the night.