Hotel Royal Poinciana, Palm Beach, 1908. Flagler Museum Archives.
2024 Fall Exhibition
In the Golden Dreamland of Winter:
Henry Flagler’s FEC Hotel Company
The Flagler Museum’s 2024 Fall Exhibition, In the Golden Dreamland of Winter: Henry Flagler’s FEC Hotel Company is on view from October 15 through December 29, 2024. The exhibition explores Henry Flagler’s transformative impact on the Floridian economy through the development of his Florida East Coast Hotel Company. The exhibition tells the story of Flagler’s pioneering spirit and his role in opening up Florida as a premier travel destination.
Henry Flagler essentially invented modern Florida as he embarked on a bold vision to reshape the State’s landscape and economy. This exhibition reveals his innovative venture to promote tourism, starting with the establishment of the Ponce de Leon Hotel in St. Augustine, expanding down the coastline, including the Hotel Royal Poinciana, the largest wooden structure in the world, the Palm Beach Inn, later renamed as The Breakers, and the Royal Palm in Miami. Flagler’s hotels were more than just lavish accommodations; they were a gateway to discovering an exotic and enchanting part of the country.
Flagler’s FEC Hotel Company was a demonstration of his belief in Florida’s great potential and future. Indeed, the tourism industry Flagler established in Florida remains one of the mainstays of the State’s thriving economy, which today is larger than that of the entire country of Mexico.
In the Golden Dreamland of Winter: Henry Flagler’s FEC Hotel Company runs from Tuesday, October 15, to Sunday, December 29, 2024.
Sponsored by:
