Gilded Age opulence of Flagler Museum displays grandeur TIME TO TRAVEL

BY MARIA SONNENBERG

The Gilded Age is alive and well in Palm Beach, which Henry Morrison Flagler in 1902 selected as the appropriate backdrop for his mansion — Whitehall.

Flagler’s 75-plus room residence was a present for his wife, Mary Lily Kenan Flagler, but also served as a concrete reminder of Flagler’s prominence and power. He commissioned architects John Carrere and Thomas Hastings, the practitioners of Beaux-Arts style responsible for such landmarks as the New York Public Library and the U.S. House and Senate Office Buildings, to create an estate worthy of Flagler’s stature.

They must have succeeded, because the New York Herald lauded the result as “more wonderful than any palace in Europe, grander and more magnificent than any other private dwelling in the world.” by the Café des Beaux-Arts, with outside seating under palm trees.

The Beaux Arts-style estate, host to the rich and famous at the turn of the century, now welcomes visitors as the Henry Morrison Flagler Museum. Exhibitions focus on America’s Gilded Age, the life of Henry Flagler and the magnate’s indelible imprint on Florida.

Poinciana, cemented tourism as a major industry in Florida and made Palm Beach the winter resort destination.

As the Flagler Museum, Whitehall is frozen in delightful Gilded Age splendor. Flagler’s Rail Car No. 91, part of the collection of treasures on display, reveals the pleasures of turn-of-the-century rail travel … if only you were lucky enough to amass a fortune during an era where income taxes did not exist.

The visitor experience includes docent-led tours at 11 a.m., 12:30 and 2 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and at 1 p.m. Sundays.

Audio tour wands in several languages are also available, as is a Flagler Museum app that can be downloaded to your personal device for a narrated tour in English, Spanish and French.

Henry Morrison Flagler was already extremely successful as a founding partner in Standard Oil when he turned his attention to the unexploited potential that was Florida. Flagler’s East Coast Railway, together with luxury hotels such as The Breakers and the Royal

Part of the museum’s charm is the Café des Beaux-Arts, where during winter season guests can enjoy the ambiance of a 19th century BeauxArts railway palace during high tea served on exquisite Whitehall Collection china. Floor-to-ceiling glass windows provide a spectacular view of Lake Worth.

The rest of the year, a la carte munchies are available at PICNIC

Plumerias

Continued from page 21 edition varieties beloved by serious collectors.

They propagate from their own trees through either grafting or rooting. Twoyear-plus-old root stock grown from their own plumeria seeds receive the grafts. Most plants are sold in one-gallon containers, but B & B has been known to ship small trees around the world. The nursery also sells plumeria seeds so you, too, can grow your own.

“We have customers in Alaska and

In a 1920 story for “Everybody’s Magazine,” Flagler noted that “when I was young I was too poor to indulge in bad habits. By the time I was able to afford them, it had become a fixed habit to live simply.”

Given the grace and opulence found at Whitehall, the tycoon who built the State of Florida may have been understating his lifestyle.

The Henry Morrison Flagler Museum at 1 Whitehall Way in Palm

Northern Europe who use them as container plants,” Jurgens said.

Although internet sales comprise the bulk of business, B & B Exotics also sells in-person — but only by appointment — at their nursery in Indian Harbour Beach.

“We have a beautiful jungle here,” Jurgens said.

All sales include care and feeding instructions to ensure planting success.

Snowbirds who want a souvenir from their Space Coast winters can purchase plants to be delivered at their homes up north.

Beach is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and from noon until 5 p.m. on Sundays.

On June 5 every year, the museum is free to the public to honor museum founder and Flagler granddaughter Jean Flagler Matthews. The rest of the year, admission is $26 for adults 13 and older and $13 for children six to 12. Visitors under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

For more information, call 561655-2833 or visit flaglermuseum.us

While seeds for the Muang Bendjapan variety can be purchased for a mere $4.50, expect to pay $200 for a 15-inch specimen of the very limited Showme Sunshine.

When they fell under the spell of plumerias, Jurgens and Gardner were only following many before them. The gardening website Gardnerdy.com notes that the flowers represent beauty, charm, grace and a new beginning in many cultures. They are favorite subjects for artists and used in Hawaii in welcoming leis and jewelry. For information, visit bandbexoticsplumeria.com SL

By Randal C. Hill