Pirates, Blockades and Commerce: an EXPEDITION

The Ponce de Leon Hotel, colloquially known as "The Ponce" was an early American example of exclusive luxury hotel design built-in St. Augustine, Florida, built by Henry Flagler, founder of Standard Oil. The hotel was built following a Spanish Renaissance design style and was the first significant design of New York's Carrère & Hastings Architecture. The hotel was the first building to be constructed entirely of poured concrete, using the local coquina (fossilized shell hash) as material. Also, this building was one of the first buildings in the U.S. to be wired for electricity with electrical design and installation credited to Thomas Edison himself. The original structure of the hotel is now a part of Flagler College. The Ponce de Leon Hotel was opened in January of 1888. The hotel became instantly successful, and a second and third hotel were constructed within two years, (the Alcazar - across the street), and the Cordova (next door). The succ

We traveled to St Augustine on a whim to finish the initial part of the Elsaesser Fellowship Project. Though St Augustine is on the Atlantic coast and well away from the historic fortifications of the Gulf, it felt like a shame to leave out the oldest city and fortification complex in the country.  St Augustine was originally discovered and setteled by the Spanish Explorer Ponce de Leon in 1513.  Founded as a Spanish City in 1565 and fully fortified by 1627. The original Spanish brick and masonry fortification is cited as being important in the design of the much later American fortifications built as part of the second and third system coastal defense networks. The Spanish troop garrisoned at the Castillo de San Marcos later brought their families and established the city outside the walls of the fort in 1565. Construction plan of the Castillo de San Marcos from 1677 Military engineer in the Spanish Army 1677 - http://www.nps.gov/history/history/onli