Few buildings in Florida capture the passage of time as vividly as the Casa Monica Hotel in St. Augustine. Rising in distinctive Moorish Revival splendor, this grand structure has stood since 1888 as both a witness and participant in the city’s transformation—from a quiet Spanish colonial town to a glittering winter retreat for America’s elite, and eventually into a living museum of Gilded Age architecture. Its stucco walls and intricate turrets tell a story of ambition, reinvention, and resilience, reflecting the broader narrative of Florida’s growth from frontier to fashionable destination.
The Vision of Franklin W. Smith
The Casa Monica was the brainchild of Franklin W. Smith, an eccentric Bostonian entrepreneur, visionary, and early architectural experimenter. Smith had already left his mark on St. Augustine with the Villa Zorayda, a smaller Moorish-style home inspired by the Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain. Encouraged by its success, Smith set his sights higher. He envisioned a grand hotel that would bring European exoticism to the oldest city in America—a structure that would blend Spanish, Moorish, and North African motifs into one breathtaking masterpiece.
Construction began in 1887, using poured concrete reinforced with crushed coquina stone—a material that would later become a hallmark of Henry Flagler’s hotels. Casa Monica opened its doors on January 1, 1888, featuring 100 rooms, lavish public spaces, and a level of ornamentation rare even in an age of excess. Yet, despite his vision, Smith’s finances faltered almost immediately. shutdown123