50th Anniversary Booklet

h e n r y

m o r r i s o n

FLAGLER MUSEUM palm beach, florida

fiftieth anniversary

1959 - 2009

Dear Members and Contributors:

A half century has passed since the Henry Morrison Flagler Museum was founded by Flagler’s granddaughter, Jean Flagler Matthews. During that time Whitehall has been completely restored and most of its original collection has been repatriated. A state-of-the-art climate control system was installed and the Flagler Kenan Pavilion was built to protect and preserve Railcar No. 91.

Today Whitehall is a National Historic Landmark known around the world and respected as one of America’s great house museums. All of this has been made possible through your generous support. Much has been accomplished these past fifty years and we have much to be proud of. And, I hope you agree that Whitehall should be preserved for generations to come as a proud symbol of America’s greatness and a reminder of not only what my great-grandfather Henry Flagler accomplished, but also of the limitless possibilities afforded to us as Americans, no matter how humble our origins.

Thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,

George G. Matthews, President Board of Trustees

Flagler Museum Board of Trustees

Jean Flagler Matthews

George G. Matthews

Robert E. Lee

Founder and President

Trustee, Vice President,

Trustee, Treasurer

1960 - 1979

President

1960 - 1963

1960 - Present

Ricardo C. Gonzalez

Maude Miner Hadden

Thomas S. Kenan, III

Trustee

Trustee

Secretary, Trustee

1960

1960 - 1966

1961 - 1972 2000 - Present

Roger G. Mook

William J. Moss

G. F. Robert Hanke

Vice President

Treasurer

Trustee, Secretary,

1964 - 1965

Secretary, Treasurer

Vice President

1966 - 1994

1967 - Present

Frank H. Kenan

James R. Knott

James G. Kenan

Trustee

Trustee

Trustee

1973 - 1977

1973 - 1999

1976 - 1987

William M. Matthews

Jesse D. Newman

John B. Rogers

Trustee, Treasurer

Trustee, Secretary

Trustee

1976 - Present

1976 - Present

1980 - Present

Owen G. Kenan

Kelly F. M. Hopkins

Alexander W. Dreyfoos

Trustee

Trustee

Trustee

1991 - 2002

1999 - Present

2007 - Present

FL AGLER MUSEUM 50

th

ANNIVERSARY

1959 - 1969 T HE F IRST D ECAD E 1959 - Incorporation of the Henry Morrison Flagler Museum, Inc. and Acquisition of Flagler’s Railcar When Henry Flagler died in 1913, Whitehall and the bulk of his estate were left to his wife, Mary Lily. The house remained closed until the season of 1916 and Mary Lily visited the estate only once more, in 1917. Mary Lily died that same year, leaving Whitehall to her niece, Louise Clisby Wise, who later sold the estate Jean Flagler Matthews and husband Ricardo C. to a group of investors in 1925. A ten-story Gonzales (far left) attend the signing of the Articles of 300-room tower was added to the west side Incorporation founding the Flagler Museum on June 5, of the estate and the property was operated 1959. as a hotel from 1925-1959. The estate's original private Railcar No. 91 was purchased in rooms were used as lounges, card rooms, and McGaheysville, Virginia, where it had been guest suites. By 1959, the hotel was in financial serving as a private residence for ten years. It distress and the entire complex was in danger was brought to Pickens Railroad Company in of being razed. Henry Flagler's granddaughter, South Carolina for exterior restoration, with Jean Flagler Matthews, learned of the estate's the interior work to be done after the car's fate, purchased the property, and formed a arrival in Palm Beach. nonprofit corporation, the Henry Morrison Flagler 1960 - Return of the Museum, Inc. Members of Grand Hall Statues and the first Board of Trustees the Restoration Ball were Mrs. Matthews, President, Ricardo C. Four life-size marble Gonzales, George G. statues, which had been Matthews, Robert E. moved into the Courtyard Lee, and Maude Miner during the hotel period, Hadden. The Articles were returned on January of Incorporation were 19, 1960 to their original signed in New York on niches in the corners of June 5, 1959. The Board Grand Hall. The statues hired Grant R. Bedford as were made in Rome in Executive Director of the 1901 and depict female Flagler Museum and began mythological figures. the lengthy process of returning Whitehall to its Palm Beach Mayor Claude D. Reese To celebrate the opening original grandeur. Objects congratulates the Museum’s Founder of the Flagler Museum and rooms underwent on the return of the first piece of restored and to help raise funds for restoration and Flagler's furniture to Whitehall in 1959.

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the continued restoration and maintenance of Whitehall, the Museum's Board, staff, and volunteers held a Restoration Ball on February 6, 1960. The distinguished guest list of 600 included local and national dignitaries, including Florida Governor LeRoy Collins, U.S. Senators Spessard L. Holland and George A. Smathers, U.S. Representative Paul G. Rogers, U.S. Treasurer Ivy Baker Priest, and Director of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Dr. Richard H. Howland. The gala event began at 10 p.m., followed by a dedication ceremony and an elegant supper served at 12:30 a.m.

Guests danced to the music of Barney Sorkin and his Orchestra, whose performance was recorded on a commemorative album. The Restoration Ball marked the official opening of Whitehall to the public as the Flagler Museum.

The following day, over 1,400 visitors toured the Museum.

1961 - First Open House The community was invited to visit Whitehall free-ofcharge at the first Open House, February 4, 1961 established to commemorate the opening of the Flagler Museum. The Museum's Founder, Executive Director, and Board of Trustees, personally greeted the guests in the Grand Hall.

A special program was printed for the event listing the Flagler Museum's 51 charter members and encouraging others to join at the Membership Table in the Grand Hall. After signing the

Flagler’s private Railcar is raised onto a flatcar for transportation by rail from Virginia, where it served as a private residence for ten years (inset).

Guest Register in the Library, visitors toured Whitehall, viewing films in the Billiard Room of the Museum's initial restoration work, the Restoration Ball, and the moving of Flagler's Railcar No. 91. Special exhibits were presented in the West Room, Grand Hall, and the Library, including Panorama of a Peninsula, prepared by the Florida State Museum, Florida East Coast Railway documents, Florida

Souvenirs from the Restoration Ball included a commemorative program and an album of the music guests danced to in the Grand Ballroom at Whitehall. (left) Jean Flagler Matthews greets Florida Governor LeRoy Collins at the Restoration Ball.

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in April 1962. Museum staff and volunteers coordinated a sale of the hotel linens in July, 1962 the proceeds of which were to defray the expense of demolishing the tower.

Palm Beach Mayor Claude D. Reese congratulates Museum Trustee George G. Matthews and his wife Betsy Matthews on the opening of the Flagler Museum.

shells, The Palm Beach Post-Times exhibit, Flagler art objects, and Museum scrapbooks.

The Royal Poinciana Chapel organist, C. Russell Henderson, played the pipe organ in the Music Room and guests enjoyed refreshments in the West Room. The tradition of opening Whitehall free to the public each year continues today as Founder's Day, celebrated each June 5 to mark the Museum's incorporation as a nonprofit organization.

1962 - Sale of Whitehall Hotel Furnishings and Linens When Jean Flagler Matthews acquired Whitehall, the attached hotel was intact and filled with furnishings and linens for the guest rooms, dining rooms, and recreation areas.

As part of the process to return Whitehall to its original state, the furnishings were sold to a Miami firm 3

The Flagler Museum’s early publications included this illustrated guidebook from 1963 and brochure from 1962.

1963 - Return of the Pipe Organ and Demolition of the Hotel Tower Whitehall's original pipe organ returned to the mansion after years of service at the nearby Royal Poinciana Chapel. On May 15, 1963 the chapel organist performed a final concert before the organ was removed and reinstalled in the Music Room at Whitehall. The organ had been presented to the Royal Poinciana Chapel, of which Flagler was a patron, in the 1920s when Whitehall became a hotel. The Museum gratefully accepted the pipe organ back when a congregation member offered to contribute a new instrument to the chapel.

The Flagler Museum’s first anniversary was celebrated with an Open House on February 4, 1961. The event included special exhibits, films, organ music, and refreshments.

In June 1963 the Flagler Museum temporarily closed, for the first time since its opening,

Furnishings and linens included in the acquisition of the Whitehall Hotel were sold by the Flagler Museum in 1962 to generate funds for removal of the tower.

for the demolition of the 300-room, 10-story hotel tower. The addition was razed to the mezzanine floor, below which the structure had been integrated into the original Flagler mansion. Wreckers removed the top eight floors of the hotel addition, or about 15,000 cubic yards of building material.

1964 - Return of Important Collections Objects to Whitehall Three important pieces returned to Whitehall in 1964 from the collection of Colonel Owen Kenan: a large marble table from the Grand Hall, a marble bust of Caesar Augustus, and a Louis XV-style rosewood and bronze clock designed by François Linke.

1965 - Conservation of the Pipe Organ The original pipe organ in Whitehall was dismantled June 19, 1965 and taken to its manufacturer, J.H. and C.S. Odell Company, in Yonkers, New York for refurbishment.

Over the summer, J. Franklin Odell, whose grandfather originally installed the massive instrument, and George J. Grathwohl, who

Anniversary

The Flagler Museum celebrated its fifth anniversary, February 6, 1965 by exhibiting new acquisitions of furnishings, antique china, rare bronzes and other items owned by Flagler or associated with his era in Florida. The Grand Hall featured the 40 ft. by 27 ft.

Kerman Palace rug, the largest Kermanshah rug made. A

Š The Palm Beach Post (inset)

1965 - Fifth Celebration

guest room was reopened containing original Whitehall furniture and ten newly acquired paintings were displayed. Permanent exhibits at the Museum featured a library of issues of The Palm Beach Post and The Palm Beach Times from 1916-1956, objects from the Palm Beach County Historical Society, Florida East Coast Railway documents, and photographs collected by Flagler's secretary, Warren E. Smith. Visitors watched historical footage of the burning of The Breakers in 1925, restoration work at Whitehall, and the Museum's Restoration Ball in 1960. A harpist, chamber music group, and organist provided music, with refreshments served in the West Room.

Demolition (inset) of the upper portion of the ten-story 300-room tower built in 1925 for the Whitehall Hotel took place during the summer of 1963.

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© The Palm Beach Post (both photos)

1966 - Arrival of Flagler's Private Railcar

Grant Bedford and J. Franklin Odell discuss the reinstallation of Whitehall’s pipe organ in 1963. (inset) Odell meets with George Grathwohl, who helped install the organ in 1902.

On November 20, 1966 Flagler's private Railcar, No. 91, arrived from Pickens, South Carolina, where it underwent exterior restoration.

Loaded onto three flat cars and covered with canvas, the Railcar traveled 700 miles in 10 days. The Flagler Museum's Executive and Assistant Directors joined Carlton J. Corliss, who worked on the Florida East Coast Railway extension to Key West, in examining the car at its rest stop on the FEC Railway siding at 15th Street in West Palm Beach. The Railcar was then loaded onto a truck and driven to Palm Beach, where a large crane waited to lift it onto 85 ft. of track laid on the Museum's southwest lawn. The complete interior restoration, performed by retired FEC Railway worker C. F. Reedy, included returning the Railcar's oak paneling to its original finish.

helped with the 1902 installation, worked on the organ, assisted by Odell factory employees.

They cleaned and straightened the over 1,100 metal and wood pipes, restoring their original tonal quality, and releathered the 30 ft. long and 25 ft. high bellows. Old and worn parts were replaced with unused, vintage pieces. By November, the complex instrument had been returned to the Museum and reinstalled over the course of four weeks.

Guests attend the dedication ceremony celebrating the official opening of Henry Flagler’s private Railcar on February 3, 1967.

1967 - Dedication of the Railcar and Acquisition of the Chapel Property

Workers in Pickens, South Carolina restore the exterior of Railcar No. 91.

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A special dedication ceremony took place February 3, 1967 at the Flagler Museum to celebrate the opening of Flagler's private Railcar No. 91 to the public. The Board of Trustees, those involved with the restoration, and special Museum Members attended the event. Jean Flagler Matthews spoke about the

from the east. On May 17, 1967 the Museum purchased the Chapel property from the Florida East Coast Railway. Plans for the land included increasing the size of the parking area and landscaping it to provide an eastern entrance to the front of the Museum from Cocoanut Row. 1968 - Tenting of Whitehall and Restoration of the Silver Maple Room

Flagler’s private Railcar is lowered into place by crane on Whitehall’s south lawn after the completion of its exterior restoration.

project and dedicated its completion to the memory of William R. Kenan, Jr., Mary Lily Kenan Flagler's brother and Henry Flagler's friend and business associate. That weekend, over 5,000 visitors toured the restored car.

Since the Flagler Museum acquired Whitehall in 1959, the Board of Trustees had been interested in acquiring the property east of Whitehall to Cocoanut Row, on which the Royal Poinciana Chapel was located. The Chapel, built by Flagler for its congregation, was moved near Whitehall's Main Gate when Cocoanut Row was put through. The property was originally part of Whitehall and would afford an appropriate access to the Museum

The completed restoration of the Silver Maple room in 1968 was commemorated with a special preview tea for Flagler Museum Members.

Termite infestation necessitated the fumigation of Whitehall in the summer of 1968. The massive job took weeks to prepare, execute, and complete.

Whitehall underwent the largest tent fumigation in the South, and possibly the United States, when Museum authorities discovered termites in the structure and furnishings. The job, begun May 27, 1968 required 2,250,000 square feet of plastic tenting, 900 feet of rope, and 8,000 clamps to seal off the over 2,000,000 cubic feet of interior space in the Museum. Twenty 700 lb. drums of chemical extermination gas had to be lifted by crane into the building, which was exposed to the insecticide for 36 hours. The work was delayed by strong winds from Hurricane Abby, which destroyed 25% of the tenting, but was completed on June 16.

The Silver Maple room at Whitehall was reopened by the Flagler Museum after extensive restoration, which included the 6

reproduction of the severely faded original dark and light red striped silk wallpaper. A reproduction of a wing chair, part of the original Silver Maple Room furnishings, joined the other pieces which had been returned to the Museum four years earlier. Members toured the Silver Maple Room and other bedrooms at a preview tea, held on November 9, to celebrate the beginning of the complete restoration of the second floor.

established in the fall of 1966. Student musicians, who performed in the Flagler Museum's Young Artists Concerts series presented on the fourth Friday of every month, competed annually for a full year of tuition awarded through the Music Scholarship Fund.

Conductor Leonard Bernstein joins Jean Flagler Matthews following the benefit concert.

1969 - Benefit Concert By the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and Appointment of a New Executive Director In 1903, Henry Morrison Flagler's son, Henry Harkness Flagler, reorganized the Symphony Society of New York. With his keen devotion to music, the young Flagler served as a prominent figure in the New York classical music community throughout his life. To honor his commitment, the Flagler Museum presented a benefit concert on February 10, 1969 by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Leonard Bernstein. A special transparent acoustic shell which seated 6,000 people was built at the West Palm Beach Auditorium for the performance. Proceeds from the eventwenttotheMuseum's restoration program and Music Scholarship Fund, 7

In recognition of his vital role during the Flagler Museum’s early years, Grant R. Bedford was named Executive Director Emeritus upon his retirement.

Charles B. Simmons.

On December 1, 1969 Charles B. Simmons became Executive Director of the Flagler Museum following the November 30 retirement of Grant R. Bedford. A native of Hartford, Connecticut with a background in architecture and antiques, Simmons had previously served as Director of the Historical Society of York County, Pennsylvania. Bedford, who had been Executive Director of the Museum since its founding, was named Executive Director Emeritus by the Board of Trustees and continued to fill an advisory role at the Museum during his retirement. In keeping with the Museum's tradition of long-serving administrators, Simmons would continue as Director for the next 25 years.

FL AGLER MUSEUM 50

th

ANNIVERSARY

1970 - 1979 T HE S E C O N D D ECAD E 1970 - Tenth Anniversary of the Flagler Museum, Exhibition Expansion, Lecture Series Introduced The Flagler Museum celebrated its 10th anniversary in February of 1970 by inviting the public to visit the Museum free of charge.

Guests were greeted by the Museum’s founder, Jean Flagler Matthews. To commemorate the centennial of the births of Henry Flagler’s son, Henry Harkness Flagler, and his wife Anne Lamont Flagler, the Museum presented a special exhibition of Flagler family artifacts, including Anne Lamont Flagler’s wedding gown.

The Flagler Museum’s railroad exhibition was expanded in March 1970 with emphasis placed on the building of Flagler’s Florida East Coast Railway. Improvements included the addition of new photographs and documents

to increase the visual and interpretive impact of the permanent exhibition. Installation of the exhibition was overseen by railroad historian and Florida East Coast Railway employee Carlton J. Corliss, who helped build the railroad’s Key West Extension.

Programming at the Flagler Museum expanded with the introduction of a lecture series in December 1970. A series of five lectures devoted to the decorative arts began December 3 with a presentation by Wendell D. Garrett, Managing Editor of Antiques magazine. The spirit of this program continues today with the Flagler Museum’s annual Whitehall Lecture Series, which takes place each February and March.

1971 - Whitehall included in the Historic American Buildings Survey A team of researchers began documenting Whitehall, and seven other historic structures in Palm Beach, in August, 1971 for inclusion in the Historic American Buildings Survey.

Researchers made architectural notes and drawings intended to “preserve” the building through detailed records. Photographic documentation was completed the following year in April 1972. The completed survey was designed to be accurate and thorough. The resulting records joined the survey archives, which included more than 13,000 buildings, housed at the Library of Congress.

1972 - Restoration of the Morning Room, Royal Poinciana Chapel Moved from Museum Grounds

Visitors enjoy refreshments in the Dining Room at Whitehall during the Flagler Museum’s 10th anniversary.

The Morning Room, a private sitting room designed for use by Mary Lily Kenan Flagler, 8

© The Palm Beach Post

Built near the Palm Beach golf course by Henry Flagler, the Royal Poinciana Chapel was relocated in 1947 to an area near the entrance gates to Whitehall. With the aim of restoring the estate’s front entrance, the Flagler Museum purchased this piece of property, which had originally been part of the estate, in 1967. To make way for the Museum’s planned entrance and expanded parking area, the Chapel was moved south to an adjacent property in July 1972.

Courtesy of the Historical Society of Palm Beach County

was restored to its original appearance. The room’s wide striped wall coverings were reproduced in flocked silk. The room was furnished with original pieces, including Mary Lily’s piano, and upholstered reproductions.

The work was completed in time for the Museum’s 12th anniversary celebration February 5, 1972.

For 25 years, the Royal Poinciana Chapel stood near the entrance gates of Whitehall, seen in the background on the right.

photographs of the room and inventory records from Whitehall. The ceiling was restored, with damaged portions of the design reconstructed.

Using scraps of the original wallpaper found behind the light fixtures and basin mirror, the Yellow Roses bedroom’s distinctive design, called “Marechal Niel,” was replicated for the wall coverings, drapery, upholstery, and bed linens. The original brass bed was reproduced and the room furnished with maple pieces originally used in another Whitehall guest chamber.

In January 1973 the Secretary of State, Richard Stone, announced the addition of Whitehall to the National Register of Historic Places, an inventory of historic buildings and sites throughout the country compiled by the

Executive Director Charles Simmons and Curator Carolyn McElroy place objects in the Morning Room to complete the restoration.

The Billiard Room and the Yellow Roses Room of Whitehall were restored and opened to the public February 3, 1973. The Billiard Room’s velvet curtains, portieres, and three billiard tables were replicated from historic 9

© The Palm Beach Post

1973 - Billiard Room and Yellow Roses Bedroom Restored, Whitehall Placed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Bicentennial Trail, Main Gate and Fence Repaired, Flagler Museum Accredited

The moving of the Royal Poinciana Chapel in 1972 allowed the Flagler Museum to create an entrance and parking lot off of Cocoanut Row.

by relatives of Mary Lily Kenan Flagler. The mahogany pieces are accented with bronze dore decorations and were used daily by the Flaglers for less formal meals.

The Museum was chosen as one of Florida’s most historically significant sites for the observance of the 200th anniversary of the American Revolution. The Bicentennial Commission of Florida named the Flagler Museum a Bicentennial Trail site in February 1973.

1976 - Restoration of the Colonial Chamber

© Mort Kaye

National Park Service. The conferring of this status recognized Whitehall as an architectural landmark of national significance, affording the site protection and eligibility for federal grants.

The renowned fabric restoration experts Mr. and Mrs. Franco Damaged portions of the ceiling designs Scalamandre, founders in the Billiard Room are reconstructed of Scalamandre Silks, using the original colors. studied historic photos of the Colonial Chamber in Whitehall to recreate the pattern of the room’s original wall coverings. It took nearly In November 1973 the heavily rusted Main a year to complete the restoration, including Gate at Whitehall was removed for repair. designing, dyeing, weaving, and installing the During the six-week process, missing pieces of Dubarry red silk damask fabric. In addition, the the ornamental grillwork were replaced, the Scalamandres provided fabric to reupholster gates were wire-brushed to remove rust and the chairs and chaise lounge in ivory damask, then coated with rust-resistant paint. While the drapery and bed cover in ivory moire silk, the Main Gate was worked on off-site, the and the window draperies in a brocade stripe. adjoining fence underwent similar treatment.

The Museum’s founder, Jean Flagler Matthews, announced the accreditation of the Flagler Museum by the American Association of Museums in December 1973. The accreditation process was created in 1969 to promote professional standards among museums in the United States. The Flagler Museum’s accredited status, which is reviewed every ten years, insures that the Museum’s operations continue to uphold the highest professional standards.

1974 - Return of Breakfast Room Furniture The original dining table and marble-topped buffet from the Breakfast Room in Whitehall were given to the Flagler Museum in 1974

Experts created replicas of the original textiles used in the Colonial Chamber at Whitehall to complete the bedroom’s restoration.

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© Bob Davidoff

celebration of the 18th anniversary of the Flagler Museum’s founding in February 1978 allowing visitors to enter through the elaborate wrought iron and cast bronze Main Gate just as guests originally did when visiting the Flaglers.

In 1977, the Flagler Museum acquired Four Cherokee Roses

by Martin Johnson Heade, a painting believed to be The Main Gate at Whitehall is removed for cleaning and repainting in original to Kirkside, Henry 1973.

Flagler’s St. Augustine home. It was later moved to 1977 - Reopening of the Main Gates, the Hotel Ponce de Leon, where it remained for Acquisition of Heade Paintings more than fifty years. Martin Johnson Heade was a widely-traveled American painter Due to the location of the Royal Poinciana who met Flagler in St. Augustine in 1883 and Chapel in front of Whitehall’s Main Gate, settled there the following year. Working in Flagler Museum visitors were required to enter the studios at the Hotel Ponce de Leon, Heade the grounds from a side entrance on Whitehall became known for his floral paintings and Way during the first 17 years of operation. In landscapes of Florida sunsets. Flagler owned September 1977 the Flagler Museum received many paintings by Heade, hanging them in approval from the town of Palm Beach to his hotels and in his homes. The Museum modify the property between Cocoanut Row acquired an additional Heade painting, Mixed and the Main Gate, from which the Chapel Flowers in a Silver Vase, in 1977, which joined was removed in 1972. A new driveway and two others acquired in 1975 and 1976. parking lot were completed in time for the

In 1977, the Flagler Museum acquired Four Cherokee Roses by Martin Johnson Heade. The painting was originally part of Flagler’s private art collection and is available as a reproduction print through the Museum Store.

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1979 - Return of Important Collections Objects to Whitehall Several important collections objects returned to Whitehall in 1979. Jean Flagler Matthews, the Flagler Museum’s founder and Henry Flagler’s granddaughter, gave the Museum a portrait of Henry Flagler by Pereira, which was hung over the fireplace in the Library.

Additional acquisitions that year included two original armchairs from the Music Room; a bench original to the Grand Ballroom; and the original chair, footrest, and oak side table from the Billiard Room.

missed sorely.” Grant Bedford recalled what Mrs. Matthews often said regarding her philanthropy, “A person with a large fortune must also have a great deal of character to prevent the fortune from becoming a misfortune.” The Flagler Museum continues to fulfill the mission of preservation and education which she began in 1959. Currently, her children and grandchildren serve on the Board of Trustees, continuing her tradition of service.

Death of the Museum’s Founder On March 22, 1979 Jean Flagler Matthews, founder and President of the Board of Trustees of the Flagler Museum, passed away. She served tirelessly for twenty years preserving the historical legacy of her grandfather, Henry Flagler, through the founding and operation of the Flagler Museum. Grant Bedford, Executive Director Emeritus of the Flagler Museum, expressed the feelings of the staff and Trustees when he said, “During the past 20 years we have been given far too much credit for whatever we did for the Museum, whereas I shall always feel that too much credit cannot be given to the late Jean Flagler Matthews!”

Executive Director Charles Simmons agreed, “It’s been her personality, her tenacity that has run the Museum for the past 20 years.”

Judge James R. Knott, a Trustee of the Flagler Museum, remembered her generosity in the community, “She was a great friend and benefactor of the Palm Beaches. Her establishment of the Flagler Museum has been of inestimable value to the area, and this was one of her many philanthropic endeavors here. She was a great lady and she will be

Jean Flagler Matthews, the founder of the Flagler Museum, served on its Board of Trustees from 1959 to 1979. Her portrait now hangs in Whitehall’s Grand Hall.

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FL AGLER MUSEUM 50

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ANNIVERSARY

1980 - 1989 T HE T HI RD D ECAD E 1980 - School Programs Made Free The Flagler Museum’s Board of Trustees voted to eliminate admission charges for all organized school groups in 1980. The policy, which continues today, took effect February 12, 1980 and included all public and private schools and organizations.

1981 - New Acquisitions, Flagler Video Biography Produced The Museum continued to acquire original Whitehall furnishings with the addition in April, 1981 of two small Louis XVI-style marble top tables to the Drawing Room and an oval mirror to one of the guest bedrooms.

Using historical photographs, archival films, and original video footage, the Flagler Museum created the first audiovisual biography of Henry Flagler. And the Wilderness Shall Bloom explored Flagler’s career and his development of the east coast of Florida.

Doors installed in the Courtyard arches during the hotel period were removed in 1984.

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In 1984, reproductions of the original wall and drapery fabric were used to restore Whitehall’s second floor hallway.

1984 - Major Restoration Projects, Creation of the Exhibition Gallery Using historical photographs and documents, the Flagler Museum began a series of extensive restoration projects. The drapes in the Grand Hall and the matching wall coverings in Whitehall’s stairway and second floor hallway were reproduced in a dark green woven silk and linen fabric. In addition, doors installed in the arches around the Courtyard during the hotel period were removed, restoring the original open loggias on the north and south sides.

In order to create a space specifically designed for special exhibits, the Museum reconfigured six of Whitehall’s twenty-two servants’ rooms into an Exhibition Gallery. Walls, doorways, and bathrooms were removed to open up a space for mounting changing exhibitions.

The renovation of several Whitehall servants’ rooms in 1984 created a gallery for changing exhibitions at the Flagler Museum.

On February 2, 1985 the Flagler Museum celebrated its 25th anniversary with free admission for all visitors. The event featured a special exhibit on the Museum’s history, a restored servant’s room and linen closet, and table settings including Mary Lily’s gold tea service, flatware, and china. Musical performances were presented in the Grand Ballroom and on Whitehall’s pipe organ.

North Addition Demolished

project in early 1986 returned Whitehall’s north side to its original appearance.

1986 - Whitehall Lecture Series Begins Although Whitehall had long served as a venue for lectures on history and the decorative arts, on February 19, 1986 the Flagler Museum began a special educational program called the Whitehall Lecture Series. Presented by the Museum staff and guest speakers, the lectures focused on different aspects of Flagler and Gilded Age history. Topics covered during the first series included Whitehall’s statuary, paintings, silver, and the life of servants at the estate.

A two-room wing added to Whitehall’s north side during the hotel period was demolished during August and September, 1985. The wing provided hotel reception offices located adjacent to Whitehall’s Dining Room and Breakfast Room, which served as entrance lobbies.

The project involved the removal of the 1925 addition and the restoration of the north facade, including uncovering three large windows which had been boarded up since the A front-end loader removes debris from the demolished two-room wing on the 1920s. Completion of the north side.

© The Palm Beach Post

1985 - 25th Anniversary of the Flagler Museum

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1988 - Guest Bedroom Restored, Pipe Organ Refurbished, Museum Store Opens, Oval Windows Reproduced for Railcar

other items related to the Gilded Age.

In an effort to restore Flagler’s Railcar No. 91 to its appearance during the construction of the Key West Extension of One of Whitehall’s the Florida East Coast Guest Bedrooms was Railway, the Museum restored after the Flagler Museum acquired the Six pieces of Louis XVI-style furniture, including reproduced two oval original Louis XVI- the bed and chaise lounge shown in this historic windows for the car’s During its style bed, chaise lounge, photo, were returned to their original guest kitchen. initial restoration by the desk, writing table, and bedroom.

Museum in 1966, the pair of arm chairs. The Railcar was returned to its original appearance furnishings were given to the Museum by the when completed for Flagler in 1886. By 1910, family of a friend of Louise Clisby Wise, the however, two of the kitchen’s sash windows inheritor of Whitehall after Mary Lily’s death. had been replaced with oval leaded glass windows. The windows were reproduced On June 22, the Museum closed the Music using detailed historical photographs of Room to accommodate the restoration of the Railcar. These photos also provided Whitehall’s pipe organ. The 1,249 pipes the information needed to repaint the car’s were removed for the first time since the decorative striping, scrollwork, and lettering. instrument’s reinstallation in 1965. All of the pipes were thoroughly cleaned, the pneumatic 1989 - Flagler Museum Video and Updated action rebuilt, leather stops replaced, and the Guide Book Released whole instrument revoiced.

In the fall of 1988, the Flagler Museum opened its first Museum Store, located in Whitehall’s original kitchen area. The previous year, the Museum began selling books, catalogs, and postcards in the Grand Hall, but moved the operation to its new location in order to expand the range of merchandise to include

This photograph, showing Flagler’s Railcar on the right, reveals the oval windows installed after the original construction of Railcar No. 91.

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To create additional educational materials with wide usage and appeal, the Flagler Museum produced another video and an illustrated guide book, which were released in 1989.

Whitehall: Life in the Flagler Era was developed to take viewers on a tour of the estate. In its first major overhaul since publication in the early 1960s, the guide book featured new photographs of the interiors, facade, and Railcar. The 48-page book was divided into three sections, liberally illustrated with historic photographs from the Archives.

FL AGLER MUSEUM 50

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ANNIVERSARY

1990 - 1999 T HE FOURTH D ECAD E 1990 - West Wing Renovation Begun and Master Bedroom Restored The west wing, added to Whitehall during its hotel period, featured exterior cast concrete cornicework and other decorative elements.

By the summer of 1990, this architectural work had deteriorated beyond repair, so a new elevation was constructed to resemble Whitehall’s facade. The wing also received a new roof, had the floors of its rooms leveled, and a terrace added to create a large indoor/ outdoor space for special programs and events.

By fall, 1990 a three-and-a-half-year restoration of the Master Bedroom was completed. New wall coverings, bed linens, and trimmings were reproduced based on original pieces and historic photographs, and the room’s furnishings were restored.

1991 - Remodeling, Restoration, and Repair Projects, Flagler Furniture Exhibited In 1991, a three-year program of remodeling, restoration, and repairs throughout the Museum was completed. Exterior painting of

Renovation of the Museum’s west wing involved re-roofing and the construction of a new facade.

Large portions of the plaster beams in Whitehall’s portico were rebuilt in preparation for painting in 1991.

the Museum began in June. In preparation, windows were repaired and large portions of the plaster beams under the portico were rebuilt. Parts of the copper drainspouts were carefully reproduced from the originals. The Museum’s front driveways and employee parking lot were repaved. The Museum’s Lecture Room was repainted and the west wing renovations completed. The ceiling over Whitehall’s main staircase and second floor hallway was stripped, treated, and repainted, as was the Museum’s second floor Exhibition Gallery.

A Louis XVI-style fall front desk, likely owned by the Flaglers, known as a secretaire a abatant, went on exhibition in the Drawing Room in 1991. Acquired by the Museum in 1988 from the children of Louise Clisby Wise Lewis, who inherited Whitehall, the piece is decorated with rare wood veneers and gilt bronze mounts. It underwent over a year of restoration.

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1992 - Clothing Acquisitions, FEC Railway and Hotel Exhibit Refurbished Several years prior to 1992, the Flagler Museum received clothing items from the family of the Flaglers’ head housekeeper who was personal maid to Mary Lily after 1913. The donations included a ball gown, lingerie, and parts of gowns worn by Mary Lily. An original lace fragment was used to completely reconstruct a day dress. Both gowns were put on exhibit on the Museum’s second floor.

In July 1992, the Museum’s permanent exhibit highlighting the history of the Florida East Coast Railway (FECRy) and FEC hotel system received an update in the form of new historical photographs and the addition of a reproduced FECRy ticket booth. The ticket booth was enhanced with artifacts such as a ticket box, telegraph key, visor, spectacles, and telephone.

All of the exhibit cases were repainted and new collections objects displayed, such as FEC serving ware.

1993 - Courtyard Restoration Begun In June, 1993 workers began restoration of the Courtyard by replacing corroded cast iron pipes which had allowed rainwater from the roof to drain soil away from under the Courtyard surface. Using drawings and photographs from the Archives, the concrete

The Flagler History exhibit was updated with new images and artifacts in 1991.

walks were restored with contrasting brick paving and planting areas. A staircase leading into the Grand Hall was rebuilt on its original foundation, with the design coming from architects’ drawings that were discovered in the Museum’s Archives. When completed in the summer of 1994, the Courtyard closely resembled its appearance when constructed in 1902.

1994 - Flagler Museum Received Providencia Award The Palm Beach County Convention and Visitors Bureau honored the Flagler Museum with its annual Providencia Award on May 6, 1994. The award, named after the coconutladen Spanish brigantine which sank off Palm Beach in 1878, was presented to the Museum for substantially contributing to the continued growth of tourism in Palm Beach County.

Dining Room and Library Restorations Begun, Whitehall Featured on A&E Network, Executive Director Charles Simmons Retires

Workers begin laying out the Courtyard floor based on historical documentation from the Museum’s Archives.

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Two areas in the house underwent restoration in 1994. Wall coverings and draperies in both the Library and Dining Room were replaced

with reproductions manufactured in Italy.

Tapestries in the Dining Room were restored.

Conservators worked on the inlaid Dining Room floor, while the room’s Irish Donegal carpet was cleaned and restored by the granddaughter of the man from whom Henry Flagler purchased the carpet for the Grand Hall.

The Flagler Museum was one of seven historic homes featured on the nationally-airing documentary America’s Castles. The program, produced by the Arts and Entertainment Network (A&E), premiered January 8 and has proven to be one of the cable network’s most popular programs, continuing to air today.

On December 1, Charles Simmons retired as Executive Director of the Flagler Museum, a position he held for 25 years. Simmons was instrumental in spearheading continued restoration at Whitehall, in developing educational programming such as the Whitehall Lecture Series, and for bringing the Flagler Museum national recognition as an historic site and an accredited museum.

1995 - Executive Director John Blades Joins Flagler Museum Staff, Grand Ballroom Paintings Conserved, Grand Hall Ceiling Stabilized, Long-Term Collections Management Projects Begun, Flagler Museum Featured on Good Morning America, Web Site Launched

A conservator cleans a lunette painting in the Grand Ballroom.

Fifteen lunette paintings in the Grand Ballroom, embellished with rococo curves, underwent conservation beginning in September 1995. Each features cherubs and couples painted in an eighteenth-century style. Each painting was carefully cleaned of its thick layer of discolored varnish and dirt using organic solvents. The surrounding giltwork was also restored.

A structural weakness in the ceiling of the Grand Hall was discovered in 1995 and was stabilized to prevent further damage. During Whitehall’s construction in 1901, the builders used steel beams from Carnegie Steel for the support of the room’s ceiling. One of the beams was flawed during the forging process and developed a crack, causing the ceiling to sag in the Grand Hall and the floors to dip and walls to crack in the bedrooms above.

In June 1995 the Flagler Museum Board of Trustees appointed John Blades Executive Director of the Flagler Museum. His previous career at Hearst Castle in San Simeon, California, another premiere historic house museum, spanned 20 years and included serving as Director of the Public Affairs John Blades has overseen the Museum’s rapid development since 1995.

Department.

Following the appointment of Sandra Barghini as Chief Curator, the Curatorial Department began a series of long-term collections management projects.

Curatorial staff began compiling information files on all collections objects, managing the Archives and photograph collections, 18

photo documenting collections objects, modifying storage areas, and gathering interior climate data for an analysis of the exhibit and storage areas.

reinstallation of the fence’s north terminal posts, and the cleaning and repair of two elaborately carved chairs in the Grand Hall.

On October 2, The Institute of 1995 the nationally Museum and Library televised program Services and the Good Morning America Good Morning America correspondent Spenser National Institute broadcast from the Christian reports from the Flagler Museum. for the Conservation Flagler Museum. The of Cultural Property program was viewed by millions of people awarded the Flagler Museum a Conservation across the country and featured weather Assessment Program grant in 1996. The grant reports from Spenser Christian, who also funded on-site assessments of the Museum shared information about the Flagler Museum building and collections by two professional with viewers. conservators. The conservators and Museum staff reviewed collections care policies, The Flagler Museum became the first museum procedures, and environmental conditions. in Palm Beach County to develop its own Web Conservation priorities were identified by the site on the Internet. Visitors to the site could consultants, who spent two days in August download pictures and information about the surveying the site and three days preparing a Museum. Upgrades and expansions of the comprehensive report. The grant allowed the site were planned and today, the Museum’s Museum to improve long-range planning for Web site, at www.flaglermuseum.us, features conservation of the collections and building. comprehensive information on Henry Flagler and the Gilded Age, lists of merchandise available from the Museum Store, and related historical links.

1996 - Organ and Fence Restoration Performed, Conservation Grant Awarded, New Exhibit and Docent Programs Instituted, Visitor Parking Lot Expanded Work began on restoration of Whitehall’s pipe organ in the Music Room. The main feeder reservoir, situated behind the organ’s keyboard and pipes, was worked on in place to avoid damage which could result from moving the facade and keyboard. In 1988, the organ’s stop actions were rebuilt and the chambers and pipes were cleaned. Other restoration projects undertaken in 1996 included analysis of Whitehall’s ceiling paintings, restoration and 19

A conservator works on the elaborate, curved terminal posts which support Whitehall’s fence.

In March 1996 the Flagler Museum instituted a new program of temporary exhibitions specifically focusing on Florida’s history and America’s Gilded Age. Based on the Museum’s mission of preserving, researching, and interpreting Whitehall, its associated collections, and materials related to Henry Flagler within this historical context, a more narrowly defined theme was adopted for the creation and installation of temporary exhibitions. The 1996 exhibition season began March 10 with Palm Beach Panorama: Turn-ofthe-Century Photographs by E. W. Hazard, which featured thirty panoramic photographs of Palm Beach selected from the Museum’s Archives and was accompanied by an award-winning catalog published by the Flagler Museum.

1997 - Museum Featured on National Television, Electrical System Rewired, Automated Ticketing System and New Museum Merchandise Introduced, Restoration of Music Room Painting, Main Gate, and Railcar, Collections Management Computerized and Important Acquisitions Made, Operations Space Reorganized Whitehall: Life in the Flagler Era, a video produced by the Flagler Museum in 1989, premiered on The History Channel January 20. The video chronicles the history of Henry Flagler’s Palm Beach estate and was aired nationally as part of History Showcase on the cable television network. The Flagler Museum also appeared on cable’s A&E Network in a documentary series showcasing the world’s great resorts called The Grand Tour.

A new comprehensive volunteer program was introduced at the Flagler The Flagler Museum Museum in 1996. The revamped Whitehall’s new Flagler Museum 95-year-old electrical Docent Program created system in 1997 to insure well-defined Docent the survival of the service areas and featured building and the safety of a three-part training staff and visitors. Many program comprised of of Whitehall’s existing Orientation, Departmental electrical panels were Training, and Continuing A complete upgrade of Whitehall’s electrical replaced and ground fault Education. The program, system began in 1997. interrupters installed. The currently in operation, project also encompassed encourages Docents replacing the main electrical control panel to work in a variety of capacities within and moving it from the basement to the main the Museum and provides them with the floor, which was completed in 1998. The knowledge and training to assist the paid staff rewiring was performed to make possible the in fulfilling the Museum’s mission. installation of the Museum’s climate control system and resulted in the creation of one In September 1996 the Flagler Museum began of the safest electrical systems in a historical an expansion of its visitor parking lot. The building in South Florida. expansion doubled the number of spaces available by creating an additional lot north of To improve customer service, and create the existing one. A widened driveway lined with a positive first impression for visitors, the royal palms was also constructed to provide Flagler Museum introduced an advanced, visitors with a dramatic approach to Whitehall.

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automated ticketing removed and taken to system and redesigned Ocala for conservation souvenir tickets.

The and the application of a new computerized protective coating. system made admissions In 1997, the Flagler Museum introduced processing and accounting The Curatorial Department souvenir tickets, featuring images of more efficient, while also introduced a new Whitehall and Henry Flagler. allowing for the collection computerized collections of visitor data for marketing purposes. management system in 1997. The Museum’s extensive collections can now be cataloged in In 1997, the Flagler Museum Store introduced an easily accessible, comprehensive database, new merchandise highlighting materials allowing for efficient documentation and from the Museum’s collections. Four striking research of the Museum’s thousands of architectural details from Whitehall were objects. reproduced as high-quality brass bookmarks and a series of five illustrated novelettes, The Flagler Museum acquired several originally printed for the Flagler Hotel system important collections objects in 1997, among in 1904, were re-issued using original copies them a 19th-century Italian cassone, identical housed in the Museum’s Archives. to one originally displayed in the Grand Hall, and a scrapbook compiled by Whitehall Major restoration projects undertaken in organist Russell T. Joy, featuring newspaper 1997 included returning Railcar No. 91 to articles, photographs, and ephemera. Flagler its appearance in 1912. Based on original Museum staff identified a painting that documentation, the exterior was painted a originally hung in Whitehall’s Library as Ponce dark “Pullman green,” decorative gilded de Leon in Florida (1878) by Thomas Moran. details were added, and climate-damaged The painting was scheduled for exhibition at siding and windows were replaced. In the Flagler Museum in winter 1999. addition, conservators cleaned, stabilized, and reattached Aurora, the Music Room’s oval To enhance the Museum’s operations, ceiling painting. The large, ornate pediment extensive construction projects were above the main gate of Whitehall’s fence was undertaken in 1997. A Docent Breakroom, Tour Coordinator’s office, and Education Department storage area were created. A loft in the original hotel kitchen area was renovated to provide storage for Museum publications and Store inventory. In addition, a paints and solvents storage shed was constructed for the Maintenance and Grounds Departments.

The Business Office was relocated, and a redesigned Museum Store constructed with convenient visitor access to the Railcar. The installation of tour mats, uniform in color and appearance, helped guide visitors easily through the Museum.

Flagler’s private Railcar No. 91, exhibited on the grounds of the Flagler Museum, receives a paint job during its exterior restoration in 1997.

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1998 - Expanded Museum Store Opens, New Guidebook Published, Museum Featured on C-SPAN and The History Channel, Cooperative Marketing Programs Introduced, Floors in Breakfast Room and Drawing Room Restored, West Section Air Conditioned, Railcar Interior Restored The Flagler Museum’s expanded and redesigned Museum Store opened in 1998.

Located in the southwest corner of the Museum, the Store offers a larger selection of merchandise related to Florida and Gilded Age history, arranged in custom-made display cases. The Flagler Museum released a new 48-page Illustrated Guide in January. The award-winning book, available through the Museum Store, takes readers on a visual tour of Whitehall and includes chapters on Florida and Gilded Age history.

The redesigned Museum Store opened in 1998 and features an impressive array of merchandise relating to Henry Flagler and the Gilded Age.

Cable television again featured coverage of the Flagler Museum in 1998 with the addition of a C-SPAN School Bus segment taped at the Museum in March. The special aired April 29 during the network’s Washington Journal program. A documentary produced for The History Channel called The Great Railroad Visionaries premiered July 13 and featured the Flagler Museum and Flagler’s impact on American history.

The Flagler Museum’s 48-page Illustrated Guide won Best of Category at the 11th Annual Florida Print Awards.

To promote Palm Beach County’s cultural institutions, the Flagler Museum spearheaded a Museums Passport program and participated in a cooperative national museum advertising campaign. These marketing efforts encouraged visitation during the off-season and emphasized the diversity of museums in Palm Beach County.

Conservators restored the intricate inlaid wood floors of the Breakfast Room and Drawing Room in 1998. Extensive termite damage necessitated the replacement of many boards. The floors were then treated with a pest control agent and refinished. Restoration of the Railcar’s interior based on historical documentation of the car’s construction began in 1998 and resulted in the installation of historically accurate curtains, carpet, ceiling paper, and upholstery.

Installation of an air conditioning system for the west section, or “hotel addition,” was completed in 1998. This system regulates the temperature in this newer section of the building and preceded the completion of the climate control system for the historic section of the building.

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A sold-out concert by the Eroica Trio in March 1999 inaugurated the Flagler Museum Music Series. Dedicated to presenting performances by acclaimed musicians, the series features several concerts throughout the season.

Restoration at the Flagler Museum continued in 1999 with work on the south pergolas completed, repair and refinishing of the Grand Ballroom floor, and the installation of wallcoverings and draperies in the Drawing Room, all based on historical research.

The Eroica Trio inaugurates the Flagler Museum Music Series.

1999 - Flagler Museum Receives Awards and Reaccreditation, New Entrance Completed, Music Series Inaugurated, Restoration Projects, 40th Anniversary Celebration, Climate Control System Goes Online, Capital Projects Begin, Permanent Exhibit Opens

Founder’s Day in 1999 marked the 40th anniversary of the Flagler Museum and drew over 3,000 visitors to Whitehall. By November, visitors were touring the Museum in cool comfort provided by the Museum’s climate control system, which maintains a constant temperature and humidity for the conservation of the collections. Later that year, the Museum opened a redesigned permanent Flagler/Kenan History Room incorporating photographs, documents, and objects from the Museum’s collections interpreting Flagler’s life and career. And in addition, 1999 saw the beginning of a two-year series of capital projects encompassing restoration, reroofing, and construction designed to prepare Whitehall for its Centennial in 2002.

The Flagler Museum was reaccredited by the American Association of Museums in 1999, having first earned this status in 1973.

In addition, the Museum received awards from the Palm Beach Chamber of Commerce for artistic dedication and Palm Beach County Public Schools for the Museum’s Mentor Program for Creative Writing. A new entrance for the Museum was completed in 1999.

Flanking the driveways to the visitor parking lot are dual sets of columns and a new sign. Utility wires and poles were removed in early 2000 to complete the updated and unobstructed view of Whitehall from Cocoanut Row. A new permanent exhibit was opened in 1999 interpreting Flagler’s personal and professional life.

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FL AGLER MUSEUM 50

th

ANNIVERSARY

2000 - 2009 T HE F IFTH D ECAD E 2000 - National Historic Landmark Status, Major Restoration Projects, Historic House Fellowship, New Ticket Kiosk Opens, Music Series Debuts In March, Whitehall was designated as a National Historic Landmark. National Historic Landmarks are nationally significant historic places designated by the Secretary of the Interior because they possess exceptional value or quality in illustrating or interpreting the heritage of the United States. Today, fewer than 2,500 historic places bear this national distinction. This distinction, along with the recent accreditation of the Museum by the American Association of Museums, places the Flagler Museum in a very small and elite group of historic house museums.

Each acknowledgement demonstrates the Museum’s importance to the nation, and its professionalism among museums nationwide.

Multiple restoration projects took place while the Museum remained open to the public on a normal schedule. Visitors had an unprecedented opportunity to see conservation and restoration work taking place on a scale never before seen in any house museum to date.

Conservation continued on Whitehall’s ceilings.

Conservation and repair of the floors, painted surfaces, gilding, textiles and wallpapers, electrical wiring, and lighting fixtures took place simultaneously in Whitehall’s Billiard Room, Music Room, and Grand Ballroom, with similar processes underway in many of the rooms on the second floor. Outside the building Whitehall’s 44,000 sq. foot roof was completed, conservation of Whitehall’s fence continued, and the restoration of all four pergolas was completed. The restoration of all of Whitehall’s 75 large wood windows began.

During the summer, the Museum’s Exhibition Gallery was completely renovated. The old plaster ceiling was demolished and replaced and a new lighting system and new carpet were installed.

In order to enhance the tour experience for the Museum’s many visitors, a number of changes were made to the Visitor Services Department in November. The admissions process was moved from the Grand Hall to the Main Gate with the addition of a ticket kiosk. The move allowed tours to begin on Whitehall’s front porch and removed nearly all of the commotion and distractions from the Grand Hall. In addition, dozens of plant 24

a week each at the Museum working with their colleagues to further their knowledge of effectively managing historic house museums.

2001 - Lace Collection on Permanent Exhibition, Backup Generator Installed, Linke Clock returns, Board Room and Meeting Space Complete, Café opens

A Docent-led tour beginning on the front porch.

identification signs were installed throughout the grounds to enhance the visitor experience.

Docent-led tours were restructured to begin at regular intervals, making tours available to a larger proportion of visitors. In response to the concerts developed in 1999, the Museum formally launched its Flagler Museum Music Series with an impressive lineup of five concerts. A review for the opening concert was enthusiastic saying, “the Flagler Museum could not have wished for a better way to open it’s 2000-2001 Music Series” (Palm Beach Daily News).

The Museum continued to acquire important objects and archival material, including a Saph prayer rug nearly identical to the one that originally hung in the Billiard Room.

In September, the Flagler Museum Historic House Museum Fellowship program was launched.

Two fellows spent The Museum’s Lace Exhibit.

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The Museum presented a new permanent exhibition of the Museum’s lace collection on Whitehall’s second floor. Special cabinets were manufactured to allow visitors to browse though a substantial number of pieces within a small exhibition space. The exhibition helps visitors understand the significance and incredible value placed on lace during the Gilded Age. The Museum’s Café opened on a seasonal basis offering visitors and members the opportunity to enjoy a very elaborate Gilded Age style Tea while visiting the Museum. The Whitehall Special Blend tea, developed exclusively for the Flagler Museum, complements a variety of traditional scones, sandwiches, and sweets.

The second year of a five million dollar restoration program continued to transform Whitehall to its original splendor. The work of up to 15 conservators and contractors were coordinated to complete each room. Changes are most obvious on the second floor, where each room was returned to its original color scheme and original wallpapers were reproduced.

Several important objects were restored, including one of Whitehall’s most important, a tall case clock designed by François Linke. Many missing parts were replicated based on the only other clock of this type known to exist.

A backup generator was installed to insure that essential systems would continue to function in the event of a loss of power.

And, in order to insure that critical temperature and humidity levels are maintained in the Exhibition Gallery, a backup climate control system was The Linke clock. installed which is powered by the backup generator.

A new Boardroom and Study were created as a Membership benefit. The area includes a conference room, kitchen, study, and meeting room.

2002 - Whitehall’s Centennial, Dock Restoration Begins, Drawing Room Piano Returns, Pavilion Construction Announced For Whitehall’s Centennial Year, the Museum organized an exhibition of paintings collected

by Henry Flagler, many of which were once part of Whitehall’s collection. The exhibition was curated by the Flagler Museum, and the Museum produced a comprehensive catalog.

of the incredible piano where unknown until 1995, and the loan made possible the piano’s return to its designated room after a nearly 85year absence.

The original Drawing Room piano returns to Whitehall.

2003 – Music Room Piano Returns, Pavilion Construction, Dock Restoration, Courtyard Restoration Begins, New Souvenir Video In January, construction began on a nineteenth-century railway palace that will provide climate-controlled protection for

The Museum announced it would begin construction on an 8,100-square-foot Pavilion to enclose Railcar No. 91. Palm Beach architect Jeffery W. Smith designed the Pavilion in the Beaux Arts style. The new Pavilion will insure the preservation of Railcar No. 91 and provide additional space for Museum programs.

In honor of Whitehall’s Centennial, the Bailes family of New Jersey generously loaned the Art Case Steinway Model B Piano made specifically for Whitehall’s Drawing room for display through June 2002. The whereabouts

Construction of the Flagler Kenan Pavilion adjacent to Whitehall.

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Henry Flagler’s private Railcar, No. 91. If not for the construction of this new Pavilion, the subtropical climate of south Florida would have eventually destroyed Flagler’s private Railcar, robbing the Museum and the State of Florida of one its most important artifacts.

Named the Flagler Kenan Pavilion, the new building will not only ensure the preservation of Railcar No. 91, but the Museum’s Café moved to the Pavilion, giving diners the best view of Lake Worth and the West Palm Beach skyline found anywhere. The Pavilion will be available to Museum Members for Special Events.

Many members of the design and construction community in Palm Beach contributed their services pro bono to the construction of the new Pavilion, including architectural design

by Jeffery W. Smith, engineering services by Carmo Engineering, electrical engineering services by Wojciesak & Associates, and landscape design services by Mario Nievera Design, Inc. In addition, a number of significant contributions were received in 2003 toward the construction of the Pavilion, including gifts from the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust and Hedrick Brothers Construction (the firm building the Pavilion).

The Venus fountain is removed before Courtyard restoration.

and dark green.

The Museum released a 45-minute souvenir video that combines footage of Whitehall with historic images from the Museum’s Archives. Interviews with Museum staff and leading historical experts provide a fascinating commentary on the story of Henry Flagler’s rise to prominence and the creation of Whitehall.

For years Museum staff have considered how to tackle the restoration of the massive chandeliers used in the first floor rooms. In 2003, a plan to remove the chandeliers from the Music Room and the Grand Ballroom, pull For three years, the Museum has undertaken new electrical circuits through the ceilings, many large conservation and restoration restore the fixtures, and clean the thousands projects, returning the exterior and interiors of crystals that make of Whitehall to their up each chandelier was original appearance. developed and executed.

In July, the first phase The results were nothing of the Courtyard short of miraculous. restoration began. The For the first time since Courtyard’s elaborate the chandeliers were moldings and window installed a century frames were restored before, the crystal and rebuilt as needed, sparkles and the overall and the Courtyard effect is again, as walls and shutters intended, dazzling! were returned to the When Whitehall was original colors of white The Music Room’s restored chandeliers.

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completed, its Music Room included a Steinway upright art case piano made specifically for the room. The Music Room’s piano has been missing for decades and is presumed to have been destroyed. But, according to Steinway records, the next serial numbered upright was a twin of the one made for Whitehall. A Music Room piano twin was found in 2002.

The piano was acquired, restored, and placed in Whitehall’s Music Room.

After two years of working with State and local authorities to secure the necessary permits, restoration of Whitehall’s ninety-foot concrete dock began during the summer of 2003, reversing a century of damage caused by wind and tide. When completed, visitors arrived at Whitehall via Lake Worth for the first time in more than half a century.

2004 - Dock Completed, Courtyard Restoration Completed, Audio Tours Developed In December 2004 the Steinway art case piano made for Whitehall’s Drawing Room became a permanent gift.

In late 2004, the Museum introduced audio tours, creating yet another interpretive option for visitors. Visitors may now choose from Docent-led tours – scheduled twice daily, audio tours – available at no additional charge, or printed self-guide brochures – available in four languages.

A number of the Museum’s collections items received conservation treatment in 2003.

Particularly notable, because textiles original to Whitehall are so rare, was the handmade Point de Venise lace tablecloth made for the Dining Room table, which was meticulously restored.

The year concluded, appropriately, with the Florida Secretary of State, Glenda Hood, naming Henry Morrison Flagler as A Great Floridian in December.

Visitors begin a tour of Whitehall with an Audio Tour.

The Courtyard Garden and fountain were restored, returning the Courtyard to the lush environment it had been 100 years ago. The Courtyard Garden restoration was underwritten, in part, by a grant from the Garden Club of Palm Beach.

The restoration of Whitehall’s massive chandeliers continued in 2004 with the restoration of Whitehall’s four Library chandeliers. Unlike the restoration of the Music Room and Grand Ballroom chandeliers in 2003, the restoration of the Library chandeliers was much more involved.

Flagler Museum President George G. Matthews accepts the Great Floridian Award.

The restoration of Whitehall’s ninety-foot concrete dock, which began in 2003, was completed in March of 2004, and visitors to 28

Whitehall began arriving at Whitehall via Lake Worth for the first time in more than half a century.

Though Hurricanes Francis and Jeanne created a tremendous amount of debris and resulted in a loss of power that closed the Museum for essentially an entire month, the The Flagler Kenan Pavilion was completed on February 4, 2005, and is a permanent Museum fared very enclosure for Railcar No. 91. well. The new roof, additional storm shutters, new electrical first public building in America designed system, reinforced seawall, new backup in the Beaux Arts style in more than six generator, restored dock, and many other decades. Not only does the new Pavilion smaller improvements, made it possible for the insure the preservation of Railcar No. 91, Museum to weather the hurricanes with very its ornate design, which is reminiscent little damage. In fact, though not yet complete, of a nineteenth- century railway palace, the Pavilion structure was completely unfazed makes it a unique environment for Museum by the hurricanes’ high winds and driving programs and Member events. The Museum rains. was honored to be awarded the Palm Beach Civic Association’s 2005 Town Beautification 2005 - Flagler Kenan Pavilion Opens, Town Award for “creating a remarkable Beaux Arts Beautification Award, Heade Painting railway palace” with the construction of the Returns, First Bluegrass Concert Flagler Kenan Pavilion.

The Flagler Kenan Pavilion opened to the public on February 4, 2005. The Pavilion is the

The Whitehall Society was formed to attract a new generation of Museum Members and to raise funds to support the Museum’s Newspapers in Education program, which will make information available to school children statewide about Flagler’s influence in Florida’s development and America’s Gilded Age. Whitehall was built with 22 servants rooms, most of which are now used for collections storage. However, a second servant’s room was completely restored in 2005 and put on permanent exhibition.

Visitors disembark onto Whitehall’s restored dock.

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Without doubt, the most exciting event in

2005, related to the Museum’s collections, was the return of Martin Johnson Heade’s painting The Great Florida Marsh, which was one of the first paintings Henry Flagler purchased from Heade in 1886. The Great Florida Marsh is on long-term loan from Flagler System, Inc. Several of the restoration projects for 2005 were focused on Whitehall’s Library. All three of the very large mahogany windows in the Library were completely rebuilt for the first time since 1901.

The first Bluegrass Concert was held in the Flagler Kenan Pavilion on February 25, raising funds for the Southern Arts Federation. The sold-out concert was so successful that the Bluegrass in the Pavilion Concert was added to the roster of annual Museum events.

2006 - Tiffany Exhibition, Easter Egg Hunt and Egg Roll, Judge Knott Award, Flagler Statue Dedication, Newspapers in Education The year began with the exhibition Tiffany at the World’s Columbian Exposition, featuring some of the very best American silver work ever produced, but not seen as a group since 1893. In conjunction with the exhibition the

The successful Bluegrass in the Pavilion Concerts feature some of the genre’s best musician.

Museum published a catalogue raisonne’, and only reference work, on the subject. The New York Times described the ambitious exhibition as follows, “Against all odds, John M. Blades, the director of the Flagler, has reassembled about 20 percent of the major pieces in Tiffany’s original 1893 silver display.” Additional praise included, “The Tiffany exhibit at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893 was the greatest display of nineteenthcentury American silver the world had ever seen.” said John Loring, design director at Tiffany and Company. “The current show at the Flagler Museum is the second greatest,”

Heade’s The Great Florida Marsh hangs the Library.

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wrote The New York Times. Quest Magazine raved, “Without question, it is the number one display of American gold and silversmithing ever seen. For anyone interested in American art, architecture, design, and the craftsmanship of precious objects, it is an absolute must see.”

When the Over-Sea Railroad was nearly complete in 1912, thousands of Florida East Coast Railway workers contributed to have Tiffany & Co. produce a beautiful vermeil presentation box to house an 18kt gold telegram of congratulations from the workers to Henry Flagler. Unfortunately, that important historical artifact was stolen from the Museum early in the Museum’s history, and the only remaining documentation of the box and telegram was a single vintage photograph in the Museum’s Archives.

Museum all the more impressive and important.

The gold telegram and box are on display in the Flagler/Kenan History Room.

Working with The Newspaper in Education The Palm Beach Tabloid is an education resource Post and the students learning about the School District Gilded Age, and Henry Flagler. of Palm Beach County, the Museum’s Education Department produced a 32-page Newspapers in Education Tabloid, titled Flagler’s Florida that was distributed to all fourth and fifth graders in Palm Beach County. By 2008 the Museum distributed the NIE Tabloid to about 200,000 fourth and fifth grade students along Florida’s east coast.

The Museum was honored to receive the Judge Knott Award “in recognition of the institution’s decades of contributions to preserving, promoting and sharing the rich, diverse history of Palm Beach County.”

A reproduction of the original 1912 Gold Telegram and decorative box (shown) are on display in the Museum’s Flagler/Kenan History Room.

Working for more than five years, using digitally enhanced copies of the historic photograph, the Museum and Tiffany & Co. recreated the design for the box and then fabricated a replica. Very few craftsmen in the 21st century capable of producing commemorative pieces of the quality of the Gold Telegram Box, making the restoration of this important historical artifact to the 31

In recognition of Flagler’s essential role in the development of Miami, on July 28th the 110th anniversary of the incorporation of the city of Miami, the Flagler Museum dedicated a replica of the statue of Henry Flagler commissioned during his lifetime by his wife, Mary Lily Kenan Flagler. The statue of Flagler was a gift to Miami from G. F. Robert Hanke, a Great Grandson of Henry Flagler and the Vice President of the Flagler Museum.

The statue’s location on the Miami-Dade County Courthouse steps, on Flagler Street in downtown Miami, is particularly significant as the land for the Courthouse was given to Miami by Henry Flagler. A second statue was erected at the Ferry Terminal in Key West on Friday, February 24.

students and are designed to engage campers through a variety of hands-on activities.

Each year for the past five years, the Museum has worked with a conservator to restore and rewire Whitehall’s many sconces and chandeliers, and in 2007 the four massive Courtyard sconces were removed, restored and reinstalled.

Col. G.F. Robert Hanke at the Dedication of the Flagler Statue in Miami. An identical statue was also dedicated in Key West.

Another successful new event was the Easter Egg Hunt and Egg Roll. Children hunted for thousands of eggs on the Museum’s South Lawn and participated in the Gilded Age tradition of egg rolling. Egg rolling began in 1878 when President Rutherford B. Hayes welcomed children to the south lawn of the White House.

To insure that the Museum’s state-of-the-art climate control system continues to maintain the appropriate humidity and temperature levels when the Museum is without power, automatic power transfer switches were installed at the Museum in 2007 and a custom made trailer and generator were built so that during an extended power outage the Museum will be able to continue normal operation.

The Museum was honored to receive a number of awards in 2007, including: a Palm Beach County Chapter of the American Institute of Architects Award for the design of the Flagler Kenan Pavilion, the Palm Beach County chapter of the Associated General Contractors of America’s Build Florida Award for the quality of construction of the Flagler Kenan Pavilion, and a Florida Association of Museum’s Innovator Award for the publication of the

The Museum’s Café moved to the new Flagler Kenan Pavilion further enhancing the Café experience by taking advantage of the beautifully designed interior, and the outstanding views of the Intracoastal Waterway.

2007 - Museum Hosts Summer Conservation and Restoration Continue, FAM Innovator Award

Camps, Projects

The Museum added summer camps to the Museum’s programming for the first time in 2007. The two camps, Crime Investigation in the Gilded Age and Inventions that Changed the World, are geared to middle school

The Museum hosts a Crime Investigation During the Gilded Age summer camp.

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catalogue Tiffany at the World’s Columbian Exposition.

The Museum hosted the first Children’s Exhibit Activity in conjunction with the exhibition, Augustus Saint-Gaudens: American Sculptor of the Gilded Age. The event was so popular that the event is incorporated into every exhibition. Children are given a special tour of the current exhibition by the Education Director, and then are able to use what they learned to participate in a handson activity.

2008 - Restoration Projects, Mayors Civic Award, Final Phase of Museum’s Restoration and Renovation Begins During the summer, construction of a new 25 passenger elevator began. The new elevator allows handicap access to the historic second floor for the first time in the Museum’s history.

In addition to the elevator, construction began on a small building on the roof of the old Hotel Addition that will house the Henry Flagler Harris Research Library and additional staff offices.

A detail of the Courtyard’s original iron sconces before restoration, and the restored sconces.

During the construction a complete original shutter was discovered entombed in what was once an exterior wall of Whitehall, later covered over when the Hotel Addition was built in the 1920s. The shutter was in excellent condition more than eight decades after it was entombed and is an amazing example of the technology employed at Whitehall.

The Museum began incorporating a Children’s Exhibit Activity in conjunction with every changing exhibition.

For a decade Docents have worked to reproduce, by hand, the crystal beaded light bulb covers that once graced more than 180 light fixtures throughout Whitehall. After countless hours of work this massive project was completed, and for the first time in more than 80 years Whitehall’s electric lights look as elegant and grand as they did when Whitehall was completed in 1902.

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During the summer, the Museum undertook a number of conservation projects. A thorough survey of about 175 paintings in the Museum’s collection was completed in order to assess their condition and set conservation priorities.

As time and resources permit, the Museum will conserve the paintings based on the priorities established through the survey.

For the past 22 years the Museum has paired volunteer mentors with students from Title I schools in Palm Beach County to work on the students’ creative writing skills. In 2008, the Mentor Program was expanded to serve twice the number of students and renamed the Intergenerational Mentor Program for Art, Culture, and Technology (IMPACT).

2009 - Restoration Projects, New Membership Benefits, Drawing Room Piano Performances, Kids Activity Guide Debuts, Music Series Celebrates 10th Anniversary, New Acquisitions, Elevator Opens

concerts were featured on the national radio show Performance Today, one of America’s most popular classical music radio programs, with more than 1.2 million weekly listeners on 237 National Public Radio stations around the country.

The Flagler Museum completed an elevenmonth construction project that includes a state-of-the-art elevator. The new “green” elevator will make the second floor of Whitehall wheelchair accessible for the first time since the Museum opened in 1960. It will also be used to safely transport objects to the Temporary Exhibition Gallery. This new space-efficient elevator was perfect for the Flagler Museum.

Violinist Yi-Jia Susanne Hou’s Flagler Museum concert was featured on National Public Radio’s Performance Today.

A recent gift of a number of objects from Leon and Charlotte Amar is both appropriate to the collection and time period and among the very best quality the Museum has ever received. The Amar’s gift includes: a Louis XV commode by French cabinetmaker, Lèonard Boudin (which has been described as one of the best commodes in the world), and a number of paintings and objects.

As the new Season began, new Member benefits were rolled out at the Museum. A new Kiosk was opened dedicated to Members.

Reserved parking spaces nearest the Museum’s Main Gate were reserved exclusively for Members, and a new Members and Visitors Concierge Desk was opened with the goal of providing the Museum’s Members and visitors the best possible service.

The Museum’s acquisition of a very important signed note by industrialist and philanthropist Peter Cooper for the Flagler Museum’s collection was underwritten by Harris Private Bank. The full text of the note reads “He in reality is the wisest and happyest [sic] man who finds and improves the greatest opertunities [sic] for doing good.” This note is an important example of the good works carried out by the great industrialists of the Gilded Age. In the 10th Season, the Flagler Museum Music Series continued to bring the best chamber music artists to South Florida. In 2009, several selections from four of the Music Series

The new elevator opened in Spring 2009.

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h e n r y

m o r r i s o n

FLAGLER MUSEUM palm beach, florida

One Whitehall Way, Post Office Box 969, Palm Beach, Florida 33480 (561) 655-2833

mail@flaglermuseum.us

www.flaglermuseum.us

A National Historic Landmark

Š Henry Morrison Flagler Museum, 2010