Franklin Waldo Smith - St. Augustine, FL
N 29° 53.529 W 081° 18.810
17R E 469730 N 3306876
A blue plaque recognizing Franklin Waldo Smith is located in front of the Casa Monica Hotel in St. Augustine, Florida, USA.
Waymark Code: WM47NV
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 07/18/2008
Views: 37
The blue plaque for Franklin Waldo Smith was created as part of The Great Floridians 2000 Program. According to the Florida Department of State website about this program
(visit link): "The Great Floridians 2000 program was designed to recognize individuals who distinguished themselves through their philanthropy, public service or personal or professional service, and who have enhanced the lives of Florida's citizens. In 1998, the Florida Department of State and the Florida League of Cities, to help celebrate the approaching turn of the century, initiated the program to dedicate a special series of commemorative plaques in cities throughout the state. These plaques recognized "Great Floridians 2000" by honoring men and women who made significant contributions to the history and culture of our state."
"Anyone could nominate an individual to be designated a Great Floridian 2000 by submitting a Great Floridians 2000 application. These applications were periodically reviewed by the appointed Great Floridians 2000 Committee, a group of seven distinguished historians from throughout Florida. The applications included the listing of an historical property where the plaque was affixed that was associated with the Great Floridian. Once the decisions were made, nominators were notified and advised on how and where to purchase the commemorative plaque."
The following is a biography of Franklin Waldo Smith posted on the Great Floridians 2000 Program website
(visit link): "Franklin Waldo Smith was born in Boston, Massachusetts, October 9, 1826. A prominent architect, his accomplishments in Boston included renovation of the Tremont Temple. Smith and his wife decided to maintain a winter residence in St. Augustine, and built the Villa Zorayda based on the Moorish architecture of the Alhambra in Granada, Spain. To construct the building he used reinforced concrete mixed with coquina, a mix of shell fragments and quartz sand found in deposits around the city. He encouraged Henry Flagler to use Spanish architecture for his St. Augustine hotels and to use the poured concrete and coquina method of construction. In 1891 he built the Casa Monica Hotel in the Moorish Revival style to complement Flagler’s Ponce de Leon and Alcazar Hotels. Smith’s architectural design influenced William G. Warden of Standard Oil, who built the Castle Warden in the Moorish Revival style. An early preservationist, Smith recommended that future construction in St. Augustine conform to the city’s Spanish architectural heritage. Franklin Waldo Smith died in 1911. His Great Floridian plaque is located at the Casa Monica Hotel, [95] Cordova Street, St. Augustine."