When Henry Morrison Flagler first visited Florida in March 1878, he had already accumulated a vast fortune in Cleveland and New York as a longtime partner of John D. Rockefeller in the Standard Oil Company.
In 1883, he turned his attention to Florida. Impressed with the mild winter climate, he began the construction of his first hotel in St. Augustine and continued south to Palm Beach. As the Florida East Coast Railroad opened up this sparsely settled region to development and tourism, Flagler acquired or constructed resort hotels along the coast.
In 1893, Flagler announced one of his boldest plans ever – to extend the Florida East Coast Railroad to isolated Lake Worth, develop a town (now West Palm Beach) on 200 acres along Lake Worth's west shore, and construct the Royal Poinciana Hotel on Lake Worth's east shore (now Palm Beach).
People came to Palm Beach to stay at the Royal Poinciana, a six-story, Georgian-style hotel. Flagler built the destination, provided easy access on his railroad, and the cream of American society crowded into this tiny town as if at his command.
From its opening in 1894, The Royal Poinciana eventually became the world's largest hotel, stretching more than 1,800 feet along Lake Worth, its 1,100 rooms accommodated 1,750 guests. The hallways were so extensive – more than three miles in length – that bellhops delivered messages and packages from the front desk to guest rooms by bicycle.
The Palm Beach Inn (The Original Breakers)
Delighted that many of America's most socially prominent families shared his love for Palm Beach, Flagler built a second hotel - the Palm Beach Inn - on the beachfront portion of the Royal Poinciana's property.
The Palm Beach Inn, which opened on January 16, 1896, was fully booked for most of that season. The hotel was smaller and quieter than the vast Royal Poinciana and overlooked the Atlantic Ocean.
Instead of asking for rooms at the Royal Poinciana, many regular Palm Beach guests asked for rooms "over by the breakers." The name stuck. When Flagler doubled the size of the Palm Beach Inn for the 1901 season, he renamed it The Breakers.
In 1897, Flagler enlisted Alexander H. Findlay, the father of American golf and a close friend of Flagler’s partner, John D. Rockefeller, to design the first golf course in the state of Florida, adjacent to the Palm Beach Inn. It was originally constructed with only nine holes, as Flagler thought golf a passing fancy.
On June 9, 1903, as workers were enlarging the wood building for the fourth time in less than a decade, The Breakers burned down. Just two weeks after the fire, the 73-year-old Flagler announced that The Breakers would not only be rebuilt but also would open for the upcoming winter season.
The Breakers II
On February 1, 1904, The Breakers reopened to universal acclaim. The new Breakers, a rambling four-story, colonial-style building constructed entirely of wood, contained 425 rooms and suites. Rooms started at four dollars a night, including three meals a day.
As did its predecessor's, The Breakers guest register read like a "who's who" of early-20th century America: various Rockefellers, Vanderbilts, and Astors; the tycoons Andrew Carnegie and J.P. Morgan; the publisher William Randolph Hearst; the five-and-dime kings W.T. Grant and J.C. Penney; and even assorted European nobility and U.S. presidents.
On March 18, 1925, twelve years after the death of Henry Morrison Flagler, tragedy again struck his empire. That afternoon the cry "Fire in the south wing" suddenly filled The Breakers.
Despite the firefighters' efforts, The Breakers was doomed. Strong southeast winds fanned the fire. The palatial hotel, built almost entirely of wood, was soon engulfed in flames. The clouds of smoke that poured out of the hotel could be seen twenty miles away.
On December 4, 1925, the New York City-based Turner Construction Company signed a contract to build the new Breakers and construction began in January 1926. The seven-story hotel had to be built, furnished, and landscaped to open just after Christmas 1926, the start of the Palm Beach season.
More than 1,200 construction workers labored on The Breakers around-the-clock to meet the opening date. Seventy-five artisans were brought from Italy to complete the magnificent paintings on the ceilings of the lobby and first-floor public rooms.
The immense structure was completed in a scant 11½ months and opened on December 29, 1926. The Breakers exceeded everyone's expectations. The 200-foot-long main lobby, with its high-arched ceiling decorated with paintings; the vast Florentine Dining Room, with its richly decorated, beamed ceiling modeled after the Palazzo Davanzati (ca. 1400) in Florence; the magnificent North and South Loggias; and the shaded terraces and landscaped patios.
Far grander than its predecessor, The Breakers was more than America's greatest winter resort, it was an unrivaled masterpiece.
Now into its second century, The Breakers continues the tradition of excellence started when Henry Morrison Flagler built his first hotel. One of the few privately owned resorts independent of chain affiliation, it remains one of the finest in the world.
The heirs to the original ownership have successfully maintained and revitalized the hotel in keeping with the Flagler tradition, spending millions on renewal and expansion.
Founded in 1896 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, The Breakers Palm Beach is one of America’s legendary resort destinations. The 540-room, Italian Renaissance-style hotel resides on 140 acres of oceanfront property in the heart of Palm Beach. With the commitment of its original ownership, The Breakers has invested $250 million over the past 15 years in its ongoing revitalization and enhancement of its multi-faceted amenities.
**Information gathered from the Breakers Hotel website, and Wikipedia**
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