Royal Poinciana Hotel

rdf:langString Royal Poinciana Hotel

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rdf:langString The soon-to-be-accomplished passing of the [Royal] Poinciana [Hotel] will be regretted by thousands who dislike to see the old landmark go, but it will remain a monument in memory, inseparably linked with Florida's growth.

rdf:langString The St. Petersburg Independent on the demolition of the hotel

rdf:langString The Royal Poinciana Hotel was a Gilded Age hotel in Palm Beach, Florida, United States. Developed by Standard Oil founder Henry Flagler and approximately 1,000 workers, the hotel opened on February 11, 1894. As Flagler's first structure in South Florida, the Royal Poinciana Hotel played a significant role in the region's history, transforming the previously desolate area into a winter tourist destination and accelerating the development of Palm Beach and West Palm Beach. Two months later, Flagler's Florida East Coast Railway reached West Palm Beach, while a railroad bridge built across the Lake Worth Lagoon in 1895 allowed guests direct access to the hotel. In 1896, Flagler opened a second hotel nearby, The Breakers. The success of both hotels led to expansions of the Royal Poinciana Hotel in 1899 and 1901. By then, the building had reportedly become both the largest hotel and largest wooden structure in the world at the time. At its peak, the hotel included nearly 1,100 rooms, accommodations for 2,000 guests, and a seasonal workforce of at least 1,400 people. Following a massive fire at The Breakers in 1925 and its re-opening in 1926, the Royal Poinciana Hotel began to draw fewer travelers and part-time residents, who instead favored the newly renovated Breakers. The 1928 Okeechobee hurricane extensively damaged the Royal Poinciana Hotel, necessitating its partial closure for repairs. Despite fully re-opening in January 1930, the hotel was no longer prosperous due to the Great Depression and closed again in 1934, with demolition occurring in the following year.