downtown St Augustine

Henry Flagler’s other hotel, the Alcazar Hotel (now the Lightner Museum and St. Augustine City Hall), once had what was touted in the 19th century as the world’s largest indoor swimming pool. The pool, which was in the semi-subterranean ground floor, was 120 feet long by 50 feet wide, with a depth of 3 to 12 feet.

Whether or not it really was the largest indoor pool is hard to prove, said Charles Tingley of the St. Augustine Historical Society.  “Any time you get into calling something the first, or the oldest, or the largest, you can get into trouble,” Tingley said. “But that’s the way they advertised it at the time, and it certainly was pretty big.”

The pool was also renown for its retractable glass ceiling, which was 45 feet above the pool.
“That was beautiful,” said Alice Sutherland, owner of the local tour company City Walks. “You could swim under the stars, but still be inside the building. It was quite glamorous.” 

Additionally, lighting was provided for the pool by Thomas Edison, who was a personal friend of Flager’s and a frequent visitor to St. Augustine, Sutherland said.

“My favorite story from the heyday of the pool is how Johnny Weissmuller, the Tarzan star, used to train there to learn trapeze,” Sutherland said. “I can just picture him swinging around in there, his Tarzan yell echoing off the marble walls.”

The pool actually still exists, but has not had water in it for a long time. It now houses a restaurant and several shops. There are several vintage photographs of the pool in the Cafe Alcazar, which uses the bulk of the pool’s area.

St. Augustine Record ©2012.  

Published on 04.29.2012

 

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — Phil McDaniel wants to create St. Augustine’s only distillery by renovating an old, empty ice plant building on Riberia Street in downtown.  He wants to create a distillery on one side, and an upscale bar and gift shop on the other. The distillery would also be open for tours.   Wednesday, McDaniel showed off examples of distilled spirits – vodka, gin, and whiskey — from up-and-coming craft or micro-distilleries from other states.  He said the craft distilleries are  popping up around the county, but there are very few in Florida.

“We believe Florida is ready and northeast Florida is ready to see this industry come here,” McDaniel said. “We’re an artsy town,” Humphreys said. “We’re known for our restaurants so the distillery of spirits, with the winery and micro-brewery complement each other perfectly.” According to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, the U.S. exported a billion dollars worth of distilled spirits in 2008.

McDaniel wanted to get on the front edge of the growing micro-distillery industry. He said a craft distillery will have a positive economic impact in downtown St. Augustine by creating another tourist destination and possibly jobs. It could also positively impact Florida farmers. “We’re looking at using mostly Florida grown agricultural products,” McDaniel added. Sugar cane from south Florida would be used for the rum. Corn from Hastings possibly would be an ingredient for the whiskey, and corn and red winter wheat from the panhandle would go into the bourbon.

“The success we’ve seen across the country is formed largely by people who are passionate – like I am – about creating a great product using locally grown agriculture.”

The city of St. Augustine’s Planning and Zoning Board has approved the project at the ice plant building. McDaniel said the distillery and bar/retail area is about eight to 12 months from opening. He said the nearly 14,000-square-foot building is under contract. “This could be another part of culinary tourism here in St. Augustine.”

First Coast News 12.29.2011

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