McCarthy Album 11, Photograph 136

Caption: "Ponciana [sic] and Whitehall Hotels. Ponciana {sic] is the Largest Frame Bldg. Hotel in the World. Palm Beach, Florida. July 8, 1934." Both the Royal Poinciana Hotel (center) and the Whitehall Hotel (far right) can be seen in this photograph, taken from across Lake Worth. The Royal Poinciana, built by Henry Flagler as a resort retreat for wealthy guests, opened in 1894. Renovations eventually enlarged the hotel to a length of 1,800 feet, with over three miles of corridors and hallways, and rooms for over 1,000 guests. At one point, it was reputed to be the largest wood structure in the world. Attendance declined in the 1920s, however, as tourists were attracted to more modern facilities. Damage by a hurricane and the Great Depression combined to close the hotel in 1934. The building was razed a year later. The Whitehall Hotel started its existence as a mansion, also built by Flagler, as a present for his wife. After Flagler's death in 1913, the home was sold to a group of investors who erected an eleven-story tower and converted the entire complex to use as a resort hotel. In 1959, the Henry Morrison Flagler Museum purchased the building. It now serves as a museum.