Lightner Museum & Alcazar Hotel, St Augustine Photos

O.C. Lightner, a Chicago publisher, took advantage of the depression to become a collector of collections: glass, porcelain, stained glass, furniture, music machines, scientific instruments, medals, carvings & large array of other objects. Looking for a better place to house his collections Lightner found the long closed historic Alcazar Hotel in St Augustine, FL, which had been built for Henry Flagler by architects John M. Carrère & Thomas Hastings. The city renovated the building in the early 1970s, so City Hall, the Museum & shops around an arcade now share the heritage poured-concrete structure.

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Alcazar Hotel which now serves as city hall & Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.Tower of Alcazar Hotel. St Augustine, FL.Detail of tower of Alcazar Hotel. St Augustine, FL.Alcazar Hotel sculpted of poured concrete. St Augustine, FL.
Alcazar Hotel (1888) which now serves as city hall & Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL. Style: Moorish. Architect: Carrère & Hastings. On National Register.Tower of Alcazar Hotel. St Augustine, FL.Detail of tower of Alcazar Hotel. St Augustine, FL.Alcazar Hotel sculpted of poured concrete. St Augustine, FL.
Pinnacle with lion on Alcazar Hotel. St Augustine, FL.Detail of lion on Alcazar Hotel. St Augustine, FL.Towers over courtyard of Alcazar Hotel. St Augustine, FL.Former Turkish bath entrance foyer of former Alcazar Hotel now a gallery of Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.
Pinnacle with lion on Alcazar Hotel. St Augustine, FL.Detail of lion on Alcazar Hotel. St Augustine, FL.Towers over courtyard of Alcazar Hotel. St Augustine, FL.Former Turkish bath entrance foyer of former Alcazar Hotel now a gallery of Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.
Cut glass collection at Lightner Museum founded by collector of collections O.C. Lightner. St Augustine, FL.Cut glass at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.Iridescent glass bowl with dragonflies by Louis Comfort Tiffany at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.Iridescent glass intaglio cut engraved vase by Louis Comfort Tiffany at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.
Cut glass collection at Lightner Museum founded by collector of collections O.C. Lightner. St Augustine, FL.Cut glass at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.Iridescent glass bowl with dragonflies (c1890) by Louis Comfort Tiffany at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.Iridescent glass intaglio cut engraved vase (c1890) by Louis Comfort Tiffany at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.
Late 19th C art glass at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.American pitcher of red glass with snake handle at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.Silvered glass [aka mercury glass] at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.Venetian glass at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.
Late 19th C art glass (amberina pitcher plus Burmese glass vase & pitcher) at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.American pitcher of red glass with snake handle at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.Silvered glass (1850-70s) [aka mercury glass] at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.Venetian glass at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.
Satin glass with second color overlaid at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.Painted Victorian glass at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.Newel post finials at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.Newel post finials at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.
Satin glass with second color overlaid at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.Painted Victorian glass at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.Newel post finials (late 19thC) at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.Newel post finials (late 19thC) at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.
Stained glass window from Chicago Turngemeinde German-American athletic club at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.Leaded glass portrait of St Augustine by Tiffany Studios at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.American painted stained glass window with Beethoven at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.Austrian Art Nouveau colored glass window with woman's profile & vines at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.
Stained glass window (late 19thC) from Chicago Turngemeinde German-American athletic club at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.Leaded glass portrait of St Augustine (c1900) by Tiffany Studios at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.American painted stained glass window with Beethoven (late 19thC) at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.Austrian Art Nouveau colored glass window (c1900) with woman's profile & vines at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.
Late 19th C colored American glass window showing Spring or Prima at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.Signed Tiffany stained glass lamp with bronze at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.Germanic salt-glazed torus vessel at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.French porcelain Art Nouveau vase with Ormolu mounts showing draped woman by Charles Korschmann at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.
Late 19th C colored American glass window showing Spring or Prima at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.Signed Tiffany stained glass lamp with bronze (late 19thC) at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.Germanic salt-glazed torus vessel at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.French porcelain Art Nouveau vase with Ormolu mounts (c1900) showing draped woman by Charles Korschmann at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.
French porcelain Art Nouveau vase with Ormolu mounts showing woman & cupid by Charles Korschmann at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.Art Nouveau coffee set painted by Adolph Richter of Chicago on Limoges porcelain blank at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.Porcelain Art Nouveau vase showing woman playing flute over swan & lilacs by Willets Manufacturing Co., Trenton, NJ at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.Porcelain Seafood platter shaped with oysters, scallop, mussels by Union Porcelain Works, Greenpoint Brooklyn, NY at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.
French porcelain Art Nouveau vase with Ormolu mounts (c1900) showing woman & cupid by Charles Korschmann at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.Art Nouveau coffee set (1910) painted by Adolph Richter of Chicago on Limoges porcelain blank at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.Porcelain Art Nouveau vase showing woman playing flute over swan & lilacs (1878-1909) by Willets Manufacturing Co., Trenton, NJ at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.Porcelain Seafood platter shaped with oysters, scallop, mussels (1881) by Union Porcelain Works, Greenpoint Brooklyn, NY at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.
Porcelain vase with red & greenish gold luster pattern by Weller Sicardo, Zanesville, OH at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.Mandrill by Volkstedt Porcelain Factory, Thuringia, Germany at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.Pink & green wash basin & chamber pot set at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.Colored cut glass wine decanter set at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.
Porcelain vase with red & greenish gold luster pattern (1901-7) by Weller Sicardo, Zanesville, OH at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.Mandrill (late 19thC) by Volkstedt Porcelain Factory, Thuringia, Germany at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.Pink & green wash basin & chamber pot set at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.Colored cut glass wine decanter set at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.
Grand ballroom of former Alcazar Hotel now a gallery of Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.English Regency swan rocking chair in gilded wood at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.Renaissance-Revival lounge chair resting on Egyptian-style sphinxes from New York at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.Coin-operated Violano-Virtuoso music machine by H.K. Sandell of Chicago, for hotels & restaurants, at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.
Grand ballroom of former Alcazar Hotel now a gallery of Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.English Regency swan rocking chair in gilded wood (19thC) at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.Renaissance-Revival lounge chair resting on Egyptian-style sphinxes (1860-70) from New York at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.Coin-operated Violano-Virtuoso music machine (1927) by H.K. Sandell of Chicago, for hotels & restaurants, at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.
Collection of scrimshaw at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.Whales-tooth scrimshaw etched with woman reading at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.Lithographed parchment on window shows Indian maid with U.S. flag at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.Bennett typewriter with early variation of QWERTY keyboard at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.
Collection of scrimshaw at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.Whales-tooth scrimshaw etched with woman reading at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.Lithographed parchment on window shows Indian maid with U.S. flag (c1880) at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.Bennett typewriter with early variation of QWERTY keyboard at Lightner Museum. St Augustine, FL.

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All photos on this page are originals by & copyrighted by Jim Steinhart.
All rights reserved. Permission required to use.

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