Ormond Hotel, at one time the largest wooden building in the world
The Ormond Hotel was a large wooden building in Ormond Beach, Florida, situated close to the Halifax River. The complex spread across 80 acres of land between the river and the ocean, containing over 400 rooms, multiple wings, elevators, and a saltwater swimming pool.
The hotel was built in 1887 and opened in 1888 as a destination for wealthy train travelers. Henry Flagler purchased it two years later and expanded it into one of the largest wooden buildings in the country before it was demolished in 1992.
The hotel took its name from the nearby river area and became a symbol of local development and prosperity. Visitors could see the prominent cupola crowning the roof, a distinctive feature that made the building recognizable from a distance and represented its importance to the region.
The original hotel site is now private property. The only accessible reminder of the building is the restored roof cupola, now displayed in Fortunato Park near the Granada Bridge, which can be visited on weekends.
The hotel was once the largest wooden building in the country and featured 11 miles of hallways and breezeways. Despite multiple attempts to save it in later years, the iconic building could not be preserved, and today only the cupola displayed in a park reminds visitors of its former grandeur.
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