History of the Brazilian Court Hotel

Palm Beach Holiday Inn before returning to the Breakers. In addition to being the historian at the Breakers, Ponce is also an honorary member and his- torian of the Palm Beach Chamber of Commerce. Although his historical knowledge of Palm Beach and its inhabitants is wide - ranging, The Breakers re- mains the apple of his eye. “ When the Palm Beach Inn—the first Breakers— burned down in 1903, Mr. Flagler rebuilt her with the 350 - room second Breakers. In 1925 when the second Breakers burned down, eastern ocean breezes carried burning cinders across the island where the 300 - room Palm Beach Hotel also burned down. It was a bleak day for Palm Beach. But fortunately from the ashes of the Palm Beach Hotel the Biltmore was built and , of course, you see the Breakers before you today, ” he says. Considering the practical crawl with which buildings are constructed today, one can ’ t help but be amazed when Ponce matter - of - factly remarks that the palatial Breakers was built and finished in a mere 11 1/2 months in 1925.

notes. “ Constructed of hollow tile that serves as ex- cellent insulation, the hotel was built by hundreds of carpenters and masons who practically worked around the clock. After having two wooden hotels burn down, this one was obviously going to be dif- ferent. And the 75 European artisans that did all the delicate fresco painting on the wet plaster worked very nearly on top of each other. “ Of course this all too place without the guidance of Mr. Flagler, who died in 1913. Fortunately for every- one who has ever enjoyed The Breakers, Mr. Flag- ler ’ s heirs labored to build the kind of hotel they thought Mr. Flagler would have wanted. She certain- ly is a beauty. ”

“ The Breakers is a truly remarkable building, ” Ponce

The Breakers—Five - Diamond AAA Rating January 31, 2018

47