Built before the Ponce de Leon Hotel and the first poured cement building in St. Augustine, the Villa Zorayda is one of the hidden gems in the Historic Downtown area. Franklin W. Smith, a wealthy Bostonian, originally built the Villa Zorayda in 1883 as his winter home. Smith, whose personal passion was architecture, designed the Villa Zorayda’s architecture in a Moorish style after the Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain.

In 1904, the mysterious and enchanting architecture and décor of the building lent itself to a dinner club, called the Zorayda Club. Again in 1922, the Moorish architecture of the Villa Zorayda became the backdrop to a gambling casino and speakeasy for the wealthy tourist of St. Augustine.

In 1913, Abraham S. Mussallem, a Lebanese immigrant bought the Villa Zorayda from Smith. Mussallem made his name and wealth as an authority on Oriental rugs, fine arts, and Egyptian artifacts. As the story goes, in the 1930’s, after a few years of continual knocking on the front door by curious passers-by, Mussallem decided to move out and open the Villa Zorayda up to the public as a museum. Today, the Villa Zorayda Museum is still open to the public and owned and operated by the Mussallem family. (Madeline Krouse, Flagler College)

Credits and Sources:

Madeline Krouse, Flagler College