I just hope all the tapestries, murals, mosaics, and paintings that were installed in that beautiful mansion we’re salvaged and preserved for posterity.
I grew up in this area and highly recommend the biography of the architect of this home, Addison Mizner, "Boca Rococo: How Addison Mizner Invented Florida's Gold Coast", as well as "Mizner's Florida: American Resort Architecture", and "The Florida Architecture of Addison Mizner". I have a first edition of the later. The post war years were not kind to these great estates back home.
The Dodge Brothers and their wives were never truly accepted in society in Detroit or the exclusive enclave of Grosse Pointe where the Detroit elite reside, or Palm Beach where many Grosse Pointers wintered…
I found the original location at 911 N Ocean Blvd in Palm Beach. You can still see the flanked steps leading down to the beach. One original gate to the estate is now the entrance of 901 N Ocean Blvd, while the other is at 911 N Ocean Drive. The loggia of the original house sat on a cement promontory at 947 N Ocean Blvd next door to 911, where there is now a circle-shaped pool. Part of the asphalt motor court seen in the top center of the photo at 0:29 is still there in part, but about half the size that it used to be. The ornate fence in Street View outside of 911 N Ocean Blvd is part of the original estate and apparently has been given landmark status (along with the stairs leading down to the beach). The thing I can't figure out is what they would have done with 75 acres there. if you look at the satellite map, I measured it out on Google Earth, and 75 acres is the exact size of the golf course next door... so those must have been original lot sizes back in the day. Obviously, the dock for the Delphine was on the intercoastal waterway. But I guess that the rest was just "bonus land" that wasn't developed, since the video doesn't really show any gardens or anything, and N. Ocean Blvd runs right through the property, about 150 yards from the seawall. Anyway, good video... I enjoyed it.
Stunning. With so much flair, elegance and opulence… its hard to fathom that their greatest contribution to the automotive word was…. the Dodge Grand Caravan. Kidding aside, the entire history of the Dodge Brothers is epic worthy, especially with their influences into Henry Ford’s endeavours. Thanks for the video.
Thank you Ken for another great video. It’s a shame much of the interior of this home has been lost to history. Anna Dodge was the grand dame of Palm Beach society but sadly few if no photos of any of the parties in this palace exist. Also she had expanded this home after purchasing it. I believe it ended up being over 100 rooms when they were done. 70 was just not enough. There may be some literature to this related to the famed architect Addison Mizner since this was his biggest house build. The original wall and sea wall came under scrutiny a few years ago in 2019 in a sad state of repair. Thankfully the Palm Beach Landmarks Commission agreed to include it as a historic site and paid to restore it So there’s a little part of Playa Riente still around today. The wall.
"The modern day equivalent of $30M." Except today in Palm Beach $30M will not get a home anywhere close to this. A 27 acre beachfront mansion in Palm Beach is unheard of. I believe the largest estate today is Ken Griffin's yet unbuilt oceanfront home on 7 acres. The land alone cost him about $100M.
When they tore down the Roney Plaza Hotel in 1968, I knew Miami Beach was losing much of it's early history. For those of you who have not heard of this hotel, look it up and wonder at the amazing images. Sad that so many beautiful South Florida buildings are gone.
Wow do I like Moorish Revival in Florida. Matilda Dodge Wilson's country house Meadowbrook Hall in Rochester, MI is still intact with all furnishings and was bequeathed with the surrounding land to found Oakland, University. It is open to the public and is an astounding Tudor Revival manor. In fact, most Michiganders of the later 19th and early 20th Century preferred this style over French Renaissance Revival (think Richard Morris Hunt) as it was perceived too snobbish, well other than Anna Dodge ; )-
She didn't leave Palm Beach permanently until after a few years later. At the same time she owned Playa Riente, she had a condo in a luxury building in Palm Beach. She stopped going to Palm Beach around 1964. Her son died December 1963 and he was supposed to meet her in Palm Beach but died at Jennings memorial hospital in Detroit Michigan at the age of 63. After he died that was it. Her lifestyle and demeanor changed.
Me too!! But I would like to use the money to travel & see all the places I've only seen on film or read about in books & magazines. In addition, there are organizations I wish I could donate large amounts of money to regarding helping voiceless animals. But that's just me.
It's sad how wealthy people; especially born wealthy are rarely happy. No amount of money, houses or things can bring happiness. A cautionary story for today's Billionaires.
Neither Anna nor her sister-in-law Matilda were born wealthy. They just married two mechanics who made a fortune and promptly died leaving the women wealthy.
Their children suffer from affluenza, which affects children of the wealthy, who which symptoms are lack of motivation, sense of isolation, depression, and even up to suicide.
There is a beautiful building in Saint Augustine that was once a luxury hotel, the Ponce de Léon is now a college. Its one of the most beautiful buildings I ever seen. It’s called Flagler College.
I like your biography, the house was breathtaking and it is very sad that there marriage feel apart. It is heartbreaking to hear the mansion had to be diminished.I would like to learn more about Anna how sad to hear she didn't have much of a life after her divorce
Thank you for your videos. You are doing an awesome job getting thru these beautiful homes in record time while still presenting newsy facts. Riente , however, is pronounced Ree EN te. It means laughing or merry in Spanish. Also, you may want to google how to pronounce loggia. I don’t mean to be petty but correct pronunciation only validates your knowledge of the subject.
She didn't divorce Hugh Dillman until 1947. They were regularly seen at social events but weren't living together for almost 20 years. There's much more to that story.
Love these old photos of beaches. That beach is completely the same 100 years later (if anything, the water line has gone down). But many would try to convince you that Florida will be under water in 50 years. So funny.
Jane, I often wonder the same, lol. If I had that kind of space, I would live in part of it but hold community-based music, dance & art-inspired events in the remainder.
Sounds like the actor/Realtor decided to make his life imitate his art - - younger man; older woman. Yeah, at least until another, richer woman came along. Too bad Palm Beach was so short sighted at the time. However, if the "house" had been accepted as a school, over time it would have outlived its usefulness and eventually been razed anyway. Oh well, that's the cost of progress and at least Dodge saved the city money by razing the building herself then selling the land.
Up here in New England we have several mansions referred to as Searles Castle. Edward Searles was the decorator of the Mark Hopkins mansion in San Francisco, and when Mr. Hopkins died, he married the widow who was 22 years older than he was.
How sad these splendid mansions had to be destroyed. Why not turn them into condos, if nothing else? That would preserve them and still not violate zoning laws.
What do they DO???? In all that SPACE????? What???? Walk around???? I do NOT understand. It is beautiful but also OBSCENE. One of these said that one place was 125,000 square feet. 100 bedrooms? 80 bathrooms? Then TORN DOWN and replaced wi5 a tenement? WTF???
Perhaps if President Donald Trump could have purchased the house prior to demolition (as he did with Mar-A-Lago) the World may still have this beautiful home instead of the current developments now in its' place.
She even looked like the kind of vacuous woman who would have an incredible home like that destroyed. Did she keep the hideous yacht? I bet she was definitely on the narcissistic spectrum.
To me, much more stylish and tasteful interiors than most of the big houses we've seen so far in New York and other cities with all the Jacobean furniture and potted palms jammed together.
