The Architecture of Flagler Beach

Flagler Beach Boardwalk and Pier

Flagler Beach Pier The Flagler Beach Boardwalk and Pier are located "downtown." This is the center of many activities associated with a beachside community. The Pier offers fishing and a beautiful view of the ocean and beaches. Construction began on the pier and boardwalk in 1927. By 1938 the pier building had a lunchroom.

The boardwalk and pier reflect Flagler Beach’s ties to its recreational and natural surroundings. Festivals and parades—such as the "Old Fashioned Fourth of July at the Beach," "Columbus Day," and "Holiday at the Beach"—serve as reminders of the ties to the community. These events, along with special events such as surfing contests and fishing contests, offer the resident and visitor an opportunity to see and participate in the traditions of "Old Florida."

Observe the surfers and other beach activities from the pier or just relax and have a picnic at one of the shelters along the boardwalk.

Flagler Beach Historical Museum

The City of Flagler Beach celebrated its 75th Anniversary in 2000. As a result, the city established the Flagler Beach Historical Museum. The Museum is adjacent to City Hall and has been open since September 2001. The Museum depicts Flagler Beach's history with pictures and artifacts dating back to its founding. It also displays artifacts found along the coast that are associated with the plantations within the corridor.
Also on display is a city flag designed by a local artist and Museum Board member. The flag traveled into space on a shuttle with astronaut Mark Kelly aboard the Endeavour. That, along with their display of historic animal bones, is why the Flagler Beach Historical Museum's motto is: From the Stone Age to the Space Age.

Flagler Beach Hotel

D. F. Fuquay and George Moody started work on the construction of the Flagler Beach Hotel in 1923. Mr. Moody sold his interest in the venture to Mr. Fuquay, who finished the project during the latter part of 1924 and held a grand opening on the Fourth of July 1925. The hotel was a three-story building offering 44 guest rooms with running water in each and a bath either connecting or adjoining. A grand ballroom on the top of the hotel makes a fourth floor. The front entrance of the hotel had two coquina columns and coquina urns on either side of the steps leading up to the screened front porch.

The hotel was home to many glamorous events over the years, including proms, dances, and weddings. It was also home to glamorous guests. Two years before he made his solo flight across the Atlantic, Charles Lindbergh stayed in the hotel for a week when low visibility forced him to make an emergency landing at the Flagler Beach airport in 1931. In the early 1970s, the hotel was sold for development. Demolition of the structure was a sad time for many residents.

Moody Hotel

After George Moody sold his interest in the Flagler Beach Hotel to Mr. Fuquay, he began construction of another hotel on A1A at 3rd Street across from where the pier is today. It was named the “Luna Vista.” Construction of the Luna Vista Hotel began in 1925. The ground floor had two large rooms with a restaurant and a pool table.

Mildred Landers bought the hotel in 1946 and named it the Milland Hotel. In 1979 Ellis Bank, formerly Citizens’ Bank of Bunnell, bought the property, razed the building, and constructed a new, two-story bank building. This bank merged with Nations Bank in 1984 and is in operation at that site today.

Fuquay Home

Mr. D. F. Fuquay began construction of a beautiful home in 1926 for a cost of $50,000. With a shuffle board court on the north side, a swimming pool on the west side, and a circular drive surrounding the house, it was the largest home in Flagler Beach. The house was built on a 600-foot lot facing the ocean. The house has four bedrooms upstairs and three very large bathrooms. Downstairs, there is one bedroom, a dining room, a kitchen, and a large living room with a huge coquina fireplace. The house has porches on the front and back and a basement big enough to house ten cars. This was one of the few basements on the coast of Florida, and it contained dressing rooms, additional living quarters, and a boiler room. Fuquay's home is currently the Topaz Hotel.