Ormond Beach in Volusia County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

The Casements

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, December 22, 2016

1. The Casements Marker (side 1)

Inscription. (side 1)
Built in 1913 by Reverend Dr. Harwood Huntington, The Casements is named for its casement-style windows. Retired Standard Oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller, Sr. purchased it in 1918 as a winter residence, in hopes that it would support his desire to live to age 100. Known locally as “Neighbor John,” Rockefeller spent winters here enjoying golf, watching automobile racing on the beach, and meeting “Birthplace of Speed” race drivers. He also spent time socializing at the Hotel Ormond, and welcoming the company of friends such as Will Rogers, Harvey Firestone, Thomas Edison, and Henry Ford. Rockefeller died in his bedroom here in May 1937, just short of his 98th birthday. Allegedly his heirs intended to have The Casements razed following his death. Instead it was sold in 1940 to Maud Van Woy, owner and headmistress of the Fairmont Junior College of Washington, D.C. Van Woy transformed the building into the Casements Junior College. Following the closing of the college in 1951, The Casements then served as a religious retirement facility and school. Later it became Casements Manor, a secular retirement

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facility and transient hotel, and finally, the Ormond Hotel-Casements. (Continued on other side) (side 2) (Continued from other side) The property, which included a separate cottage called “South House,” was expanded through the years by each owner’s addition of staff residences, garage apartments, and dormitories. It fell into an extended period of owner neglect and was finally abandoned. Again destined to be razed in the late 1960s, The Casements was saved by local citizens. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, and the City of Ormond Beach purchased the property in 1974. It was restored with a federal Economic Development Administration grant under the Local Public Works Act in 1978 and reopened in 1979 as The Community Enrichment Center of Ormond Beach, a historical, educational and cultural facility also hosting community events. With the additions removed, The Casements evokes the residence built by Rev. Dr. Huntington and purchased by John D. Rockefeller. The State of Florida designated John D. Rockefeller “A Great Floridian” in November 2000.

Erected 2014 by The

The Casements Marker (side 2) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, December 22, 2016

2. The Casements Marker (side 2)

Casements Guild of Ormond Beach, The Friends of the Casements and the Florida Department of State. (Marker Number F-824.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1913.

Location. 29° 17.339′ N, 81° 2.827′ W. Marker is in Ormond Beach, Florida, in Volusia County. It is at the intersection of East Granada Boulevard (State Road 40) and John Anderson Drive, on the right when traveling east on East Granada Boulevard. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 25 Riverside Drive, Ormond Beach FL 32176, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Florida’s First Coast.

It is also in the American South

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At

The Casements Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, December 22, 2016

3. The Casements Marker

least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: A different marker also named The Casements (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Hotel Ormond (about 400 feet away); The World War Honor Roll (about 700 feet away); Veterans of the Vietnam War (about 700 feet away); Veterans of the Korean War (about 800 feet away); Emmons Cottage c. 1885 (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Ormond Garage (approx. 0.2 miles away); Nathan Cobb Cottage (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Ormond Beach.

The Casements image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, December 22, 2016

4. The Casements

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, December 22, 2016

5. The Casements

Credits. This page was last revised on December 9, 2019. It was originally submitted on January 18, 2017, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. This page has been viewed 917 times since then and 65 times this year. Last updated on December 7, 2019, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on January 18, 2017, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.