ORMOND BEACH: THE BIRTH PLACE OF AUTOMOBILE RACING

To people traveling south to Daytona Beach, ORMOND BEACH is the large town on the north side that shares some of the great hard sands along the Atlantic Ocean.  In reality, ORMOND BEACH has a lot of interesting history and wonderful architecture to see on a driving tour..

The town is named after JAMES ORMOND, an colorful Anglo-Irish-Scotch naval officer who helped the Spanish in the war with Napoleon.  As a reward King Ferdinand VII gave him land in Spanish Florida to develop plantations.  Unfortunately, the purchase of Florida by the United States curtailed his plans and for decades the area was a homestead for a hand full of planters and farmers who survived the Seminole Wars and the Civil War.

In 1886 the arrival of the St. John & Halifax Railroad gave the community access to the North and winter visitors.  In 1888 JOHN ANDERSON and JAMES DOWNING built the impression ORMOND HOTEL, which was purchased two years later by tycoon HENRY FLAGLER.   The lovely resort survived until 1992 when it was demolished for a condo.  Only the hotel cupola survives in a nearby park.

Flagler hosted one of his own business pals JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER, who loved Ormond so much he built a winter residence THE CASEMENTS (1914) which stands today as the city cultural center. The original shingle style was by Dr. Harwood Huntington but there have been public additions in 1972.

In 1902, attracted by the hard sands and wealthy investors, automobile pioneers like RANSOM OLDS and ALEXANDER WINTON began to use the empty hard sands for testing automobiles.  Soon ORMOND BEACH became known as the Birthplace of Speed. With the so-developed Daytona Beach racetrack complex to the south, hot automobiles remain part of the history of the region.

The ORMOND BEACH WOMANS CLUB is better known to many as the ANDERSON PRICE MEMORIAL LIBRARY.   Located at 42 North Beach Street, the building is a Classical Revival showcase.

The site of the ORMOND GARAGE (1905) , built by Henry Flagler at 79 East Grenada Avenue is still visited by automobile buffs who do not realize the building burnt to the ground in 1976. This was the center of racing activity for the town garage here and a place where automobile dreams were made and destroyed.

.At 311 John Anderson Highway is THE HAMMOCKS  (1904), a simple three-story shingle house built by pioneer developer Joseph D. Price.

One of the most impressive winter residences in Ormond Beach is the DIX HOUSE at 178 North Beach Street. The frame house with a two-story veranda was built by the William McNary family for the two sisters Ruth and Eliza Dix. It was in this house in 1880 the pioneers (even though many came from Connecticut) decided to rename the town Ormond rather than the original New Britain, Florida.

More Southern in appearance is THE PORCHES (1883)  at 176 South Beach Street.  The double-balconied design gives it a plantation look.

Very impressive is the winter home of New York merchant ALEXANDER MILLAR LINDSAY, a Scotchman who named his place ROWALLAN (1913).  The mansion is at 253 John Anderson Highway.

Somewhat hidden by vegetation is TALAHLOKA (1886), a winter residence at 19 Orchard Lane. The two-story structure is constructed mainly of palmetto logs and is built in the style of Upstate New York hunting lodges.

The rustic JOHN ANDERSON LODGE at 71 Orchard Lane was the residence of John Anderson, a famous Ormond promoter and community activist. The house is one of seven winter residences that are located at this site, a reflection of the Ormond Beach status as the place for successful Northerners to winter.

 The ORMOND BEACH FIREHOUSE (1935-37) at 160 East Granada Boulevard was only WPA Project in the city. The small structure housed both fire and police departments as well as three cell jail.  It is now the logical home to a large legal firm.

Once the focal point  of some of the richest tycoons in the nation, the ORMOND YACHT CLUB BUILDING at 63 North Beach Street looks a little wayward and homeless.  Designed by S. H. GOVE in 1910 the frame vernacular structure needs a new career.

The three-story   LIPPINCOTT MANSION (also known as Melrose Hall) looks impressive with its curved tower and location at 150 South Beach Street.   The 1894 weatherboard and shingle design is very eclectic.

ORMOND BEACH has a lot of history to see even if there are no longer automobile races along its beach.