Palm Beach, Mar-a-Lago, and the Rise of America's Xanadu

July 22, 2019
History writer Standiford (Last Train to Paradise) delivers a readable history of the wealthy Americans who developed Florida for their vacationing pleasure. Oil and railroad magnate Henry Flagler, seeking new business opportunities in the 1880s, set his sights on Florida. He built hotels and a rail line and, in the 1890s, constructed the lavish Breakers resort in Palm Beach. Flagler and his wife, Mary Lily, dominated the social scene there, attracting other wealthy people to town. One of the most important was Marjorie Merriweather Post, the only child of cereal tycoon C.W. Post; she and her husband hired Beaux Arts–trained architect Marion Sims Wyeth to design their first place, Hogarcito, and Wyeth and Joseph Urban for their second, the 128-room Mar-a-Lago, completed in 1927. Post planned to bequeath it to Florida, but the state considered it too expensive to maintain and, after her 1973 death, the fate of the property remained uncertain until 1985, when Donald Trump bought it and turned it into a membership resort. This chronicle focuses less on the personalities of the rich and famous and more on land acquisition and building, about which Stafford writes effortlessly. This book will appeal to those interested in business history. Illus. Agent: Kim Witherspoon, InkWell Management.

September 15, 2019
A history of the famed resort town and a residence that has "assumed a stature in the collective consciousness far larger than its physical bounds." Standiford (Center of Dreams: Building a World-Class Performing Arts Complex in Miami, 2018, etc.) returns to the Floridian territory of the rich and famous that he chronicled in his biography of Henry Flagler (Last Train to Paradise, 2002), but this time the author will likely attract even more readers with the newly relevant Mar-a-Lago. Donald Trump and his purchase of the mansion in 1985 does not take center stage until more than 200 pages have elapsed, but after that, he and his over-the-top resort occupy the majority of the rest of the book. Before focusing on Trump, though, Standiford recounts the epic struggle of the ultrawealthy to transform what are now known as Palm Beach, Boca Raton, and Key West into a previously unimaginable enclave for conspicuous consumption. Flagler dominates the narrative for a stretch of pages, as does architect Addison Mizner, who was famous for his Mediterranean revival and Spanish colonial revival styles. The other main character is heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post, who was most responsible for the design, construction, and legend of Mar-a-Lago. Post collected lovers and husbands, but arguably the most significant was her husband E.F. Hutton, the wealthy financier. Mar-a-Lago served as a Post-Hutton showplace, boasting 62,500 square feet and 128 rooms. For the most part, it gained renown because of its style and setting rather than its size; after all, it wasn't nearly the largest mansion in the area. Standiford likes to compare and contrast the sizes and styles of the mansions as he offers background about their owners. For readers who never tire of reading about extreme wealth, the book will hold endless fascination. Others, however, may lose interest partway through. Unsurprisingly, Standiford offers a negative portrayal of Trump, chronicling his controversial purchase and the many ugly battles that ensued. During this era of extreme income inequality, much of the narrative is antiquated and irrelevant except for the Trump connection.

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October 1, 2019
Mar-a-lago immediately conjures references to Donald Trump. However, this detailed social history of Palm Beach, Florida, reveals that Mr. Trump is only one of the many celebrities, political figures, and mega-rich entrepreneurs associated with this exclusive enclave. Chronological chapters show how visionary Henry Flagler first developed the area in the late 1800s, starting with exclusive hotels. Their cosmopolitan clientele soon began to build their own stately seaside homes. Marjorie Merriweather Post commissioned Joseph Urban, an architect for the Ziegfield Follies, to build an enormous mansion: the 128-room Mar-a-Lago. Prolific author Standiford (Water to the Angels, 2015) weaves in local history, business dealings, political maneuvering (railroad deals, zoning and tax disputes), and scintillating scandals: divorces, affairs, suicides, shenanigans, and other activities that rocked social registries. Over two hundred pages go by before Trump even puts in an appearance; by this point, readers should already be sufficiently sated with instances of name-dropping and accounts of lavish entertainments. This is enjoyable social voyeurism for those who hanker after tales of the rich and famous, past and present.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)