Page 185 - John Anderson

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much bigger plans. He again moved the Sunnyside Hotel and built
Casa Monica Hotel (a 250-room hotel) on the site.

The beautiful new building was concrete, with less coquina than the
Ponce de Leon or the Alcazar. Deep river sand was used, making the
color of the building more dense and uniform than the Ponce de Leon
or Alcazar. Advertising for the new hotel focused on its Spanish-
Moorish structure, artesian sulfur baths, French cuisine, and Table
d’hote. All of the suites in the Casa Monica were equipped with
closets, gaslights, gas heat, and electric bells to call for service. Baths
were located on each floor. With its cottages, the hotel could
accommodate four hundred guests.
Unfortunately, Smith had trouble completing the hotel because a
plumbers’ strike in January of 1888 sent all the plumbers back to
New York. In addition, a fire at the Nelson, Matter & Company factory
in Michigan delayed a shipment of furniture. The building was
hurriedly opened on January 17, 1888, a week after the Flagler,
Ponce de Leon opened. The Casa Monica opening was not a success.
Smith was plagued by low occupancy and was unable to compete
with the Ponce de Leon.

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