The Casements

This morning my brother and I visited The Casements, the summer home of John D. Rockefeller.  The home was built by a Presbyterian minister in the early 1900s.  Rockefeller bought it in 1918, renovated and expanded it, and spent his winters there until his death in 1937.

The original 18 acres was located on the Halifax River, directly across the street from the Ormond Hotel which, in Rockefeller's day, was the center of social life for wealthy snowbirds.  Apparently the house and hotel were connected by an underground tunnel.

The Casements is at 25 Riverside Drive, in downtown
Ormond Beach, just a half dozen blocks from the beach. 

Its main entrance faced the lawn and Ormond Hotel.

Elaborate gardens were a prominent feature of the house
when Rockefeller occupied it.  The gardens now are much
simpler... and less expensive to maintain.

Flowers are in bloom this spring!

After Rockefeller's death the house was sold to a woman who operated a finishing school for young ladies for about ten years.  Other occupants followed, ending with a group of hippie squatters in the 1960s.  By the 1970s the house was ripe for demolition, but a group of citizens urged the City of Ormond Beach to acquire the property.  Part of the house was torn down, and the remaining original core of the structure was renovated with the help of a state grant.

Since 1979 the house has been open to the public.  The Casements Guild oversees its use as a cultural and civic center.  Activities include art displays, art classes, yoga classes, cooking classes, lectures, and other special events.  Weddings are held at the house almost every weekend of the year.  Our docent, Lorrie, was enthusiastic and well informed about Casements lore.

This side entrance is used by tourists.

Rockefeller's original front doors gave the house its name.

The octagonal living room was originally decorated with
heavy, dark, overstuffed chairs and sofas. 

The house is not lavish by the standards of Rockefeller's time — or ours!  In fact, Rockefeller's family considered The Casements far below the kind of house an oil billionaire ought to live in, and rarely consented to visit.  But Rockefeller lived there because his doctor said Ormond Beach offered the purest air in the country.  He loved the area, played eight holes of golf each day until he became too frail for the sport, and participated in all kinds of local activities, such as singing groups.  To the locals he was known, at Rockefeller's request, as "Neighbor John."

These kitchen cabinets are original to the house.

A dance room, equipped with a ballet bar, gets frequent use.

Lorrie, our docent, shows Brad some Rockefeller family photos.

Because the house passed out of family hands, only one room contains furnishings owned and used by John D.  For reasons not made clear, no photographs of the "Rockefeller Room" are permitted.  However, my finger slipped.  Twice.  My bad.

This room contains Rockefeller memorabilia,
including photos of John D.'s family.

John D.'s desk looks out at the Halifax River.

In keeping with The Casements' mission as a civic and cultural center, what was once a ground floor bedroom has been made into a dance studio, and the (very small) kitchen is now used for cooking classes (a class on Greek cooking is coming up shortly).  Up on the third floor the building houses one of the largest collections of Boy Scout memorabilia in the Southeast.  Developed in the 1960s by John Slaughter as his Eagle Project, the display was enlarged in 1993 by his nephew, also as an Eagle Project.

Eagle Scout John Slaughter put together the
BSA display as his Eagle Project.

The exhibit includes merit badges, posters, coffee mugs,
and these ancient-of-days scout uniforms.

A knot board is always fascinating for those, like me, who can
hardly tie their shoes!

In the spirit of John D. Rockefeller's annual Christmas Party, the Casements Guild sponsors three days of holiday festivities.  The house is decorated to the nines, and all types of Christmas goodies are baked and served to visitors.  For more information on The Casements, click here for the house's web site. •••