The Casements
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The Casements is a building in Ormond Beach, Florida, USA constructed in 1910 by the Reverend Harwood Huntington, husband of a Pullman heiress. It was named for the many casement windows adorning the building. Its most famous resident, John D. Rockefeller, purchased the home as his winter residence in 1918. He became known in the area for his elaborate Christmas parties, his love of golf, and for handing out dimes to his neighbors or visitors. During a golf game with Harvey Firestone, the tire magnate made such a good shot that Rockefeller decided he deserved a dime and handed one to his somewhat embarrassed guest. Over the years, he was visited there by such luminaries as The Prince of Wales, Henry Ford, and Will Rogers, who once quipped, “I’m glad you won (at golf) today, Mr. Rockefeller. The last time you lost the price of gasoline went up!” It was in this home that Rockefeller eventually died in his sleep on the morning of May 23, 1937. The Rockefeller family sold The Casements in 1939.
Over the next 20 years, it would serve as a girls preparatory school and a home for the elderly. In 1959 the property was purchased by the Ormond Hotel Corporation with plans for development, but those plans never materialized. In 1972, The Casements was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The next year, it was purchased by the City of Ormond Beach, which eventually restored it to serve as a cultural and community center.
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