- Villa Zorayda
Infobox nrhp
name = Villa Zorayda
caption =
location = St. Augustine,Florida
area =
added =September 23 ,1993
visitation_num =
visitation_year =
governing_body = PrivateVilla Zorayda (also known as the Zorayda Castle) is a scaled-down version of the
12th-century Moorish Alhambra Palace inGranada ,Spain . It was built by the eccentric millionaireFranklin Smith in1883 as his private home in St. Augustine,Florida ,United States . OnSeptember 23 ,1993 , it was added to the U.S.National Register of Historic Places . It is presently owned by former St. Augustine mayor and local real estate investor Edward Mussallem (and family).Architecture and interior
The villa contains luxurious interior details, including tropical hardwood furniture and the "Sultans Den" which includes a 2,300 year-old rug made from woven cat furFact|date=February 2007. One of the more notable features of the building is the windows, each window is a different shape and size, following the superstition the spirits would be able to leave the house but have difficulty finding their way backFact|date=February 2007. Over the years, the building has been used as a speakeasy and a movie set.Fact|date=February 2007
The building is currently undergoing a complete renovation and is now open for guided tours.
References and external links
* [http://www.villazorayda.com Villa Zorayda official website]
* [http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/FL/St.+Johns/state.html St. Johns County listings] at [http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com National Register of Historic Places]
* [http://www.flheritage.com Florida's Office of Cultural and Historical Programs]
** [http://www.flheritage.com/facts/reports/places/index.cfm?fuseaction=ListAreas&county=st.%20johns St. Johns County listings]
** [http://www.flheritage.com/preservation/markers/markers.cfm?ID=st.%20johns St. Johns County markers]
** [http://www.flheritage.com/services/sites/fht/record_t.cfm?ID=901&type=c&index=55 Villa Zorayda]
** [http://www.flheritage.com/services/sites/floridians/?section=s#StAugustine Great Floridians of St. Augustine]
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