One of Palm Beach Island’s most exclusive estates is open to visitors for tours. The Flagler Museum, formally known as Whitehall was the estate of the American Industrialist and the islands founders, Henry M. Flagler. The grand estate features more than 100,000 square feet that is filled with some of the most important history of Palm Beach.

The island’s famous landmark was commissioned by Flagler to be a winter estate for himself and his wife Mary as a wedding gift in 1902. The home served as their winter estate until Flagler’s death in 1913. Henry M. Flagler is known to be the founder of Standard Oil and a very important man in shaping Palm Beach and its history. The home was commissioned by Flagler to John Carrere and Thomas Hastings to design and build the elegant estate. Carrere and Hasting were the architects for other famous landmarks around the country such as the New York Public Library and the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City during the Gilded Age.

The grand Palm Beach estate features white marble columns on the exterior with a red barrel tile roof along the intracoastal. The estate features a large central courtyard, two full stories plus an attic, a full-size basement which is rare for homes in Florida, ten antique clocks still in working condition, the original fence built in 1901, and more than 75 rooms. The home features artwork, antiques, and important history of the Gilded Age and Henry Flagler.

Today, the estate is open to visitors for tours of the grand estate, estate grounds, the Flagler Kenan Pavilion, Flagler’s Railcar No.91, The Museum Shop, and The Exhibition Gallery. The Museum has adopted a timed entry system to allow visitors to choose the time in which they plan to attend. Tickets can be purchased online. The Museum is currently open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm.