Villa Zorayda

In keeping with the Spanish-Moorish theme of much of old St. Augustine, Villa Zorayda is a sumptuously decorated mock-Arabian palace in the middle of America's first city. The Villa is spectacular inside and out, it features the geometric decor and vaulted arches typical of the Alhambra or the palaces of old Cordoba. In fact, the palace actually mimics a part of the Alhambra in 1/10 scale. The Villa was built in 1883 and since then it had undergone many incarnations as a former casino, private club, residence, and meetinghouse. Today it houses the eclectic collections of its original benefactor Franklin Smith as well as that of former owner Abraham Mussallem.