The Lunch Report: Correction and Addendum to The Breakers

I wanted to share with you all what I learned today in my follow up conversation with Mr. James Augustine Ponce, The Breakers’ official historian and Palm Beach’s only designated living landmark.

Hey, when a 92-year old Palm Beach scholar takes time out of his day to call NYC and educate some corporate lawyer about The Breakers, I think it’s noteworthy.

Italian Inspiration for The Breakers. Because of the conflicting explanations I encountered when researching the architectural inspiration for The Breakers, I omitted this detail from The Lunch Report. The inspiration for The Breakers was in fact the Villa de Medici in Rome. Admit it, you all thought The Breakers in RI was the original inspiration.

That Curious Fountain Out Front. I was misguided by the staff at The Breakers. The fountain featuring the questionable acts among cherubs, alligators and pelicans (they look like swans, I swear) was not inspired by Ovid’s Metamorphoses. It began as a replica of a fountain in the Boboli Gardens in Florence. The animals were then changed to alligators and pelicans to add a southern Floridian touch. Also, the cherubs are “wrestling with,” and not “choking,” the animals. I apologize for my inflammatory suggestion that violence against animals was involved. Obviously, the cherubs (dumbasses that they are) are playing with the alligators (as one does in FL) and not trying to hurt them.

Hotel Nacional in Havana. Based on a recent trip to Havana, Mr. Ponce was able to confirm that Hotel Nacional bears a striking resemblance to The Breakers, from the outside at least. Once inside, he explained, all resemblance stops. We’ll see . . . Mr. Ponce also confirmed my suspicions that the Embargo is the “silliest thing” ever.

Please see the attached link for a fascinating tribute to The Breakers and Mr. Ponce:http://www.newyorksocialdiary.com/node/304524