Tarragona Tower

In 1925, the Tarragona Tower was designed by the Florida architect Elias F. De La Haye. The tower was built to be an entranceway to the Daytona Highlands, one of the first successful subdivisions in the Daytona Beach area. This subdivision was part of the great Florida Land Boom of the 1920s when a lot of new people came to the state along with multiple big land deals. However, once the building of the tower was completed, a bust took down Florida's banks to mark the beginning of the Great Depression.

This historic building, also known as Tarragona Arch and Tarragona Castle, was built by Haye in 1925. It was made completely out of local coquina rocks of all different shapes and sizes. The tower was made up of 8 rooms and four floors, used for developer sales and lectures, while the top floor allowed for a bird-eye view of all the developmental surroundings through a total of 24 windows. The tower was created to be a showoff to the brand-new high-end Mediterranean neighborhood complex behind it. Hayes believed that this would make more people want to buy property and homes within the complex.

In 1942 however, the northern archway was torn down by the army as it was seen as a traffic hazard and would interfere with troop movement during the war. This destruction ended up being uncalled for and was not needed for the military to use the road for proper transportation. Following that, it became a single archway tower and has been kept this way ever since. It was kept this way to symbolize a significant time in development of Daytona.

The Tower was built during the Florida land boom. The boom was a time of major development in all of the states, starting in Miami and working its way around the state slowly. During this time, Spanish designs were extremely popular and developers wanted to incorporate that in their buildings. This included coquina shells for the Tower and multiple of the original houses within the housing development behind it.

Lane, Mark. Curious Coast: Tower has presided over Daytona Highlands since 1920s, Daytona Beach News-Journal Online. December 9th 2018. Accessed February 28th 2021. https://www.news-journalonline.com/news/20181209/curious-coast-tower-has-presided-over-daytona-highlands-since-1920s.

In the online news article, Lane reveals as to why this tower was built in Daytona Beach since many tourists ask why a building such as that is sitting in the heart of town. Along with the background on the building, Mark Lane also gives quotes to explain the impact the tower has had. There are also photos within the article to show the progress of building it, along with what it looks like now.

Tarragona Tower - Daytona Beach, FL - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com, September 6th 2008. Accessed February 28th 2021. https://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/wm4MCX_Tarragona_Tower_Daytona_Beach_FL.

This site, a lot like Clio gives a nice description about the tower, lists the map coordinates, and a nice google maps view of its exact location. On this website, the post touches on the towers history during the great depression and why construction took a halt midway through, because of this information. the post is also able to give dates as to when the tower was significant within the Daytona area.

Dalles, John A,. Tarragona Tower, Transformations and Whispers. September 22nd 2012. Accessed March 28th 2021. http://transformationsandwhispers.blogspot.com/2012/09/jeremiah-291-1-trust-and-entrust-your.html.

Within this site, it gives a nice detailed explanation on the building of this beautiful tower, along with the story behind the coquina shells. This site also gives credit to its multiple designers and the stories each persons part in creating this historical monument.

Claire., Dana Ste.. LANDMARK ARCH MAY BE UNABLE TO MAKE MOVE, Orlando Sentinel. March 27th 1994. Accessed March 28th 2021. https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1994-03-27-9403250250-story.html.

This site takes readers to a report on the possible destruction of the Tarragona Tower in the recent years. This source also explains why some destruction was done on the Tower in previous years due to military issues and plans. It ends with why the tower will continue to stand, being as a historical monument for the strong period of development for Daytona.

Jaye, Randy. FLAGLER CITY AND THE FLORIDA LAND BOOM AND BUST OF THE 1920S, FLAGLER COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY. October 28th 2020. Accessed March 28th 2021. https://flaglercountyhistoricalsociety.com/flagler-city-and-the-florida-land-boom-and-bust-of-the-1920s/.

This site gives the history of the Florida land boom throughout the state and some major counties including Flagler and Volusia county. During this time and the boom, Mediterranean design from the Spanish was very Popular and could be seen in the construction of the tower.

Ward, Summer. Tarragona Tower, Clio. Accessed April 22nd 2021. https://www.theclio.com/editEntry/125611.