[2] Built in 1883 by the eccentric Boston millionaire Franklin W. Smith as his winter home,[3] it was inspired by the 12th-century Moorish Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain.

[5] His winter home, Villa Zorayda, was the first residence built in the Moorish Revival style in Florida, and the first poured concrete building in St.

[6][2] Smith's concrete mix, which used crushed coquina shells as an aggregate, and his method of pouring it in successive levels, was adopted by Henry Morrison Flagler, a Standard Oil partner and Florida developer, for his nearby hotels and churches on an even grander scale.

[10] The architecture of the building is accompanied by fine detail including hand painted wood panels and tiles, intricately designed fireplaces and doorways, and geometrically shaped windows and stained glass.

The collection also includes hand-pierced brass lamps from Damascus and other parts of the Middle East, Oriental rugs, sculptures, carved furniture, decorative tiles, and Egyptian artifacts.