was an American idealistic reformer who made his fortune as a Boston hardware merchant. He was an early abolitionist, author, founding member of the first YMCA in America, architectural enthusiast and a pioneer in early American tourism. In 1883, Smith built Villa Zorayda as his winter residence, utilizing his innovative revival of ancient, poured concrete building construction, mixing Portland cement, sand and locally found crushed coquina shell. Franklin Smith’s Villa Zorayda is one of St. Augustine’s most important structures. Smith’s choice of Moorish and Spanish revival architecture paired with his innovative revival of poured concrete building construction revolutionized the architecture in St. Augustine, forever shaping the city’s built environment.
