Standard Oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller purchased the home in 1918 as a winter residence in hopes that it would support his desire to live to the ripe old age of 100 (he passed away in the home just 6 weeks short of his 98th birthday).
The Casements received its name from its windows which are hinged on the side and crank open outward to the left or right allowing for full top to bottom ventilation.
Rockefeller loved this area as he played golf, watched automobile races on the beach, participated in sing alongs at the Ormond Beach Hotel each Sunday, entertained his friends like Henry Ford, Henry Flagler, Harvey Firestone, Will Rogers, Thomas Edison and his elaborate Christmas parties.
He preferred to be known locally as “Neighbor John”, because he enjoyed taking part in community activities.
In 1937 before his death, Rockefeller gave away almost half of his fortune to universities, centers for the arts, churches and medical foundations.
In January of 1973 the Casements was placed on the National Register of Historic Places and the city of Ormond Beach purchased the home for $500,000 and was awarded a grant $449,000 to renovate the home as a cultural center.
Today the 9000 square foot home located on the eastern bank of the Halifax river is a cultural center with free tours. There is an app available for self guided tours, which take about 90 minutes.
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