The Southernmost House is a historic mansion in the U.S. city of Key West, in Monroe County, Florida. Five U.S. Presidents have stayed there. The house is located in the Upper Duval district and has been converted into a bed and breakfast.
The Southernmost House is a historic mansion in the U.S. city of Key West, in Monroe County, Florida. Five U.S. Presidents have stayed there. The house is located in the Upper Duval district and has been converted into a bed and breakfast.
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Judge Jeptha Vining Harris built the mansion that is now called the Southernmost House in 1897 for $250,000. [1] His wife was the youngest daughter of William Curry, one of Florida’s first millionaires. The Curry family were builders with eight mansions in the Historic District of Key West. The Harris family were prominent citizens at the turn of the century and had invested in Henry Flagler's Overseas Railroad to Key West, often entertaining him at the mansion during the railroad's construction.
The house is Queen Anne Victorian style, and was designed as a one-bedroom mansion. It has open-water views, public rooms, two story balconies, and large stained glass windows. The Southernmost House was the first home in Key West with electricity, and Mrs. Harris was able to engage Thomas Edison to oversee the electrical design and installation for the house. [1] In the 1930s air conditioning was installed.
During the Prohibition period from 1919-1933 the mansion served as a speakeasy. The first floor was a restaurant; the second floor was used for casino gambling and the third floor for "socializing". During this period, celebrities and notorious gangsters who were en route to Havana often visited the mansion.[ citation needed ]
In the 1940s the mansion was operated as a nightclub called "Cafe Cayo Hueso," hosting Ernest Hemingway, Tennessee Williams, Gore Vidal, Truman Capote, Tallulah Bankhead, Gloria Swanson, Louis Armstrong, and Charles Lindbergh.[ citation needed ]
In 1949 the mansion was completely renovated for use as a private residence by Hilario Ramos. Hilario Ramos an immigrant from Spain, married into a wealthy family who owned Lopez Wholesale Liquors, a distributor of many brands including Anheuser-Busch products. Since then many dignitaries and heads of state have stayed at the mansion. Among these are King Juan Carlos of Spain and five American Presidents: Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter.[ citation needed ]
In 2016, the mansion was inducted into the Historic Hotels of America program. [2] The Southernmost House is being operated as an 18-room bed and breakfast. [3]
Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida, within the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Island, it constitutes the City of Key West.
Mediterranean Revival is an architectural style introduced in the United States, Canada, and certain other countries in the 19th century. It incorporated references from Spanish Renaissance, Spanish Colonial, Italian Renaissance, French Colonial, Beaux-Arts, Moorish architecture, and Venetian Gothic architecture.
Duval Street is a downtown commercial zoned street in Key West, Florida, running north and south from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean, just over 1.25 miles in length. It is named for William Pope Duval, the first territorial governor of Florida.
Cape Sable is the southernmost point of the United States mainland and mainland Florida. It is located in southwestern Florida, in Monroe County, and is part of the Everglades National Park.
The Harry S. Truman Little White House in Key West, Florida was the winter White House for President Harry S. Truman for 175 days during 11 visits. The house is located in the Truman Annex neighborhood of Old Town, Key West.
Truman Annex is both a neighborhood and military installation in Key West, Florida, United States. It is the part of the island that is west of Whitehead Street, with the exception of Bahama Village. The winter White House for President Harry S. Truman was located there, from its days as part of the former Naval Station Key West. The Harry S. Truman Little White House in Key West, Florida was the winter White House for President Truman for 175 days during 11 visits.
The Key West Historic District is a U.S. historic district located in Key West, Florida. It encompasses approximately 4,000 acres (16 km2), bounded by White, Angela, Windsor, Passover, Thomas and Whitehead Streets, and the Gulf of Mexico. It contains 187 historic buildings and one structure.
Mallory Square is a plaza located in the city of Key West, Florida. It is located on the waterfront in Key West's historic Old Town, adjacent to the cruise ship port. It is located just west of the northern end of Duval Street, facing the Gulf of Mexico. It runs the entire length of Wall Street. Adjacent to the square are the Key West Shipwreck Historeum Museum and the Old Post Office and Customshouse.
The Southernmost Point Buoy is an anchored concrete buoy in Key West, Florida that claims to mark the southernmost point in the continental United States — though it is neither the true southernmost point of the continental US nor of Key West — and was established as a tourist attraction by the city on September 10, 1983. The large painted buoy is 18 feet (5.5 m) above sea level at the corner of South Street and Whitehead Street.
Captain Tony's Saloon is a bar in Key West, Florida, United States, located at 428 Greene Street.
The following is a list of the neighborhoods within the city limits of Key West, Florida.
The Hines Mansion is a historic house in Provo, Utah, United States. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was built in 1895 for R. Spencer Hines and his wife Kitty. At the time the mansion was built, it was recognized as one of the finest homes in Provo. The Hines Mansion was designated to the Provo City Historic Landmarks Registry on March 7, 1996.
Caroline Street is an iconic and historically significant local road on the island of Key West, Florida. It extends approximately 0.5 miles (0.80 km) northeastward to Grinnell Street from Whitehead Street at its southwest end. One of the oldest roads on the island, Caroline Street is surrounded by many old houses, inns, and historic landmarks, which are known for their seclusion from the street by dense landscaping. From its mostly residential origins between Whitehead and Elizabeth streets, Caroline becomes more commercial, punctuated by numerous businesses. Situated within the historic "Old Town" district, Caroline Street was part of the original infrastructural layout of the island at the time of its 1829 mapping by William Whitehead. Other than changes to both its termini, the majority of its route has remained unaltered since then. Caroline Street was named for a sibling of Whitehead; his brother, John, became interested in the island after a shipwreck left him stranded in 1819. The street and some of its surrounding area have been subject to long-term improvement and beautification efforts, beginning chiefly in 1996.
Old Town Manor, formerly Eaton Lodge, is a Victorian manor house and bed and breakfast inn in Key West, Florida. The building is located at 511 Eaton Street.
The White House Reconstruction, also known as the Truman Reconstruction, was a comprehensive dismantling and rebuilding of the interior of the White House from 1949 to 1952. A century and a half of wartime destruction and rebuilding, hurried renovations, additions of new services, technologies, the added third floor and inadequate foundations brought the Executive Residence portion of the White House Complex to near-imminent collapse.
The McBirney Mansion in Tulsa, Oklahoma was the home of James H. McBirney, co-founder of the Bank of Commerce in Tulsa in 1904. He was the original owner of the mansion, built by architect John Long in 1928, and lived there until 1976. The mansion contained 15,900 square feet (1,480 m2) and sits on a 2.91 acres (11,800 m2) lot. The mansion was bought by Donna and Roger Hardesty who lived there for 5 years. Eventually it was bought by a law firm that turned it into a law office. By 2007, was purchased by former American Airlines President George Warde, who had plans to transform it into a boutique hotel. In the meantime, the McBirney Mansion was used as an event center. Warde died in 2012, and events stopped being held at McBirney. By February 2012, the Pauls Corporation, a Denver real estate management company, acquired the mansion as part of the suit's settlement. Tulsa attorney Gentner Drummond bought the mansion from Pauls Corp. in 2014, announcing his intention to make it his family's home.
The Fogarty Mansion is a historic home in Key West, Florida, United States. It is located at 227 Duval Street and is denoted by Key West Historic Marker 18.
William Joseph Curry was a Key West businessman and Florida's first millionaire.
Thousands of years before European discovery, the island of Key West was largely occupied by the Calusa and Tequesta Native American tribes. Brief settlements by transient Seminoles in the late 18th century introduced temporary trade in the region; early fishing and wrecking revenues became notable amongst passing Natives in the region. The island's first documented discovery by Europeans occurred in 1513 by Spanish explorer Ponce de León while attempting to reach Florida's Gulf Coast. The island soon adopted the Spanish name, Cayo Hueso, literally meaning "bone cay", referring the scattered bones believed to be left behind from warring natives. Although ownership was claimed by the Spanish explorers, no permanent settlement had been established, and possession of the island was briefly asserted by the British in 1763.
