The Houses of Key West (Paperback)

Alex Caemmerer

ISBN 10: 1561640093 / ISBN 13: 9781561640096

Published by Rowman & Littlefield, 1992

About this Item

Paperback. Perfect for anyone who loves to look at charming old houses and imagine their histories, this book offers a selection of what are probably the most historically interesting, aesthetically appealing, and photogenic of the nineteenth-century houses in the Key West historic district. It includes full color photos, as well as a variety of charming anecdotes about old Key West gleaned from interviews with descendants of the families who built houses there.Key West was an industrial town and many of its houses were for workers who had little to spend on housing. The shotgun houses are simple, undecorated houses, many of them built by cigar-makers for their workers. Then, of course, there are the great housesthe Heritage House, the Cosgrove House, the Hemingway House, and the Southernmost Houselarge and famous houses with unique and proud histories. Then there are the eyebrow houses, shotgun houses, and "Conch Victorians"many of Key West's houses were built by ship's carpenters, who built strong, tight, shiplike houses, most working without plans other than memories of vessels and seaport homes from their own past. Widows walks were borrowed from New England, overhanging eaves (eyebrows) from the West Indies. Builders added details from architectural fads of the timefrom Greek Revival columns to Creole trellises.The final architectural mix, what we see now in Key West's Old Town, can only be called, like the natives themselves, Conch. Key West is an architectural treasure trove of houses built in the 19th century. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9781561640096

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Houses of Key West (Paperback)
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
• Publication Date: 1992
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1561640093
• ISBN 13: 9781561640096
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

Perfect for anyone who loves to look at charming old houses and imagine their histories, this book offers a selection of what are probably the most historically interesting, aesthetically appealing, and photogenic of the nineteenth-century houses in the Key West historic district. It includes full color photos, as well as a variety of charming anecdotes about old Key West gleaned from interviews with descendants of the families who built houses there.

Key West was an industrial town and many of its houses were for workers who had little to spend on housing. The shotgun houses are simple, undecorated houses, many of them built by cigar-makers for their workers. Then, of course, there are the great houses—the Heritage House, the Cosgrove House, the Hemingway House, and the Southernmost House—large and famous houses with unique and proud histories. Then there are the eyebrow houses, shotgun houses, and "Conch Victorians"—many of Key West's houses were built by ship's carpenters, who built strong, tight, shiplike houses, most working without plans other than memories of vessels and seaport homes from their own past. Widows walks were borrowed from New England, overhanging eaves (eyebrows) from the West Indies. Builders added details from architectural fads of the time—from Greek Revival columns to Creole trellises.

The final architectural mix, what we see now in Key West's Old Town, can only be called, like the natives themselves, Conch.

Review

"A beautiful collection of color photographs...with plenty of meaty text about the various styles and types of houses."

""A beautiful collection of color photographs...with plenty of meaty text about the various styles and types of houses.""