Free previewStop 2 of Key West Walking Tour: Mallory Square to the Southernmost Point
The Red Brick Box That Nearly Rotted
You've walked a few steps from Mallory Square onto Front Street, and the big red brick building in front of you is the one Key West calls the Old Custom House. Look at the arches and the heavy brick walls. In a town built mostly of wood, someone wanted this building to look permanent. That's a clue to this story.
It was finished in 1891, designed by an architect named William Kerr. It wasn't built to be pretty. It was built to be the federal government in one box. Ships paid their customs duties here. The town collected its mail here. And upstairs sat a federal court, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. That court met in this building from 1891 until 1932.
That's the opening. The rest plays at stop 2 of Key West Walking Tour: Mallory Square to the Southernmost Point (3 min in all). Unlock the tour to hear it all, or try stop 1 free first.
