Just in time for the holidays, Key West Art & Historical Society has announced it will be adding a limited number of personalized commemorative bricks along the southeast walkway adjacent to the Custom House Museum, and the bricks are available for order now.
Personalized bricks ensure that you, your business, a friend or a pet go down in history while supporting the ongoing costs of keeping the Custom House building a beacon of historic preservation. At 129 years old, the Keys landmark looks good for her age. However, it’s not without effort. The building was once near-derelict, boarded up and left to sit untouched in the salt air and sun for over two decades, returning to her former Richardsonian Romanesque glory only after a monumental nine-year, $9 million renovation.
Opened to the public in 1891, the iconic red brick building housed the Collector of Customs, Postal Service, Federal Courthouse and Lighthouse 7th District Office, and served as a maritime touchstone for Key West, at the time the richest U.S. city per capita. In 1932, it became the communications operations and administrative offices for the U.S. Navy. After it was purchased by Florida’s Land Acquisition Advisory Council in 1992, it was leased to the Key West Art & Historical Society for use as a museum.
A minimum $100 donation purchases one commemorative brick which accommodates up to three lines of wording. Bricks can also be embellished with a selection of decorative symbols for an additional $25.For more information or to purchase a brick, contact Key West Art & Historical Society membership coordinator Kim Livingston at 305-295-6616, ext. 106, email her at klivingston@kwahs.org; visit www.kwahs.org and click on the “Join & Support” button; or visit any one of the KWAHS museum stores during business hours and fill out an order form. Key West Art & Historical Society is a registered nonprofit organization and contributions may be tax deductible.
