The Bishop Albert Kee bronze statue at the Southernmost Point is being temporarily removed. The heavy bronze likeness of Key West’s iconic Kee, who was a mainstay at the Southernmost Point for decades, has come loose from its base and poses a safety hazard.
The city of Key West will create a new base and place the statue at the Duval Street Pocket Park while a temporary Southernmost Point Buoy is installed later this summer.
The statue was created in 2015 in honor of the beloved Bishop Albert Kee, who was a preacher, businessman and Key West’s official ambassador of goodwill. Bishop Kee and his father before him greeted visitors at the famous corner of Whitehead and South streets, sharing Key West history, selling conch shells and teaching people how to blow the conch shell musically.
The Southernmost Point Buoy will be replaced by a replica later this summer so that damage to the seawall and plaza at the intersection can be repaired. The replica buoy will enable visitors to obtain their legendary photo ops just up the street at 1400 Duval St.
When the seawall repairs and Southernmost Point plaza renovations are complete, the buoy and the Kee statue will be replaced in their familiar location.
