Audubon House and Tropical Gardens facts for kids
 |
|
| Location | 205 Whitehead Street Key West, Florida |
|---|---|
| Type | History |
The Audubon House & Tropical Gardens is a special place in Key West, Florida. You can find it at 205 Whitehead Street. It's a historic house and beautiful garden that tells a story.
The gardens cover about 1 acre (4,000 square meters). They are filled with amazing tropical plants. You'll see colorful orchids and bromeliads. There's also an herb garden. It feels like stepping back in time to the 1840s.
Inside the house, you'll find many old and valuable pieces of furniture. These antique items were bought from sales in Europe. They show how a rich family in Key West might have lived long ago.
The house also displays 28 original artworks by John James Audubon. He was a famous ornithologist (a scientist who studies birds). Audubon visited the Florida Keys in 1832. During his trip, he saw and drew 18 new birds. These drawings became part of his famous "Birds of America" collection. Many people believe he drew some of these birds right in the Audubon House garden. One of his paintings, the white-crowned pigeon, even shows a Geiger tree. This tree is still in the front yard of the house today!
Next to the main house is the Audubon House Gallery. This gallery has a special collection of Audubon's original art from the 1800s. You can see many different pictures he created.
History of the House
The Audubon House has a fascinating history. In 1958, this old house was almost torn down. But a group called the Mitchell Wolfson Family Foundation saved it. This group is a non-profit organization focused on education. Saving the Audubon House was the very first restoration project in Key West. A restoration project means fixing up an old building to make it look like new again.
Saving a Landmark
The Audubon House Museum & Tropical Gardens officially opened in 1960. It was created by Colonel Mitchell Wolfson and his wife Frances. They were from Key West. They spent a lot of money to bring the house back to life.
Alfred Milton Evans, a skilled architect, helped with the restoration. His sons, Harry, John, and Alfred Evans, also worked on it. They used special building methods. These methods were learned from their father, Sidney Evans, who built large ships. The Evans family built many famous homes in Key West. You can often spot their houses by their round wooden decorations and big porches.
Alfred Evans used a unique shipbuilding trick. He would slowly bend wood to create round doorways and staircases. Many of Key West's most famous homes were built by the Evans family. They lived in a large three-story house on 716 Olivia Street. This was just a few doors away from Ernest Hemingway's home.
Captain Geiger's Home
The Evans family restored this three-level house. It was built in the mid-1800s. The style is called American Classic Revival. The first owner was Captain John Huling Geiger. He was Key West's first harbor pilot. This means he helped guide ships safely into the harbor.
Captain Geiger raised many children in the house. He also planted beautiful tropical plants on the property. These plants were very important. They were what first attracted John James Audubon to the house during his visit in 1832. Audubon even took cuttings from the plants. He used them as backgrounds in his artworks. For example, the "Geiger tree" is in the background of his White-crowned Pigeon painting.
The Audubon House was the first big restoration project in Key West. It is still seen as a shining example of how to save historic buildings on the island. People who love old things enjoy touring the house. They can see how a successful Key West family lived in the 1800s.
Images for kids
-
The house
-
The nearby gallery
-
The dining room on the first floor
-
A fly trap
-
A wine cooler
-
-
-
A Geiger tree
