Early settlers of the Florida Keys were faced with more than just a few challenges when it came time to building their homes. The main problem they faced was a lack of naturally available building materials. Shipping materials in would have been extremely expensive. So, in true pioneer fashion, they got creative. The results of their creativity are all around us and many of these unique Keys homes are open to the public.
Necessity being the mother of invention, settlers created a mortar made of sand, water, and lime. They obtained their lime by burning conch shells. Having no building stones or bricks, but an abundance of conch shells, the settlers often used the shell itself in constructing their houses; hence the term "conch" house. Later, the name was extended to the wooden homes built by settlers and ship's carpenters utilizing a blend of architectural styles.
The classic Conch Houses of Key West and the Florida Keys exhibit multicultural roots inherited from the Bahamas, New England, the local indigenous inhabitants and Africa. Hand-crafted of wood and constructed by seafaring carpenters, conch house architecture utilizes all of these influences to create a tropical adaptation of housing that is perfectly suited to the area.
The classic Conch House is revealed to be an energy-efficient, sensible design for living in the tropics:
Houses are raised off the ground, resting on posts for air circulation, which cools the house and prevents rotting from excessive moisture build-up. Sloping metal roofs reflect the heat of the tropical sun and supply the home with clean water by means of a gutter system to a storage cistern.
Dormers expand attic space into bedrooms. Roof hatches, a concept borrowed from ships, also aid in providing cross-ventilation. Exterior walls are singled walled. This allows air to circulate from the crawl space to the attic. Heat in the walls and attic is dissipated by convection action. Louvered shutters block out the tropical afternoon heat while allowing circulation of sea breezes. Top mounted shutters also provide hurricane protection. Porches and encircling verandahs provide shade and further help to reduce interior heat. Each room is constructed in such a way that each has the rigidity of a sturdy structural cube to resist hurricanes.
There are several free guides readily available in Key West that provide self-guided walking tours of the area’s unique architectural heritage. A "Pelican Path" brochure shows the path to follow and provides interesting documentation about the old houses that are identified with numbered pelican plaques along the way. The brochure may be obtained at the Chamber of Commerce or the Hospitality House at Mallory Square. Another favorite that is readily available is Sharon Well's Walking and Biking Tour to Historical Key West. This guide also documents each building's history and provides maps for each section on the tour. Another easy way to learn more about conch architecture and Key West in general is to take the popular Conch Train Tour which begins near Mallory Square on Front Street.
Whether you’re a tourist, looking to move permanently to the Keys, or just someone who likes the beauty of nature, the great variety of amenities in the homes in our area are just more reasons to want to live in beautiful Key West. If you’re interested in real estate in this attractive area contact me, Jimmy Lane, at Key West Real Estate: 305-766-0585.