Audubon House
205 Whitehead Street
Key West, FL 33040
Hours:
Monday – Sunday
9:30am – 4:15pm
Gallery & Gift Shop
9:30am – 5:00pm
In October 1846, a powerful hurricane bore down on Key West, damaging or destroying nearly all of the homes in the city. In the aftermath of this devastating storm, Captain John Huling Geiger, a harbor pilot and master wrecker, began construction on a grand home that would serve as his family’s residence. Today, that home is known as the Audubon House.
The construction of the Audubon House occurred between the years 1846 and 1849. At the time, Captain Geiger was one of Key West’s wealthiest men, and he wanted a home befitting of his family’s stature in the community. He chose a prominent location for the home on the corner of Whitehead and Greene Street so it could be seen and admired by all coming and going from the waterfront.
Captain Geiger used the best carpenters and finest materials available for his mansion, which was built in the American Classic Revival architectural style. A model of quality workmanship, the entire wooden structure was constructed with mortise and tenon joints. The wooden frame of the House and the floors are of Dade County Pine, a now-extinct hardwood almost impervious to termites. The exterior doors are cypress, and the staircase is mahogany.
