The Key West Art Center & Gallery
301 Front Street, Key West, FL 33040, US
(305) 294-1241
Hours Daily: 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM
The Key West Art Center & Gallery is housed in a historic quaint wooden building in the midst of the city’s old town waterfront area. It was originally constructed in the 1890’s near the waterfront for use as a grocery store. The grocery was owned and managed by the George Babcock family for many years. In later years the building was the location of the first WPA Art Project under President Roosevelt. The WPA was created to help get Americans back to work after the Great Depression. In Key West, which had gone bankrupt in the 1930's, WPA artists helped entice tourists to the city by depicting our beautiful tropical scenery in brochures and other promotional materials.
The KWAC membership prior to 1960 had several locations, one of which was in the 400 block of Simonton St. This group of local artists was joined by several businessmen and persuaded city officials to save the historic building on Front Street which had been condemned. It was then converted into a city-sponsored art center and gallery.
It was one of the first buildings to be restored in the old Mallory Square area and became the home of the Key West Art Center & Gallery in 1960.
Our mission statement: The Key West Art Center & Gallery provides a year-round sales resource for local artists. It provides a community gathering place, learning environment and public exhibit space. We safeguard the heritage of Key West as a city of artists.