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Hemingway HomeThe Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum, situated at Whitehead Street in Key West, Florida, was formerly the residence of the renowned American author Ernest Hemmingway. It was in this house that Hemmingway did some of his best work, including ‘The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber’, the short story classics ‘The Snows of Kilimanjaro’, and the final draft to ‘A Farewell to Arms’. This magnificent structure served as Hemmingway’s residence until 1938 and was designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark on November 24, 1968. Today, it is a private, for-profit institute and one of the major points of tourist interest in Key West. It is located near a popular lighthouse close to the Southern coast of the island, and is easily accessible to the public. Designed in 1851 by a renowned salvage wrecker and marine architect Asa Tift, the Hemmingway Home features a colonial southern mansion style of architecture. Built at an elevation of 16 feet (5 m) above sea level, this structure is the second-highest site on the Island of Key West. This Museum is well known for the six and seven-toed cats, which reside in the Museum premises and are thought to be the descendants of Hemmingway’s cats. The Hemmingway Home was the first on the Island to be fitted with indoor plumbing. It features an upstairs bathroom with water fed from a roof rain cistern. Other notable features of the house include its built-in fireplace and its awesome swimming pool. This pool was the first to be built on the Island of Key West and was also the only pool within 100 miles (160 km) in the late 1930s. The yard of the house also features a boxing ring. Today, the grounds of the Hemmingway Home are wonderfully restored as a garden, featuring a number of exotic species of tropical plants. The Hemmingway Home, now converted into a museum, offers visitors a number of guided tours that provide insightful narratives as well as answers to all the curious questions. The Living Room features Ernest’s wife Pauline’s outstanding chandelier collection, 17th century furnishings, and a beautiful painting of St. Paul’s Church, painted by Eugene Otto. The Dining Room, on the other hand, houses Pauline's 18th century Spanish walnut dining table; a dazzling hand-blown glass chandelier from the famous island of Murano, near Venice, Italy; two porcelain sculptures; and a Spanish bottle safe known as a tantalus. Other areas of the house that are worth watching include the breakfast room, the Kitchen, the magnificent Hallway, the Master Bedroom, the Boys’ Room, Nursemaid’s Room on the second floor, the cistern and writing studio, the porch, and the basement. The Hemmingway Home also houses the most popular cat drinking fountain in the world. Built for Hemmingway’s pets, this fountain features an old Spanish olive jar at the top and a trough at the base. The Hemmingway Home is an architectural marvel and is the perfect way to relive the history of Key West and known more about the Nobel Prize winning author, Ernest Hemmingway.
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