Luckily, though the interior was destroyed, a lot of the exteriors could be salvaged. Railings, banisters, turrets, columns and flooring from the balconies were all put in storage. Key Westers were promised that, when rebuilt, the building would look as it always had.

The million-dollar reconstruction of the historic building began in 1988 when the City granted permission to build a modern structure on the site. To recreate the spirit of the old building and to add historical flavor, the architect imported the long-stored pieces salvaged after the fire.

The new building's facade is a historical restoration of the original. If you visit the building and look around, it's easy to differentiate the old from the new. The old decking of the porches requires a close look. Those indents, the size of BBs, what are they? Could they be indentations made by high heels worn by dancers at those parties of old?

Go back in time with the generation who grew up in Key West when tropical fruit trees crowded the island, when you could play baseball in the street after dancing all night at The Cuban Club, when, during The Depression, people were tired of eating fresh fish and lobster, and when the only family on the island who had a pool were the Hemingways.

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