Key West’s most photographed landmark is boarded up behind building fencing, however a substitute Southernmost Level buoy has been erected at a short lived new spot a block away.
Metropolis crews have began a long-awaited, year-long overhaul of the southernmost selfie spot and the encircling seawall on the nook of South and Whitehead streets. The “southernmost swap” happened in a single day in Key West on Sept. 4.
Years of storms and saltwater have taken their toll on the seawall on the flood-prone downtown nook. As soon as the seawall is changed, crews additionally will repaint the unique buoy and add landscaping and different beautification options on the nook. Key West metropolis commissioner Lissette Carey has additionally urged that the “Southernmost Level / 90 Miles to Cuba” be painted on either side of the buoy so pictures might be taken from either side to alleviate the strains that type each day for images.
“It’s the most photographed landmark within the metropolis of Key West,” Key West Mayor Dee Dee Henriquez stated. “You possibly can come right here at 8 within the morning; there’s already a line. Come right here at 11 at evening; there’s a line.”
The concrete landmark marks the southernmost level within the continental United States. Virtually. The precise southernmost spot of Key West, geographically talking, is positioned on off-limits, military-owned property.
Whereas the work takes place, the big, painted concrete buoy that asserts Key West’s location 90 miles from Cuba, has been painted all white and is now enclosed in a plywood field behind building fencing that strains the final block of Whitehead Road.
A precise duplicate buoy has been positioned within the pedestrian plaza on the south finish of Duval Road, 1400 Duval St., and has already develop into a well-liked social media spot. As soon as the work at South and Whitehead streets is full, the unique buoy will probably be unboxed, freshly painted and reopened to the general public.
In accordance with Henriquez, the landmark’s origins date to 1972 — when “Southernmost Buoy” was merely painted on a bit of plywood. On Sept. 10, 1983, town of Key West unveiled the now-iconic concrete buoy seen world wide in pictures immediately.
As for the way forward for the momentary buoy, might it keep afloat after the unique returns, and supply a secondary photo-op location? That is still to be determined, in line with Key West tourism officers.