The Sites 1. Courthouse - Mile Marker 88.2, Islamorada Second floor contains four bas reliefs by Joan van Breeman. Originally installed in the Tavernier Health Unit. 2. Hurricane Monument - Mile Marker 82, Islamorada Designed by Harold Lawson and executed by Lampbert Bemelmann, and constructed with WPA funds as a memorial to victims of the 1935 Labor Day hurricane. 3. Monroe County Public Library - Mile Marker 82, Islamorada Branch. Originally built by the WPA as a school and hurricane shelter in 1936. It contains six bas reliefs by Joan van Breeman. 4. "Hurricane" or "Red Cross" Houses - State Road 4A, Islamorada (behind the Green Turtle Inn) Twenty-three houses originally constructed with WPA and Red Cross funds for victims who lost homes in the 1935 hurricane. 5. Library - Florida Keys Community College, 2nd Floor, Building A, Key West "Portable" mural by Erik Johan Smith. Originally installed in the 3.2 Cafe, Duval and Petronia Streets, Key West. 6. Harvey Government Center - White Street and Truman Avenue, Key West Two bas reliefs by Joan van Breeman. 7. Glynn Archer Elementary School - 1302 White Street, Key West Originally Key West High School. Contains William Hoffman murals depicting discovery of Key West by Spanish explorers, and the building of the Overseas Railroad. (Limited access. Please stop in office before viewing.) 8. Lighthouse Museum - Whitehead Street and Truman Avenue, Key West FERA artifacts and prints by Erik Smith and Stanley Wood. 9. Lester Building - 530 Whitehead Street, Key West Commissioner McCoy's office. Three watercolors by Walton Blodgett. 10. Spottswood, Spottswood & Spottswood - 500 Fleming Street, 2nd. Floor, Key West Large painting by Adrian Dornbush, and a later painting by William Hoffman. (Please call ahead in order to view. Phone 294-9556.) 11. Heritage House Museum - 410 Caroline Street, Key West Watercolors and prints by Alfred Crimi, F. Townsend Morgan, Stanley Wood, and Martha Sauer, and FERA artifacts. 12. Gallery on Greene - 606 Greene Street, Key West Showcasing current, as well as early, works by former FERA artist Henry La Cagnina. 13. Sloppy Joe's Bar - 201 Duval Street, Key West Reproduction of painting by Erik Smith; original in the collection of the Key West Art & Historical Society. 14. Key West Aquarium - 2 Whitehead Street, Key West Begun with Civil Works Administration funds and completed in 1935 with FERA funds. Contains reproductions os some original frescoes by FERA artist Alfred Crimi. 15. Key West Art Center - 301 Front Street, Key West One of 66 community art centers administered by the WPA throughout the U.S., where art classes were taught and gallery space provided. 16. Sculpture Garden - Mallory Square, Key West Bust of Julius Stone, FERA administrator and creator of the Key West Art Project.		History of the Key West Art Project In the mid-1800s, Key West was the wealthiest city per capita in the United States. In 1934, as the entire country was in the depths of the Great Depression, Key West, too, had fallen on hard times. The city had become bankrupt, and by some estimates, as many as 85 percent of its inhabitatns were on relief. Realizing the seriousness of the situation, the city and Monroe County prevailed upon Tallahassee, prompting Governor Sholtz to appoint Julius Stone, Florida's administrator for the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA), to assess the situation. After a careful study, Mr. Stone determined that the only salvation for the charming but rundown city was rehabilitation and a general beautification program to make it attractive as a tourist resort. Public Works of Art Project artists from other parts of the country were brought in and put to work creating paintings, murals or public places, and other projects, such as tourist brochures and postcards. An art gallery was established, where artists could sell their work, and art and craft classes were made available to adults and children. A choral society and dramatic organization was organized and a week-long festival was created, culminating in a production of Gilbert and Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance. As a result of this program and other improvements, Key West attracted an estimated 35,000-40,000 tourists during the winter of 1934-35. As the FERA phased out during the summer of 1935, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) took over many of the ongoing projects, continuing through the early 1940s. The Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 destroyed the Overseas Railroad, causing major damage to the Upper Keys and a precipitous drop in tourism. Completion of the Overseas Highway in 1938 restored Key West's connection to the mainland and tourism again flourished.
			Click Here for biographies of FERA and WPA artists.