Key West Aquarium
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The Key West Aquarium is the only public aquarium in Key West, Florida, United States. It is located at 1 Whitehead Street and is marked by Historic Marker 52.
History
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Built between 1932 and 1934, the Key West Aquarium is one of Florida's oldest aquariums. Original admission was 15 cents for adults and 5 cents for children.[1]
The aquarium was conceived by Dr. Robert Van Deusen, the Director of the Fairmount Park Aquarium in Philadelphia.[2] The aquarium was originally an open air aquarium, one of the first and largest at the time.
During the Great Depression, Key West turned over its charter to the federal government due to the economic disaster that hit the island. The federal government believed that Key West's weather and location would make it an ideal tourist destination. The Works Project Administration (WPA) was sent in and built the tourist attraction.[2]
Exhibits
The aquarium is home to exhibits on alligators, atlantic shore fish, jellyfish, sharks, sea turtles, and a touch tank.[3]
Relevance in pop culture
James Merrill wrote about the Key West Aquarium in his poem Key West Aquarium: The Sawfish.[4]
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References
- ^ "key west aquarium Archives - Key West Shipwreck Museum". www.keywestshipwreck.com. Retrieved 2018-07-04.
- ^ a b "Marker Details - Key West Historic Markers Project". www.keywesthistoricmarkertour.org. Retrieved 2018-07-04.
- ^ "Key West Aquarium Exhibits". Key West Aquarium. Retrieved 2018-07-04.
- ^ Materer, Timothy (2008-06-13). "James Merrill's Late Poetry: AIDS and the "Stripping Process"". Arizona Quarterly: A Journal of American Literature, Culture, and Theory. 64 (2): 123–145. doi:10.1353/arq.0.0005. ISSN 1558-9595. S2CID 161318246.
External links
- Official website
- v
- t
- e
- Fleming Key
- Sigsbee Park (Dredgers Key)
- Stock Island (northern part is in the municipality of Key West)
- Sunset Key
- Trumbo Point
Neighborhoods |
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- Monroe County School District
- The College of the Florida Keys
- Basilica of St. Mary Star of the Sea
- The Armory
- Audubon House and Tropical Gardens
- Captain Tony's Saloon
- Duval Street
- Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Museum
- Fogarty Mansion (Fogarty House)
- Eduardo H. Gato House
- Ernest Hemingway House
- Key West Aquarium
- Key West Bight
- Western Union
- Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory
- Key West Cemetery
- Key West Heritage House Museum and Robert Frost Cottage
- Key West Lighthouse
- Key West Shipwreck Museum
- Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden
- Mallory Square
- Old Post Office and Customshouse
- Richard Peacon House (Octagon House)
- Port of Key West
- Dr. Joseph Y. Porter House
- Sloppy Joe's
- Solares Hill
- Southernmost House
- The Studios of Key West
- Thompson Fish House, Turtle Cannery and Kraals
- Harry S. Truman Little White House
- U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters, Key West Station
Note Naval Air Station Key West is nearby.