Five-month-old Yorkie Jack, who shares an office with his human at the Custom House Museum, awaits his personalized brick that will soon be installed in the southeast walkway adjacent to the Custom House Museum. A limited number of bricks are now available to order.

Custom House commemorative walkway bricks make historic holiday gifts for people and pets, support preservation of iconic landmark 

Key West Art & Historical Society has announced it will be adding a limited number of personalized commemorative bricks along the southeast walkway adjacent to the Custom House Museum, available for order now. All proceeds benefit the 2020-2021 Dogwood Foundation Challenge Grant that supports the museum’s Phase II mechanical repairs and upgrades, including climate stabilization.

Personalized bricks make great holiday gifts and ensure that you, your business, a friend, or a pet go down in history while supporting the ongoing costs of keeping the Custom House building a beacon of historic preservation. At 129 years old, the Florida Keys’ most iconic national landmark looks exceptionally good for her age, but not without dedication and effort. The building was once near-derelict, boarded up and left to sit untouched in the salt air and sun for more than two decades. After a 9-year, $9 million restoration project spearheaded by Key West Art & Historical Society with the help of late philanthropist Scotti Merrill and the island community, it opened as a museum in 1999 and now offers two floors of exhibitions that weave together two centuries of art, people, and events of the Florida Keys.

Since 2013, five phases of upgrades and repairs have been in progress to maintain the building as a museum and historic landmark. Major supporters of these ongoing restorations include M. Lee Garrison, Thomas Kenan, Chip Davis, the Dogwood Foundation, the Helmerich Trust, and Dogwood Foundation Trustees Holly and Frank Merrill.

A minimum $100 donation purchases one commemorative brick which accommodates up to three lines of wording. Bricks can also be embellished with a selection of decorative symbols for an additional $25.

To leave your legacy in Key West visit www.kwahs.org and click on the “Join & Support” button. Key West Art & Historical Society is a registered 501(c)(3) organization under IRS guidelines and contributions may be tax deductible. Please consult your tax advisor for more details.

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