Tributes pouring in for ‘Mr. Key West’ Wolkowsky
BY TERRY SCHMIDA
KONK LIFE STAFF WRITER
For over 60 years, the people and places in Key West were never far from David Wolkowsky’s mind.
Not surprisingly these days, the shoe is now on the other foot as he is remembered by a town he did so much for during his long and interesting life.
Wolkowsky, who developed bars, hotels, and private homes in the Southernmost City, died at Lower Keys Medical Center on Sept. 23 following a brief illness. Just over a month earlier he had celebrated his 99th birthday during a lavish shindig at one of his Key West homes.
“To me, he was one of the most generous people I’ve known,” said former Rooftop Cafe owner Tom Schmitt, who rented the building the restaurant is located in from Wolkowsky for over 30 years. “He was also one of the funniest people I ever knew. He did so much to transform Key West into a tourist destination over the course of his life, yet he didn’t really consider himself a developer, but rather a visionary. He saw things that needed to be done, and did them.”
Wolkowsky was born in Key West in 1919, but moved to Miami with his family when he was 4.
As a young man Wolkowsky attended the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, graduating with a degree in Literature. His love of the written word was a passion that would stay with him his entire life, as he befriended many of the famous writers, such as Tennessee Williams and Judy Blume, who lived on the island.
Following his graduation from college, Wolkowsky stuck around the City of Brotherly Love for a while, redeveloping parts of that city. By the early 1960s, however, he left Philadelphia and returned to Key West, where he made a name for himself by improving the town – one development project at a time. Among his most significant achievements in this area, are his roles in the revitalization of Duval Street, and Mallory Square.
Along the way, his business brought him into contact with important locals and celebrated tourists, many of whom would stay at the Pier House Resort, which Wolkowsky developed and opened to the public in 1968. Leonard Bernstein and Vivian Leigh were just two of the many celebrities he would go on to befriend, as was a young Jimmy Buffett, who got his Key West start playing in the Chart Room Bar at the Pier House.
Key West Realtor Jim Hogan, of ReMax Keys Connection, met Wolkowsky during a real estate transaction in the 1980s, but stayed friends with the man who would become known as “Mr. Key West.”
He echoed many of Tom Schmitt’s comments about Wolkowsky.
“I really enjoyed his sense of humor,” Hogan said. “He was also very sharp, gracious, and generous, and got a real kick out of making people smile. I never heard him say a bad word about anyone.”
Hogan referenced many of the town’s legendary figures in assessing Wolkowsky’s contribution to Key West.
“He was the last of the giants,” Hogan went on. “[Former real estate broker] the Ed Knight, [former county Mayor] Wilhelmina Harvey, and [Captain Tony’s Bar owner] Capt. Tony [Taraccino] were just a few of the people who really shaped this island, and did things that everybody still talks about.”
Though Wolkowsky grew rich from his many endeavors, owning several properties in Key West alone, as well as an island home on Ballast Key, eight miles from town, he never lost touch of his appreciation of literature, art, and learning in general. In recent years he had personally awarded $25,000 annually to the Key West High School’s Teacher of the Year, and $5,000 to the runners-up.
“He really enjoyed telling stories, and got pleasure from entertaining people,” Hogan said. “But he also always valued the importance of a good education, and good teachers, which he did his best to honor. He was a multifaceted man, and will be terribly missed. His death is a huge loss to Key West.”
At press time, no funeral or memorial arrangements had been announced.
CUTLINE:
David Wolkowsky, foreground, and friends took to the streets of Key West in March of 2018 in support of the “March for Our Lives” student demonstration against gun violence.
(Photo by Carol Tedesco)
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