Key West Homes for Sale in Truman Annex
Truman Annex is the Old Town district named for President Harry Truman because it is the location of the “Little White House”, a stately historic residence used by Truman several times in the late 1940s as a winter retreat.The Little White House is located near the intersection of Front and Caroline Streets, and the modern Truman Annex neighborhood lies within the triangle formed by Whitehead, Front, and Southard Streets on the western edge of Old Town.
The land and the Gulf shoreline harbor and docking facilities that lie within the Truman Annex were originally part of Fort Zachary Taylor, a historic US Army installation dating back to 1845. The Little White House is a large home built in 1890 as quarters for the fort’s commanding officers on what was then the beach front. The portion of Fort Taylor that is now the Truman Annex was taken over by the Navy in 1947 as part of Naval Station Key West. When the station and its submarine docking facility were decommissioned in1974, much of the land in the annex was sold to private developers.In the 1990s, over 100 acres of former military land were transformed into a neighborhood of tropical elegance designed to capture the spirit of Key West history.
The Little White House is now the Harry S. Truman Little White House Museum, and Truman Annex is the site of a 6-block planned luxury residential community of multi-million dollar Key West homes for Sale, townhouses and condos. Private gated access, lush tropical landscaping maintained to park-like perfection, and an easy walk to Duval Street, Mallory Square and other attractions make Truman Annex a prime location for upscale vacation housing rentals and long-term residents who enjoy being only steps away from the heart of Key West.
Several different neighborhoods of private homes, condominiums, and various vacation rental properties are located within the bounds of Truman Annex. Historic military officer’s homes built in Italian and Greek Revival architectural styles and renovated as large private luxury mansions sit on manicured grounds behind white picket fences. In this area, the easy bike ride or stroll to Duval Street takes one along precisely-clipped hedges, through tropical gardens, and past fountains. The southern end of the Annex features a collection of small town homesbuilt in Southern Cottage style with tin roofs and sitting porches. Homes in these blocks are within a few minutes bike ride of the beach at Fort Zachary Taylor State Park, one of the island’s best.
Along with the Little White House Museum and Fort Taylor, neighborhood attractions and amenities include the US Coast Guard Cutter Ingham Maritime Museum, the Mel Fisher Treasure Museum, the Audubon House andTropical Gardens, and the cruise ship dock. Some of Key West’s best shopping, dining and entertainment is a block away along upper Duval Street.
Truman Annex properties appeal to those attracted to the old-time history and exciting modern cultural life of Key West. The variety of options available in the Annex makes for surprisingly accessible buying opportunities, and the pros at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Knight & Gardner Realty can certainly find your perfect Truman Annex home.
