John McFerris Lowe Estate 1873-1975

John McFerris Lowe Estate 1873-1975. 908 and 914 Eaton Street. As early as 1873, John McFerris Lowe, a mariner born in Hope Town in the Bahamas, owned the original plat where Westwinds, a historic inn, now sits. Several wood-frame residences are visible on the 1884 Bird's Eye Map of Key West., The Benjamin Lowe / Joseph A. Jurczynski House at 908 Eaton Street is a two-story, temple-form, Classic Revival dwelling, defined by its unique wooden columns, two front porches, wooden balustrades, and tin-covered gable roof. It typifies Key West's legacy of the skilled marine carpenters Caribbean adaptations of Greek Revivalism in New England. The home witnessed a variety of owners In 1950, George Sawyer sold this residence to Joseph A. Jurczynski, a Navy veteran and sheet metal worker who repaired ships at the Key West Submarine Base on Front Street. Jurczynski's wife, Sue, owned and operated Sue's Studio of Beauty here in the late 1970s, B.G Carter, a winter resident, purchased both 908 and 914 Eaton Street to rehabilitate and open as a guesthouse. In 1983, the Jurczynski House became part of the Key National Register., By 1904, John M. Lowe Jr. had acquired the original 1873 property. Houses there included a small Eyebrow-style dwelling at 914 Eaton. He and his wife. Elizabeth, raised eight children here. John McFerris Lowe Jr, known as "Coughing John", was born in Key West on November 27, 1850 and carried such nicknames for a lifetime. Lowe became an expert sailmaker for maritime vessels. His valuable business opened in William Curry's Warehouse on the waterfront., The present-day imposing Eyebrow-style house at 914 Eaton was likely built post-World War II. The 1926 map does not depict the dwelling. Key West became a significant Navy town, filled with sailors, until 1974, when the base closed. Naval personnel rented or owned many Old Town homes., The Eyebrow style architecture, modeled-after the "saltbox homes" in New England, was a popular style back then. In Key West one hundred such original homes exist. They feature wide front porches and double-hung windows. The overhanging porch roof that partly obscures the second-floor windows, or "eyes of the home." contributes to the cooling effect.