Key West in Monroe County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
William Lowe Delaney / Theodore Holtsberg House
Photographed By Tim Fillmon, September 18, 2018
1. William Lowe Delaney/Theodore Holtsberg House Marker
Inscription.
William Lowe Delaney, also, Theodore Holtsberg House. . Connecticut mariner and wrecker Benjamin Sawyer built the first house on this property by 1844. From 1888-1890, much of Key West's port business took place in Sawyer's home, until the completion of the federal Custom House. Key West native and Deputy Custom Collector William Lowe Delaney (1863-1917) acquired the property from Sawyer's widow and built this ornate Queen Anne Revival residence by 1906. The house featured a two-story verandah, pavilion tower, and an asymmetrical floor plan. Following Delaney's death, a circuit court ruling in 1918 transferred ownership of the mortgaged property to Lavinia Artolozaga for $3,551. The property was sold again in 1925 for $7,000 to Romanian immigrant Theodore Holtsberg (1857-1928), one of the island's first Jewish residents. He was an entrepreneur whose fashion store was a local landmark, and was an active member in the island's Jewish community. The historic Delaney/Holtsberg residence was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971 as a contributing building in the Key West Historic District. In addition, it was selected as one of the thirty-eight architecturally significant Key West structures by the Milo Smith Survey of Historic Buildings in 1974.
Connecticut mariner and wrecker Benjamin Sawyer built the first house on this property by 1844. From 1888-1890, much of Key West's port business took place in Sawyer's home, until the completion of the federal Custom House. Key West native and Deputy Custom Collector William Lowe Delaney (1863-1917) acquired the property from Sawyer's widow and built this ornate Queen Anne Revival residence by 1906. The house featured a two-story verandah, pavilion tower, and an asymmetrical floor plan. Following Delaney's death, a circuit court ruling in 1918 transferred ownership of the mortgaged property to Lavinia Artolozaga for $3,551. The property was sold again in 1925 for $7,000 to Romanian immigrant Theodore Holtsberg (1857-1928), one of the island's first Jewish residents. He was an entrepreneur whose fashion store was a local landmark, and was an active member in the island's Jewish community. The historic Delaney/Holtsberg residence was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971 as a contributing building in the Key West Historic District. In addition, it was selected as one of the thirty-eight architecturally significant Key West structures by the Milo Smith Survey of Historic Buildings in 1974.
Erected 2017 by The Banyan Resort and the Florida Department of State. (Marker Number
Click or scan to see this page online
F-990.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1906.
Location. 24° 33.398′ N, 81° 48.293′ W. Marker is in Key West, Florida, in Monroe County. Marker is on Whitehead Street just north of Eaton Street, on the right when traveling north. Now part of the Banyan Resort. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 323 Whitehead Street, Key West FL 33040, United States of America. Touch for directions.
2. William Lowe Delaney/Theodore Holtsberg House Marker and House
Credits. This page was last revised on April 22, 2020. It was originally submitted on December 24, 2018, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. This page has been viewed 711 times since then and 103 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on December 25, 2018, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
