Duval Street is the main street of Key West, the southernmost city in the continental United States. This is where we hold parades, celebrations, wine, dine, dance, and shop. Duval Street runs about one mile long. You can walk from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean in about fifteen minutes or so. If you stop in each bar, you may not make it in a week. Or two.
Fifty-five years ago today a miracle occurred at PIX SHOES located at 509 Duval Street. The photo below shows a 1950 Buick that had just crashed through the shoe store window.
One of the remarkable things about Duval Street is that most of the original buildings which date back to the 1880 and 1890s still exist today. Others like 509 Duval Street were built on lots where historic structures were lost to fire or storm. Yesterday I took two photos of 509 Duval Street. One shows the facade of 509 Duval and the second shows the building on an angle to the street. The street and sidewalks have been repaved and the lamp posts replaced several times over the past 55 years. But the street width is still narrow - I would estimate 20 feet at most. So how in the world did the Buick make such a violent right turn to crash through that building?
I was returning to my office after taking the photos when a lady who works across the street from me said hello. I told her I had just photographed 509 Duval Street for my blog. She said "the shoe store" even though the building has been a restaurant for years. I then mentioned the car crash and asked if she knew what happened. She said "It must have been teenagers going too fast." Maybe. Except I can't imagine any teen doing something that stupid in this town. On that street. Especially not then. As I walked away she asked her husband "Do you remember that crash?" Imagine a woman, a man, a family walking in front of 509 Duval Street on December 23, 1955 when that Buick suddenly turned right. It's a miracle nobody was killed - a miracle before Christmas.
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