Sine there isn't much real estate being offered for sale or being sold these days, I decided to look through my old shoebox photos of buildings or events that readers might find of interest. This story really happened several years ago at the Bank of America branch located about fifty feet or so west of my office.
The building at 510 Southard Street, Key West has long been a bank building. The black and white photos were taken in the 1960s when the building housed First Federal Savings. I don't know when the ownership or signage of the building changed to Bank of America. In fact Bank of America vacated that space about three years ago. It is up for lease now and I am not a part of that.
I took the above photo this afternoon. I added a graphic to show where two ATM machines used to be located. The bank entrance was twenty feet or so to the west where the bikes are located in the photo. The wrought iron gate has been in that location for years. It is a passageway to the paring lot in the rear. The gates has been locked ince the bank vacated the building.
Several years ago I was headed two blocks west to the Bobby Shop to get my haircut. Just as I approached the Bank of America ATM machines I noticed a set of keys was inside the lock to one of the machines Thinking that was odd even for Key West I went inside the bank and saw there were several people standing in line waiting to transact business.
I passed everybody and went ot the head of the line. A young male bank teller looked at me with a sneer ready to tell me to go to the rear. But I stopped him before his rebuke and told him the keys to the money machine were ready to be swooped. He threw up his hands and raced for the door. I left and got my haircut. I assume all the money was still in the machine. I wonder if the bank manager ever heard about that day.
3 comments:
The old “Key West Bank”.
Where size DOES matter….
KW Jay
A July day in 2005. About 1:00 p.m. I was walking down Greene Street, headed to Kermit's for a cold limeade. I was walking past City Hall, Old City Hall now. Something at the top of the stairs caught my eye, shiny and glinting. I ascended the steps and found it. It was a set of keys, a very large set of keys on a large, old-fashioned key ring. It probably had a copy of every key ever used in that building. One key was inserted into a door lock. The others dangled and swayed beneath. There was not a soul in sight. This wasn't right. I took hold of the keys. I had to return them to where they rightly belonged. I looked in two offices. There was no one there. Just as I was pondering what to do, a large and very disagreeable woman exited the first office into which I had looked. I guess she had been around a corner at the time I looked inside. "What are you doing with those!" she shouted at me. Without even waiting two seconds for my reply, she bellowed "Those aren't yours! I'm calling the police!" as she snatched the heavy key ring from my offering hand. Down the steps I went. No good deed goes unpunished, I thought to myself. Kermit's limeade was especially good that day.
No good deed goes unpunished.
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