The Richard Peacon House, also known as the Octagon House, is an historic octagonal house located at 712 Eaton Street (formerly 2nd Avenue) in the

Old Town In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins. In some cases, newer developments on t ...

district of

Key West Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida, at the southern end of the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Island, it con ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

. It was built around 1885 for Richard Peacon (1840-1914), who was the owner of Key West's leading grocery store located at 800 Fleming Street and who later became a founding director of the Island City National Bank.Key West and Cemetery Map & Self-Guided Tour: House No. 7
/ref> The Richard Peacon House is one of two extant (surviving) octagon houses in Key West, the other being located about two blocks to the northwest at 620 Dey Street. This may make the Peacon House the southernmost octagon house in the continental United States. In 1980, world-famous fashion designer

Calvin Klein Calvin Richard Klein (born November 19, 1942) is an American fashion designer. In 1968, he launched the company that later became Calvin Klein. In addition to clothing, he has also given his name to a range of perfumes, watches, and jewellery. ...

bought the house from New York interior designer

Angelo Donghia Angelo Donghia (March 7, 1935 – April 10, 1985) was an American interior designer. History Donghia was born in Vandergrift, Pennsylvania, on March 7, 1935. He grew up spending time at his father's tailoring shop which is where his appreciatio ...

. Klein sold it in 1987. In 2000, it was featured in the book, ''Key West Gardens and Their Stories''. Richard Peacon was born in Key West on August 21, 1840. His parents came from the

Bahamas The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an archipelagic and island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean. It contains 97 per cent of the archipelago's land area and 88 per cent of its population. ...

. In 2006, the Peacon family's Bahamian connection and 712 Eaton Street were mentioned in ''Preserving Paradise: The Architectural Heritage of the Florida Keys''.Google Books: George Walter Born, ''Preserving Paradise: The Architectural Heritage of the Florida Keys'', Charleston, South Carolina: 2006, p. 28
The Peacon House is one of many

contributing properties In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distr ...

in the Key West Historic District. It is also featured on a walking tour of historic Key West and its cemeteries.

References

External links

IgoUgo: Octagon house, formerly owned by Calvin Klein, image

{{Key West Bahamian-American culture in Florida Houses in Key West, Florida Octagon houses in Florida Landmarks in Key West, Florida Historic district contributing properties in Florida National Register of Historic Places in Monroe County, Florida 1885 establishments in Florida

See also

References

External links