Mallory Square is a

plaza A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...

located in the city of

Key West Key West ( es, Cayo Hueso) is an island in the Straits of Florida, within 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 cons ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. It is located on the waterfront in Key West's historic

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 after thorough renovations. There are ma ...

, adjacent to the cruise ship port. It is located just west of the northern end of

Duval Street Duval Street () is a downtown commercial zoned street in Key West, Florida, running north and south from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean, just over 1.25 miles in length. It is named for William Pope Duval, the first territorial gover ...

, facing the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an oceanic basin, ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of ...

. It runs the entire length of Wall Street. Adjacent to the square are the

Key West Shipwreck Historeum Museum The Key West Shipwreck Museum (formerly Shipwreck Historeum) is located in Key West, Florida, United States. It combines actors, films and actual artifacts to tell the story of 400 years of shipwreck salvage in the Florida Keys. The museum itse ...

and the Old Post Office and Customshouse.

Sunset celebration

Mallory Square is the location of the "Sunset Celebration", which is considered one of the main

tourist attraction A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or an exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement. Types Places of natural b ...

s of the city. The Sunset Celebration involves hundreds of tourists who arrive each night to view the

sunset Sunset, also known as sundown, is the daily disappearance of the Sun below the horizon due to Earth's rotation. As viewed from everywhere on Earth (except the North and South poles), the equinox Sun sets due west at the moment of both the spring ...

. The celebration includes arts and crafts exhibitors, street performers, and food carts. It begins two hours before sunset, every day of the year. In 1984, the city opened a pier right on Mallory Square. The decision was met with considerable opposition from people who felt it would disrupt the tradition of watching the sunset at Mallory Square. In response to this, the city passed an

ordinance Ordinance may refer to: Law * Ordinance (Belgium), a law adopted by the Brussels Parliament or the Common Community Commission * Ordinance (India), a temporary law promulgated by the President of India on recommendation of the Union Cabinet * ...

requiring cruise ships to leave port two hours before sunset, enabling them to return after sunset without an additional docking fee.

Memorial Sculpture Garden

The Key West Historic Memorial Sculpture Garden in Mallory Square contains bronze busts of people who had a major impact in Key West. There is a 20-foot monument titled "The Wreckers" and 39 busts, honoring A. Maitland Adams, John Bartlum, Livingston W. Bethel, Jefferson B. Browne, Sandy Cornish, William Curry, Carlos M. DeCespedes, Nelson Francis de Sales English,

Henry M. Flagler Henry Morrison Flagler (January 2, 1830 – May 20, 1913) was an American industrialist and a founder of Standard Oil, which was first based in Ohio. He was also a key figure in the development of the Atlantic coast of Florida and founde ...

, Sister Louis Gabriel, Eduardo Gato, John Huling Geiger, Maria Gutsens, Dr. J. V. Harris, Charles Helberg,

Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century fic ...

, Lena Johnson, William R. Kerr, Elisabeth Merklin Knight Beiglett Smith, John Lowe Jr., Ellen Russell Mallory,

Stephen R. Mallory Stephen Russell Mallory (1812 – November 9, 1873) was a Democratic senator from Florida from 1851 to the secession of his home state and the outbreak of the American Civil War. For much of that period, he was chairman of the Committee on Na ...

, Judge

William Marvin William Marvin (April 14, 1808 – July 9, 1902) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida and the 7th Governor of Florida. Education and career Marvin was born in Fairfield, Ne ...

Bernie C. Papy Bernie Clayton Papy Sr. (May 27, 1902 – August 10, 1964) was an American politician from Key West, Florida. He served in the Florida House of Representatives from 1935 until 1962, representing Key West. Papy ran for office again in 1964, winni ...

, Joe Pearlman, Dr. J. Y. Porter, Commodore David W. Porter, Peter Roberts, Capt. Edward "Bra" Saunders, John Watson Simonton, Julius Stone, Norberg Thompson, Asa Forseyth Tift, Charley Toppino,

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...

, William Whitehead, and Thomas Lanier "Tennessee" Williams, all sculpted by

James Mastin James Richard Mastin (1935–2016) was an American sculptor and painter, best known for his public monuments of life-sized bronze figures commemorating significant historical events and individuals. The hallmark of his work was meticulous craftsm ...

. Image:Key West FH020024.jpg, Tourists and the

Majesty of the Seas ''Majesty of the Seas'' (subsequently renamed ''Majesty'', then ''Majesty of the Oceans'') is a owned by Seajets and formerly owned and operated by Royal Caribbean International. She was built at the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyards in Sain ...

Image:Key West FH020025.jpg, Street performer Image:Sunset, Mallory Square, Key West, Florida, USA.jpg, Sunset Image:SandyCornish.jpg, Bust of Sandy Cornish in the Memorial Sculpture Garden

References

External links

http://www.mallorysquare.com/

Key West Memorial Sculpture Garden photo gallery

A map of the Square
(PDF) {{Coord, 24.5599756, -81.8074276, display=title Tourist attractions in Key West, Florida Landmarks in Key West, Florida History of Key West, Florida Redeveloped ports and waterfronts in the United States Culture of Key West, Florida