Key West...then and now

"Before there was Instagram, people used to take photos and then wait 50 years for them to look like Instagram." ~Me.

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The other day I was browsing the Flickr page of the Monroe County Library when I came across some wonderful photographs taken in 1965 by an unknown employee of the Key West Property Appraiser's Office. (I've posted some of the images here on my Miami Archives blog.)

Back then, it was the employee's job was to go out, drive around Key West and photograph each and every structure in Key West.

Looking at photographs, it's evident that the employee was using a camera equipped with what photographers call a "normal lens," as opposed to a wide-angle lens.

That meant he had to back up to fit the entire building in the photo. It also meant that, more often than not, a car, or several cars would end up being included in the shot.

So, as he snapped the shutter, he was creating more than just a government document, he was also preserving a bit of history.

Then I started wondering what the buildings look like almost a half-century later.

Here are just three of those buildings photographed in 1965 by the property appraiser's office.

And, thanks to the miracle of Google Street View, the same buildings as they appear today.

Check back here in the days ahead for more of these images.

Spea's Plate Glass Co., 1114 White St.
(Click here to enlarge.)

Click here to enlarge.

Hyde Barber Shop and Maria Elena Restaurant,
1106 White St. 
(Click here to enlarge.)

Click here to enlarge. 

1022 Varela St.
Built 1920s. 
(Click here to enlarge.)

Click here to enlarge.