Where a Fabled Past Meets Timeless Luxury
Guests of the Marqusa Hotel often speak of its effortless luxury and calming sense of home, which is no coincidence. Long before becoming a hotel, these buildings were luxe private homes. Every accommodation, parlor, garden and porch has offered refuge and relaxation since their founding. The Marquesa Hotel continues to welcome guests with the same sense of warmth today.
The James Haskins House
600 Fleming Street, Key West
The original home in the Marquesa complex was built by James Haskins in 1884 as a single-family dwelling. Over the decades, the home adapted to the ebbs and flows of history. The area where the current Café Marquesa operates originally opened as a clothing store before later becoming a grocery store.
By missing the catastrophic Key West fire of 1886 by just 20 feet, the building retained the patina and integrity that can still be seen today. As diners savor fine, coastal cuisine, picture windows frame a view of old streets and Victorian architecture that are uniquely Key West.
The main building of the hotel served as a boarding house in the early 1900s before being converted into apartment homes in the 1950s. The original grandeur slowly faded and the building soon lacked vision and design.
In 1987, Key West general contractors Richard Manley and Erik deBoer purchased the property from the archdiocese of New York and set forth to reclaim the magnificence of the original home. In February of 1988, the Haskins home reopened as the Marquesa Hotel and Café Marquesa. In 1994, the resort expanded into two neighboring historic buildings that flow elegantly into a single harmonious campus. For the resort’s first 30 years, deBoer and Carol Wightman owned and operated the hotel, securing a reputation within the community of the finest, most elegant lodging on the island.
The William Kerr House
414 Simonton Street, Key West
This historic home began as the private residence of William Kerr, a renowned Irish-American architect. Born in Ireland in 1836 and later educated in Boston, Kerr moved to Key West in 1872, where he worked as an architect, contractor and builder.’
He built the original “carpenter gothic” cottage at 414 Simonton Street in 1878. A creative riff of gothic revivalism, this style and design is known for being romantic, picturesque and charming. The Kerr House joined the Marquesa collection in 2015.
The Pilot House
414 Simonton Street
Next door to the Kerr House, the historic Pilot House Inn joined the Marquesa Hotel grounds in 2016. The process of unifying the properties, by way of a full renovation, new pool, landscaped gardens and new construction, wrapped up in 2017. The new structure opened in 2018.
Honoring Our Past, Embracing Our Future
In 2022, deBoer and Wightman entered into a partnership with Noble House Hotels & Resorts, known for their unique collection of boutique hotels. Together, the passion for excellence has grown and the Marquesa Hotel flourishes in the charming Old Town neighborhood it helped define. Lovingly restored, preserved and enhanced with luxury, the hotel’s legacy creates the very cornerstone of its appeal. The Marquesa Hotel is quintessentially Key West.
