Old Town Manor

Old Town Manor is a historic lodging property at 511 Eaton Street in Key West, Florida. Formerly known as Eaton Lodge, it occupies a three-story Victorian manor in the classical Greek Revival style within Key West's Old Town neighborhood and the broader Key West Historic District. The property combines accommodation with architectural and cultural heritage: its original cypress front door, substantial woodwork, historic moldings, portions of its flooring, Colonial staircase, mahogany bookcase, fireplace, porches, garden, and unusually tall cistern remain important parts of its identity. The building was constructed in 1886 by Samuel Otis Johnson, who established it as a grocery and butcher shop. Johnson operated a shop beside the residence, and the commercial structure was later moved toward the rear of the lot in the early twentieth century, where it became a carriage-house or garage building. The property subsequently served as a private residence, a medical practice, a boardinghouse, and eventually a bed-and-breakfast inn. A major remodeling was undertaken in 1937 by architect Jack Long. The work retained the building's historic character while adapting it for continued residential use. The property's longest documented residential association was with the Warren family. Dr. William Richard Warren, a Key West-born physician educated at the University of Pennsylvania, and his wife, Genevieve Allen Warren, acquired 511 Eaton Street in 1913. Dr. Warren practiced general medicine from the house. The front porch functioned as a waiting area, while rooms inside were used for examinations and minor surgical procedures. The Warren family remained connected with the property until the death of Genevieve Warren, known locally as Miss Gen, in the early 1970s. Genevieve Warren also shaped the property's social and landscape identity. The porches, historically called piazzas, supported informal entertaining, and the garden became known for orchids, winding red-brick paths, palms, tamarind trees, a Brazilian jacaranda, and a fishpond fountain. Soil was brought from Florida's panhandle to support the plantings, while the property's large cistern supplied water in an environment where rainwater collection was historically important. The garden and surviving architectural details help distinguish Old Town Manor from a conventional contemporary hotel. Today, Old Town Manor presents itself as a heritage-oriented Key West inn, offering visitors accommodation in a historic residential setting rather than a standardized resort environment. Its positioning rests on preservation, Old Town location, period architecture, garden atmosphere, and links to local history. The property has also been associated with Key West's tourism and folklore economy, including appearances as a stop on local ghost-tour routes. Together with sister property Rose Lane Villas, it has been identified as an early certified participant in the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's Green Lodging Program. Reported practices include recycled paper products, efficient lighting, photo sensors for exterior lights, environmentally oriented cleaning products, and towel and linen reuse. No reliable public information was provided on the current ownership structure, executive leadership, financial performance, or exact room inventory.

Old Town Manor is a Victorian manor house and bed-and-breakfast inn at 511 Eaton Street in Key West, Florida. It stands in the Old Town neighborhood on the western side of the island, within the Key West Historic District. The surrounding district is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, giving the property a setting in which accommodation, architecture, and local heritage are closely connected. The building dates to 1886, when Samuel Otis Johnson constructed it as a grocery and butcher shop. His business premises stood adjacent to the house. During the early twentieth century, the shop was moved toward the rear of the property and was later used as a garage or carriage house. This early commercial history distinguishes the site from a manor that was built solely as a private residence. In 1937, architect Jack Long extensively remodeled the house. The renovation maintained its historic character and preserved features that remain central to the property's identity, including the original cypress front door, much of the woodwork, historic moldings, some original flooring, a lobby fireplace, a built-in mahogany bookcase, and a Colonial staircase. The three-story structure is described as Victorian in form and classical Greek Revival in style, with a front porch on each level. The porches were traditionally called piazzas. The property later became the residence and medical office of Dr. William Richard Warren. Dr. Warren was born in Key West, studied at the University of Pennsylvania, and worked as a general practitioner and surgeon. He and Genevieve Allen Warren purchased the property in 1913. The ground-floor porch reportedly served as a waiting room for patients, while interior rooms accommodated examinations and minor surgery. The Warren family retained the property for decades, through the life of Genevieve Warren, who was locally known as Miss Gen, until her death in the early 1970s. The Warren period added a strong domestic and social dimension to the house. Genevieve Warren was known as an accomplished hostess and held informal luncheons in the garden. The property became associated with a substantial orchid collection and with a distinctive landscape organized around winding red-brick paths and circular planting areas. The garden still includes a fishpond fountain, old palms, two tamarind trees, and a Brazilian jacaranda. A very tall cistern reflects the historical importance of rainwater harvesting in the Florida Keys and helped support the garden after topsoil had been brought from Florida's panhandle. The house also preserves connections to Key West family and civic history. Genevieve Warren descended from a family associated with the Florida Keys, while her father, George W. Allen, was president of the First National Bank of Key West, served twice as a state senator, and was nominated for governor of Florida in 1896. A portrait of her grandmother, Mary Nieves Ximenz Browne, was once displayed above the living-room mantel. The family history included Spanish-Corsican ancestry and links to early lighthouse keeping at the Dry Tortugas. After its residential and boardinghouse phases, the property became a bed-and-breakfast inn and adopted the Old Town Manor name. Its current identity emphasizes historic accommodation in a preserved residential setting. The inn's architecture, garden, cistern, and location support a heritage-tourism proposition distinct from a modern chain hotel. The property has also appeared in local ghost-tour itineraries, reflecting the way Key West tourism combines built heritage with folklore. Old Town Manor and Rose Lane Villas have been described as early certified members of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's Green Lodging Program. Associated practices include the use of recycled paper products, high-efficiency bulbs, photo sensors for outdoor lighting, environmentally sound cleaning products, and towel and linen reuse. Publicly available reference material does not establish the current owner, operating company, management team, room count, financial results, or a precise date for the transition to the present lodging operation.

• 1970

  End of the Warren family era

  [1]Old Town Manoren.wikipedia.org

  The Warren family's long association with the property ended after Genevieve Warren's death in the early 1970s.

• 1937

  Major historic remodeling

  [1]Old Town Manoren.wikipedia.org

  Architect Jack Long remodeled the house while retaining important Victorian and Greek Revival features.

• 1913

  Warren family acquisition

  [1]Old Town Manoren.wikipedia.org

  Dr. William Richard Warren and Genevieve Allen Warren bought the property, which became both their home and Dr. Warren's medical practice.

• 1900

  Rear commercial structure adapted for carriage use

  [1]Old Town Manoren.wikipedia.org

  The adjacent shop was moved to the rear of the property during the early twentieth century and later served as a garage or carriage house.

• 1886

  Construction as a grocery and butcher shop

  [1]Old Town Manoren.wikipedia.org

  Samuel Otis Johnson built the property as a grocery and butcher shop, establishing the earliest documented commercial use of the site.

• Development as a bed-and-breakfast inn

  [1]Old Town Manoren.wikipedia.org

  Following its earlier residential and boardinghouse uses, the property became the Old Town Manor bed-and-breakfast inn.

A heritage-focused Key West bed-and-breakfast centered on historic architecture, residential character, gardens, and an Old Town location.

• Hospitality

  Old Town Manor guest accommodation

  The core offering is lodging in a historic three-story Victorian manor at 511 Eaton Street. The experience is built around period architecture, preserved interior details, front porches, a landscaped garden, and a central Old Town Key West setting. Public reference material characterizes the property as a bed-and-breakfast inn but does not provide a reliable current room inventory or detailed room-by-room product list.

• Heritage tourism

  Historic garden and manor experience

  The property's garden and architectural features function as part of its hospitality proposition. Notable elements include old palms, tamarind trees, a Brazilian jacaranda, a fishpond fountain, winding brick paths, original woodwork, a fireplace, a mahogany bookcase, and a tall historic cistern associated with rainwater harvesting.

• Florida Green Lodging Program participation

  Florida · United States

  Old Town Manor and Rose Lane Villas were identified as among the early certified members of Florida's Green Lodging Program. The associated operating practices included recycled paper products, efficient lighting, photo sensors, environmentally sound cleaning products, and towel and linen reuse.

  Outcome. The properties received recognition as certified green-lodging participants; the reference does not provide a certification date or measurable environmental results.

  Source
• Key West ghost-tour association

  Key West · United States

  Old Town Manor is included as a stop on the Original Ghost Tour and Key West Ghosts, connecting the property with the destination's folklore and nighttime heritage-tourism circuit.

  Outcome. The property gained an additional tourism association through local ghost-tour routes; no formal campaign performance data is available.

  Source

1. 1Old Town Manoren.wikipedia.org
2. 2Old Town Manor official websiteoldtownmanor.com