Pauline the following year , with the house staying in the family until 1961 .
Today the house and grounds serve as a Hemingway museum , displaying photos of Hemingway and his friends during the 1930s . The unique furnishings include many European antiques collected during he and his wife ’ s time in Europe . The trophy mounts and skins were souvenirs of the Hemingways ’ African safaris and numerous hunting expeditions in the American west . Behind the main house is a studio on a second level of a structure adjacent to the swimming pool , the first built on Key West . The house has an appeal both as an interesting example of Key West domiciles and also the Hemingway presence . A gift shop allows the fans of Hemingway to indulge in t-shirts , books , and other memorabilia .
Down the street from the Hemingway house is the Harry S . Truman Little White House , where the president spent 175 days of his time in office . Originally a part of the naval station at Key West , it had been visited by President Howard Taft in 1912 . Among the other notable visitors to the house was Thomas Edison . Truman first used the house as a vacation home in 1946 , usually visiting during November and February . Presidents Dwight D . Eisenhower , John F . Kennedy , and Bill Clinton stayed at the house . Deeded to the State of Florida in 1987 , the house now is held in trust as a public museum .
The Gulf of Mexico is the true playground for visitors to Key West . One prone to interfering with his activities , a circumstance that changed somewhat over the years to the extent that he built a wall around his home to keep out the intruders that were mainly tourists . In December 1931 , the Hemingways moved into their new home , built in 1851 of coral rock , a wedding present from Pauline ’ s wealthy uncle , Gus Pfeiffer , purchased at a cost of just $ 8,000 then . Hemingway lived in the house until 1939 , getting divorced from
Hemingway House PORTFOLIO MAGAZINE 57