Mallory Square is a plaza that defines a major hub of Key West, Florida. As the cultural center of Key West with a collection of unique restaurants, shops, entertainment and a daily celebration of the sunset, the plaza has come to define the city in ways that support and positively impact the surrounding community.
History and Connection
Mallory Square has always been the hub of Key West’s social and commercial life ever since the area began to be populated in the early 1820’s. The specific area that defines Mallory Square is where a legendary salvager would dock and move goods off ships and into nearby warehouses.
This prime location has allowed it to become the home of the “Sunset Celebration” which attracts audiences on a daily basis. Each night, at nearly two hours before sunset, masses of residents and visitors go to the water’s edge to experience a community event and watch the sunset into the Gulf of Mexico. Managed by the Key West Cultural Preservation Society, the organization only asks people to support local artists, performers and food vendors by purchasing their art, eating their creative food and tipping to best support the community.
The location of the Florida Keys Historical Military Memorial on Mallory Square is a further testament to how the space reflects and is part of the local community. The adjacent Key West Historic Memorial Sculpture Garden also showcases this connection to the legacy that Mallory Square embodies. Additionally, Mallory Square Market contains a variety of stores that allow visitors to purchase anything from a locally collected sea sponge to souvenirs at the Ron Jon Surf Shop. Mallory Square anchors the physical location of these stores as well as their identities, which the nearby Shops at Mallory Square further embrace.
A featured element of maps and tours that cultivate attention across the region, Mallory Square showcases the kind of positive economic and cultural impact that a landmark can embody to benefit individuals and organizations across an entire community.
An Essential Element of the Community
The Sunset Celebration as well as the numerous shops and stores that define Mallory Square highlight how it has become an essential part of the community that appeals to both residents and visitors. By cultivating a space and identity that audiences and organizations have been able to engage with in a variety of ways, it represents an essential element of the present and future for the entire community.
