St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Key West, Florida is no stranger to disaster. Since the Parish of St. Paul's was formed in the 1830's, there have been four separate structures, three of which met with calamity.
An 1846 hurricane took care of the first building, which was made of coral rock. The second building, built of wood, burned in The Great Fire of Key West in 1886. The third time, sadly, was not the charm either. Another hurricane came along in 1909 and destroyed building number three.
At this point, the parishioners decided that concrete and steel might be the best route to take, resulting in the beautiful structure you see here, which was completed in 1919. Several hurricanes later, that appears to have been a wise choice.
Located on the corner of Duval and Eaton Streets, St. Paul's is open daily for prayer, meditation and visitors. Natural disasters and fires, however, are not invited to attend:-)
