Veterans of Foreign Wars Walter R. Mickens Post 6021 and William Weech American Legion Post 168

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Veterans of Foreign Wars Walter R. Mickens Post 6021 and William Weech American Legion Post 168
National Register of Historic Places
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Veterans of Foreign Wars Walter R. Mickens Post 6021 and William Weech American Legion Post 168 (Florida)
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location Key West , Florida
Coordinates 24 ° 33 '2.5 "  N , 81 ° 48' 13"  W Coordinates: 24 ° 33 '2.5 "  N , 81 ° 48' 13"  W.
Built 1951
architect CB Harvey
NRHP number 12000300
The NRHP added May 30, 2012

The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6021 Walter R. Mickens and William Weech American Legion Post 168 is a historic building in Key West in the US state of Florida . It is dedicated to the Afro-American military personnel, most of whom were stationed in Key West from the 1950s onwards. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 30, 2012 .

history

The William Weech American Legion Post 168 , a post of the American Legion , is located at 803 Emma Street in the Bahama Village neighborhood in the immediate vicinity of Naval Air Station Key West . He is the last remaining post to be in a joint venture with historic Veterans of Foreign Wars Walter R. Mickens Post 6021 . The veterans organization Veterans of Foreign Wars , founded in 1899 , has millions of members, including various US presidents, various politicians and other public figures. The organization has thousands of such posts across the country. On August 25, 1951, the groundbreaking ceremony took place for the new home post, which was subsequently given the dedicated name William Weech American Legion Post 168 and (historic) VFW Walter R. Mickens Post 6021 after the joint venture that took place in 1952 . There were also two white posts in Key West at this point, Arthur Sawyer Post 28 and VFW Post 3911 .

In times of racial segregation , the soldiers swore the First and Second World War and the soldiers of the Korean War , as a veteran of the preamble to the American Legion with dignity and righteousness to remain faithful. The local veterans from Key West Island carefully stayed with their vows and knowledge of their own and the bravery of others. The joint venture, described as unique, showed the love and respect that the men showed for one another. The post was also a focal point for the veterans, their families and the community, with tens of thousands of black military personnel stationed in the Florida Keys during the early 1950s through the late 1960s . Numerous veterans married local women and continued their careers in the US armed forces. Over the years, numerous predominantly African-American artists, such as Otis Redding , Etta James , Ruth Brown , Dinah Washington , BB King or KC and the Sunshine Band, have performed in the post's hall, which is also used for other occasions, such as weddings, birthdays or funeral services was on.

On May 15, 2011, the William Weech Post 168 received a SAL charter and celebrated its 60th anniversary on August 25 of the same year. In the same year, the building was also threatened with demolition by the Key West building authorities. Subsequently, the building was saved from this fate with the help of various architects and a small group of veterans. The local Bahama Village Redevelopment Advisory Committee set aside $ 300,000 to finance the necessary renovation of the historic site. Due to static problems, the building was even considered to be in danger of collapsing for a short time and was not allowed to be entered. The fact that there was no official plan for a long period of time how to save the building made the possible demolition closer and closer. The commandant of the post at the time, Josephus Chaplin, did everything in his power to ensure that as much of the original structure and decor as possible were preserved during a renovation. However, this conflicted with the plans of the responsible architects, which led, among other things, to the withdrawal of the leading architect, Michael Miller, who himself was keen to maintain the building, from the project. At that time, the roof and the roof structure in particular were considered worthy of preservation.

In the following year, the restoration and renovation work was largely completed, whereupon it was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 30, 2012 . As early as 2010, an application for the restoration of the historically valuable building was submitted to the city council of Key West.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b c Veterans of Foreign Wars Walter R. Mickens Post 6021 and William Weech American Legion Post 168 in the NPGallery of the National Park Service (English), accessed March 25, 2017
  2. ↑ Restoration of American Legion Post 168 - Original Application (pdf; 123 pages; English), accessed on March 25, 2017