A vision of tropical paradise, a distant memory, Gumbo's Bar and End of the World Cafe.

... as it was until recently.

Yes, change is inevitable, it takes all in time, and so it goes with Gumbo's. But it is a mixed lament, to be sure. Years of decay had caught up with our beloved structure, and far better than scrapping it in it's entirety, the folks at Coconut Mallory have seen fit to put Gumbo's into service as a real serving bar for the first time. Yes, I said for the first time. The building we know as Gumbo's started life as a boat house, and had been in existence for some time when Stonehenge Productions selected it as a focal point for their FOX-TV series, "Key West". The art department went to work, and the weathered boat house was transformed into a social setting for television audiences.

Much was added, much was left the same. The old boat seen half-in/half-out of the building on the east (water-facing) side was a purely fictional fabrication of the art department. The closest "Manolito" ever came to water was when Hurricane Andrew splashed it's bow. It was a decoration, just like the old books and colorful empty bottles lined up along the tops of the walls.

Even the eye-catching Tiki-style round entranceway with it's port-hole windows was cobbled onto the north-west corner for effect. But nice effects these were, and they made all the difference when it came to supplying the old boat house with character.

These days more changes have taken place. When Coconut Mallory decided to put Gumbo's into service it was discovered that a fair amount of decay had overtaken the pilings which supported the structure. Some believed it best to raze the whole place and start over. Thankfully, that did not happen.

What did take place was that the large, "C"-shaped bar that was built for the series had to be dismantled. The floor beneath it would have to come up to repair the pilings. At some point, the decision was made to replace most, if not all, of the flooring. At the same time, the rustic-but-crude frame walls were covered over in wall-board and paneling. The "Manolito" had to be moved outside, since new security measures would necessitate closeable garage-style doors. The old books and bottles disappeared, along with the doughnut style life preservers, wooden louvers and trunks, and old fishing gear.

When the bar was re-installed, the only portion salvaged was the canoe mural from the bar's front. Even the familiar "C"-shape that had previously ruled over the center of the floor was abandoned in favor of a more space-conscious arrangement against the north wall.

To be sure, the new Gumbo's is a cleaner, tidier, more efficient arrangement than the Gumbo's it replaced. In most ways a structure can be judged it is vastly improved. That may be the first thing anyone notices from the pictures here. Only two facets will be most dearly and sadly missing. First, the Tiki-style entranceway. I had noticed the rot in the entranceway myself in November 2003. I had wondered why the proprietors had not seen fit to take better care of the problem. I remember mulling over the notion at that time of offering my voluntary services for putting it to rights. I did not. I live with my regrets, but I still have not come to terms with their decision to neuter the charm and appeal of the exterior. It seems for no reason.

The other loss is to those who may take their first steps into the new Gumbo's carrying hopes of seeing those same spirits that we saw in 2002. Those spirits of Seamus, Savannah, JoJo, Hunter, Rikki, Flame, Tickle Pink... and Gumbo.

For comparison purposes, here are some similar shots of the old (left) and new (right) Gumbo's. With forethought I could have made exact comparative shots, but forethought for me is usually an afterthought. Following the comparison shots are some other assorted pictures. Please excuse the two crude panoramas shown. They were cobbled together of separate photos to attempt to give a fuller vantagepoint.