Capt. Tony's Saloon

Welcome to 428 Green Street, the current iteration of which is widely known as Captain Tony’s Saloon. To gaze upon its weathered, ramshackle exterior is to look directly into the unvarnished, authentic soul of Key West. …

As you transition from the bright Key West sunshine into the deliberate gloom of the saloon, the most striking architectural anomaly immediately commands your attention: a massive, living oak tree growing directly through the…

Given its history as a morgue, an execution site, and a victim of a hurricane's wrath, it is perhaps unsurprising that Captain Tony’s Saloon is widely considered one of the most intensely haunted locations in the United States.…

Before it was Captain Tony's, this space at 428 Green Street was the birthplace of another globally recognized Key West institution: Sloppy Joe’s. In 1933, a legendary character named Josie Russell opened his bar here,…

Following the dramatic midnight departure of Sloppy Joe's, the building underwent yet another astonishing transformation, highlighting the historically permissive and progressive social undercurrents of Key West. In the 1940s, an…

The modern identity of the saloon was forged in 1958 when the lease was acquired by David Wolkowsky, who subsequently sold it to the man whose name is now inextricably linked to the building: Anthony 'Captain Tony' Tarracino.…

To analyze the interior decor of Captain Tony’s Saloon is to interpret a visual language of glorious anarchy. The visual aesthetic is defined entirely by the patrons who have passed through over the decades, leaving tangible…

As we conclude our historical autopsy of Captain Tony’s Saloon and step back out onto the relatively calm pavement of Green Street, it is necessary to consider the vital role this establishment plays in the modern landscape of…