Eyebrow House

In architecture, the windows of a building are often referred to as the "eyes" of the structure. Eyebrow houses, an architectural style unique to the Florida Keys and the Caribbean, got their name due to the overhanging porch roof that partially obscures second floor windows. This protects them from direct sunlight and rain much like your eyebrows protect your eyes. The design was used to lower the internal temperature of the building long before air conditioning existed.

Shotgun House

"Shotgun House" refers to structures that have a single room width and are 3-4 rooms in length. A common room configuration used the front room as a living room, the middle rooms as bedrooms and the back room as a kitchen, all connected by a common hallway. Many of Key West's shotgun homes date back to the heyday of the cigar industry in the 1890's. Manufacturers built these homes around their factories as workforce housing and an incentive to attract the best cigar rollers.