“I went down to Key West because I love swimming . . . It was January, and I had to go someplace where I could swim in the winter so I came down here because it was the southernmost point, and I was immediately enchanted by the place. It was so much more primitive in those early days.” – Tennessee Williams (1911-83), quoted in Pop Culture Florida (2000) by James P. Goss

“Williams chose Key West as the first place to settle down after his newfound fame.  A visitor to the island in 1941, he moved there after Glass debuted on Broadway and lived briefly at the La Concha Hotel, where he is thought to have finished the first draft of another highly personal play, A Streetcar Named Desire, set in New Orleans. In 1949, he bought a home at 1431 Duncan Street, the only residence he would ever own outright.” – Florida Artists Hall of Fame Bio

“Tennessee Williams visited and lived in Key West from 1941 until his death in 1983.  It is believed that he wrote the final draft of Street Car Named Desire while staying at the La Concha Hotel in Key West in 1947.  He established residence here in 1949 and in 1950 bought the house at 1431 Duncan Street that was his home for 34 years.  He was part of the literary movement that resulted in Key West and the Florida Keys being recognized as the cultural and historical location it is today.” – Tennessee Williams Museum Bio