Built between 1848 and 1851 for Asa Tift, this French Colonial house in Key West later became Ernest Hemingway’s home from 1931 to 1939 after Pauline Pfeiffer’s uncle bought the neglected property as a wedding gift. The couple restored the estate, adding a writing studio, wine cellar, gardens, and eventually a large swimming pool. During these years Hemingway wrote several major works there. After Pauline’s death and the later sale of the property, public interest led to its opening as a museum in 1964. The house is also closely tied to its famous polydactyl cats, which remain a defining part of its identity.