In front of you is the Harry S. Truman Little White House in Key West, Florida, in the Truman Annex neighborhood of Old Town. This wooden duplex was designed in 1889 by local architects Scott, McDermott & Higgs and built in 1890 as the first officer's quarters on the U.S. naval station, with Quarters A for the base commandant and Quarters B for the paymaster. In 1911 the building was converted into a single-family dwelling to house the base commandant, and additional land was filled in front of the house; that waterfront view was later blocked by a new building at the station.
The first President to visit the site was William Howard Taft in December 1912, arriving by Flagler's Overseas Railroad before sailing to Panama to inspect the canal then under construction. During World War I Thomas Edison resided here while donating his service to the war effort, perfecting 41 underwater weapons during a six-month stay. Most famously, this house became President Harry S. Truman's winter White House: he spent 175 days here during 11 visits.
Picture the house, the filled land in front of it, and the surrounding buildings that changed its view.