West Martello Tower in Key West is a historic Civil War–era martello tower built in 1862 to defend the island alongside Fort Zachary Taylor. One of three surviving Civil War structures on Key West, the tower was part of a defensive strategy to protect commerce and the strategic island. Although never engaged in battle, it saw use during the Spanish-American War for quartering troops and signaling. Threatened with demolition in 1949, the tower was preserved and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. Today it serves as home to the Key West Garden Club, which maintains the site as a public attraction.
