Artist House

This Key West Victorian was the childhood home of Robert Eugene Otto, the boy who owned the infamous Robert the Doll. Otto lived and worked here until his death, and it's now a bed and breakfast.

The Artist House at 534 Eaton Street in Key West was built between 1890 and 1898, but its infamy stems from a single object: Robert the Doll, widely considered the most haunted doll in the world. Robert was a one-of-a-kind creation by the Steiff Company of Germany—the same company that invented the teddy bear—standing 40 inches tall and stuffed with wood wool.

The doll was given to Robert Eugene Otto (called "Gene") as a young boy in the early 1900s. Two legends explain its origins: one claims his grandfather purchased it in Germany, while another suggests a servant girl, mistreated by the family, cursed the doll with Voodoo before gifting it as revenge.

Gene and Robert became inseparable. Servants reported hearing two distinct voices coming from Gene's bedroom—his own and another that didn't belong to a child. The Ottos would wake to Gene's screaming, finding the terrified boy surrounded by overturned furniture. When confronted about misbehavior, Gene would point at the straw-filled figure: "I didn't do it. Robert did it."

As Gene grew into an artist (hence the home's name), Robert remained his constant companion. Neighbors reported seeing the doll move in the windows while the house sat empty. Gene's wife, Anne, despised Robert and eventually banished him to the attic turret room—where visitors claimed to hear footsteps and giggling.

Gene died in 1974, and Myrtle Reuter purchased the home. She reported Robert moving around the house on his own and finally donated him to Fort East Martello Museum in 1994. Today, the Artist House operates as a bed and breakfast, and guests can stay in the turret room where Robert once resided. Strange occurrences persist: lights flickering, objects moving, and an unsettling presence that some believe is Gene's spirit, still searching for his beloved doll.