Keys, we can make by Moriza on Flickr.
Last Thursday Fats Domino of Blueberry Hill fame received a key to the city from Mayor Bloomberg for his efforts to aid New Orleans. The New York Times wrote about the tradition of bestowing the city key, which symbolizes “Freedom of the City” and is a replica of the 1812 key that opened–you guessed it–the doors to City Hall.
Although the keys given out in recent memory have looked like “large skeleton keys, with the city seal set into a three-lobed handle, encircled by enamel rings of orange and blue” with the mayor’s name imprinted on the shaft, Bloomie’s key has differently shaped notches, its end is flat rather than rounded, and is slightly lighter than other versions.
The keys themselves are made by Ashburns Engravers at 90 John Street and cost $100 each. Fats was honored at “Goin’ Home: An Evening Honoring Fats Domino and the Music of New Orleans” for his work with Tipitina’s Foundation, set up to help preserve New Orleans’ music culture in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
