1016 James Street - Old Town - Key West

Just listed, but not by me, 1016 James Street in Old Town Key West.  I have written about this historic property on several occasions - first, when it was for sale and later as it was being renovated.  Today I write about the stunning renovation of a classic Key West eyebrow house that has a new lease on life. This home received the Old Island Restoration Foundation Ceramic Star in 2013.

To appreciate the current, we ought to take a quick look back at the past. I checked the Sanborn Fire Maps for Key West and found what I believe to be this same property placed on the 1889 Sanborn Fire Map. (The house numbers on many houses were different then. But the placement is the same as where this house is located today.)  I then dug into the old shoebox and found two older photos that show the house in the 1930s and in 1965.

The above photo was taken by members of the WPA during the Great Depression. The pic looks eastward toward the old pineapple cannery. That is the current location for Manley De Boer Lumber Company.  I decided to photograph the same view some seventy years later - see below.

The photo above with the old Ford was taken in 1965.  The house looked just fine in this photo.

The above photo was taken in 2010 just before the renovation began.  The house was lifted up to the sky, a new foundation was poured, and the house was brought back to the ground as the renovation process began.

 Today this property is as pretty as it can be. It is the type of property would-be second home owners dream of owning. Here is the best part: this home has been rented for several months as a vacation rental and now has a track record that a potential new owner could look to if he or she wanted to continue renting the property for income to help defray some of the cost of home ownership.  1016 James Street is offered for sale at $925,000.  CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and to view listing photos.

This house was re-designed for modern day living.  The back end of the house now opens to a newly built rear covered loggia that overlooks the pool and rear courtyard. There is even off street parking located on Thompson Lane to the rear. (This is in addition to the off street parking at the west front of the house.) I actually drove prospective buyers past this house last week. My buyers were considering the purchase of a "fixer".  I shared some "before" photos of this property. My buyers were incredulous when they saw how beautifully this home turned out.

The two guest bedrooms are located on the second floor. They share one bath.  The master bedroom is located at ground level. French doors in the master bedroom open out to the rear for an early morning or late evening dip in a pool.  The tiny falling down shack at the rear of the property was converted into a mini-cottage. A new wood fence was added. A portion of the rear was carved out to create a second off street parking spot accessed of Thompson Lane. CLICK HERE to view more photos of this property.

Please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a private showing of this wonderful Key West home. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.  Let me help you find your place in Paradise.