"The first and final thing you have to do in this world is to last it and not be smashed by it."
Ernest Hemingway
I
came to Key West in 1984 for a vacation. Town was much different back
then. There were not nearly as many tourists, or cars, or motor
scooters, or trolleys, or delivery trucks. Dogs could nap in the
street. More houses were broken than were fixed, especially in Old
Town. I remember walking back the guesthouse late one night after a
night on Duval Street. I passed under an old giant Mahogany tree and
stepped on a palmetto bug on the cracked sidewalk. Back then most of the
sidewalks were cracked and heaving. Palmetto bugs were plentiful. Key
West had an eerie feel in the dark of the night. I remember being on
guard - not knowing what to expect. Creepy walks in this foreign land
with so many broken down houses and buildings made me suspicious of
everything..
Many
of the old houses appeared to have sat broken or neglected for years.
Nearly thirty years later I would hazard a guess that maybe 20 to 25 per
cent of the old houses remain untouched compared to back in 1984 when
perhaps 10 percent had been updated. The real numbers don't matter to me
that much. I have been able to watch this very quite little town
change. I appreciate the changes to the old houses. Some have been done
much better than others. For the most part I like the houses that have
been updated, but I don't like a lot of what has happened to our town.
But that is for another blog on another day.
The house at
405 Olivia Street
(above) is one of the houses that was broken down and pretty sad. To
use Hemingway's phrase, the place was smashed. Some prior owner attached
a hideous lean-to carport against the house. The interior was "updated"
with saltillo tile years ago - that's the tile they use in New Mexico,
California, and Texas. Not Key West! The floor on the main living level
was
not level. The rooms were choppy. There was no "flow"
between living areas. The updated kitchen (with cheap cabinets and cheap
appliances was located at the back of the house. Unfortunately, the
only
bathroom in the house was located right off the kitchen. The three
bedrooms were located upstairs. There was one saving grace to this
house, however. The house was and still is located across the street
from the Ernest Hemingway House.
405 Olivia Street
has appeared in my blog a couple of times. It became a bank owned
property (no surprise about that). The new owner hired a very well
respected general contractor to renovate the property that is now
available for purchase at the
reduced asking price of
$1,095,000. The listing Realtor, not me, describes this property thus:
"Even Hemingway would have loved this place!! Amazing renovation from top to
bottom on this mid-1800's historic home located across from the Ernest Hemingway
Home and Museum."
I
checked the 1889 Sanborn Fire Map for the City of Key West and found
what I believe to be 405 Olivia Street. The 1892 Sanborn Map shows a
rear addition. In more recent times a shed addition was added at the
very rear. Today, the entire house has been totally rebuilt from
foundation to the roof, from the second and first floor front porches to
the shed at the rear, from the removal of the lean-to carport to the
addition bricked off street parking for two cars and pool with adjacent
cabana. Please look at the photos below that show the totally renovated
property.
The
front room could easily function as an alternative guest room. The main
living area, kitchen and dining area follow at the rear.
There
are now just two bedrooms plus a very nice bath located on the second
floor. The front bedroom has access to the front balcony which has views
of the Hemingway House. The trees and tropical foliage at the old
writer's house prevent Hemingway's ghost from peering into the second
floor windows at 405 Olivia Street.
Both
bedrooms now have separate en-suite baths. The old second floor
hallway has new windows that allow more light into what was previously a
mostly dim hallway. The front bathroom even has a stained glass window
that provides diffused light during daytime hours off of the hallway.
I've seen this done in some other houses. It works especially well here.
The stained glass window turns a somewhat bland hallway into an
interesting space and it certainly adds a lot of pizazz to the
bathroom. It is, however, the view out the second floor window that
will make you feel mighty proud as you look down to your pool below.
There's nothing so fine as looking down to see something nobody else, no
matter how much money they have, can own.
If
you buy this home you will need to understand that thousands of people
will walk by your house over the course of each year. Some passersby
will probably stop and take photos of Hemingway's neighbor (your home).
Accept that. But remember you are the lucky one that gets be be the
neighbor with the front porch that looks over to the Hemingway House.
CLICK HERE to view more photos I took of 405 Olivia Street.
405
Olivia Street was built in the 19th Century. It was smashed and
mishandled in the 20th Century. Now at the beginning of the 21st Century
the old house has a new life. It offers
1380 sq ft of comfortable
living space that includes 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, a bright great room and
kitchen area, a beautiful pool, and off street parking that is located
one block off Duval Street and across the street from Hemingway's house. This property would make a great second
home. And I am confident 405 Olivia Street would could become a very
successful vacation rental. The pool, the parking, the quality
renovation, the Hemingway connection, and location assure success.
CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and listing photos.
Better than looking at photos on the internet, please call me,
Gary Thomas,
305-766-2642
to set up a private showing of this new property. I am a buyers agent
and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. Let me help
you find your place in Paradise.
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