Key West Real Estate Throwback Thursday No. 45

from May 26, 2017

5 Brothers Key West - An Homage

My friend Ronny Bailey dropped by my office a few days ago to show me his latest piece of folk art, a wood cutting depicting 5 Brothers Grocery and Sandwich Shop located at 930 Southard Street in Key West. Ronny is a native Key Wester, a multi-generation Conch. He was a carpenter by trade until he retired a few years ago. He hung up his saw, stowed the hammer, and began the second phase of his life as a folk artist. I don't think he started out to become an artist as much as he used his skills as a carpenter to create miniature versions of the facades of the old houses of Key West - the way they used to be - before the gentrification that is forever erasing memory of the past imperfect houses and their conversion into perfect tiny million dollar cottages. Later Ronny depicted larger homes and then added some commercial buildings. Most recently Ronny added added wood carving to his repertoire.

The 5 Brothers piece is Ronny's homage to the place and the people that go there each morning. If you drive by this place on any weekday morning you will invariably see a couple of cops, several healthy looking men who obviously work for a living (as opposed to guys who sit at a computer or who sell houses), some older guys who look like retirees, and some tourists. There are a couple of benches which are usually occupied. Many others stand and swap stories. A former neighbor of mine (who I will call "Norm")  told me what really goes on at 5 Brothers. Norm was also a general contractor. He said he and other contractors would meet there to discuss what projects they were working on or going to be making bids on that day or that week. He told me the same guys would meet after work at a bar and discuss the projects and prices they would quote so that they could distribute the work among each other and not get into bidding wars. I have to live here and can't tell the rest. Imagine "collusion".

Notice the three officers inside the store, two sitting on the bench, and the guy in the patrol car. Look carefully at the license plate which reads "SWEET H2O". The cop driving the car is Officer Sweetwater. Ronny chuckled with glee at his cleverness.

Ronny's depiction is more generous than Norm's narrative description. The wood cutting is three boards made into one larger piece which was then painted black. Ronny carved out layer after layer to create the building, the streetscape, the sky with helicopter, and the Key West people - each a real life Key West character.  Ronny referred to each person with the word "mister" before each person's name followed by some descriptive sentence about who that person was and why he is on that piece of art. You will notice the helicopter on the upper right side. The wood cutting depicts the real life helicopter pilot "back in the day" on a special ops mission for his Cuban coffee and cheese toast! When I saw the helicopter I was reminded of the scene in the the 1989 James Bond movie License to Kill which was filmed in Key West when Bond and his pal parachuted from a helicopter down to St. Mary's Catholic Church on Truman Avenue to attend Bond's pal's wedding. Ronny told me about the many "stories" that the pilot described from his life. I added an arrow directing your attention to the word Peace on the helicopter. Ronny adds the words Love, Peace, and Joy each piece of art he creates.

The building at 930 Southard Street has remained pretty much the same since the black and white photo below was taken in 1965. Note the cutout police figure in the lower right hand corner. The prop-cop was used to alert drivers to the Harris School located at the next corner. I found a similar roadside cop in a photo taken at 1200 White Street which warned drivers to slow down for the old Key West high school one block to the south.(Look at the far left side of the road to see the policeman) In today's Key West there are real life cops standing guard at every school in town, each adorned with bright neon yellow vests and whistles. I personally like the less expensive and more clever cutout cops. I'd slow down if I came upon one and smile for a block or two.

I looked through my old shoebox and found some photos I took over the years of 5 Brothers. I rarely go there myself. I drink way too much coffee when I get up. But I know a lot of people who do go there regularly. I stopped by 5 Brothers on my way to the office to snap a couple of photos of 5 Brothers. Those pics are at the bottom of this blog. Stop by the next time you are in town. Go inside where you will find the original Ronny Bailey wood carving. Smile to yourself as you see the Key West characters and the place that made them famous.

Photos taken May 26, 2017 below. The scene never changes. The characters do.

Key West Real Estate Throwback Thursday No. 16

from: February 19, 2014

207 Julia Street - Key West - Is It Art or Is It Awesome?

 

Local artist Ronny Bailey came by our office last week to show me his latest creation - a miniature version of 207 Julia Street located in the Bahama Village area of Key West.  Everybody had to stop work and to take a peek at the cottage that got shrunk to table top size.

I wrote about Ronny before. CLICK HERE. Ronny grew up in Key West where he was a carpenter for 30 years. Recreation of Old Town Key West homes in miniature sizes is now his passion. He beams with pride as he talks about his work. This is a man in love with his life and his work. And his work is a testament to his love of the place that he has called home. He loves the Key West of yore. He recreates houses the way they looked before the gentrification and HARCifornication that has taken over so much of Old Town.

I suggested to Ronny that we drive over to the actual house to take some photos to compare his creation to the real house. He was up for it. So we drove over. He knocked on the owner's door and asked for permission to take some photos. Permission was granted.

Compare and contrast the black and white photo taken in 1965 with the modern day photos taken last week. Then compare the art with the real house. 

Ronny creates always adds the words "peace'. "love", and "joy" to each of his works of art.  Look carefully at the photos. You will see them. And you will probably see that these are words that guides this gentle man as he lives out his lifes' dream.  His is a peaceful life filled with love and joy.  This is not something I am writing. This is a testament to this man.  I wish I could be so content.  I took the last photo above with the piece of art sitting on a trash can in Julia Street.  A neighbor was walking her dog down the this quiet little street.

Ronny told me he will be showing his work this coming weekend at the 49th Annual Old Island Days Art Festival that runs from Friday, February through Saturday evening.   Free Admission. Exhibitors will set up along Whitehead Street from Greene Street to Eaton Street and on Caroline Street through the famous Presidential Gates into the beautiful Truman Annex.

Make a point of looking for Ronny Bailey.  His larger pieces are quite expensive as he works for months on those projects. He does have original artwork and reproductions that are priced for less. 

1010 & 1012 Olivia Street, Key West - Just Listed

Just Listed 1010 & 1012 Olivia Street, Key West. If these two houses look familiar to readers. they should. I blogged about them in April 2015 and again in November 2020 when I shared the folk art of these two Ronny Bailey shown below. Click the November date to read the earlier blog which contains more of Bailey's work.

The listing agent states:

"The Historic Twins'' are two historic single-family homes located on a corner lot in Old Town, Key West and ready for the new owner to restore and build their Key West dream home. Approved plans convey with sale. May also be purchased with 911 Watson Street."  

 "City has determined both structures to be unsafe. Please see documents for more information."  The seller does have plans for renovation available to prospective buyers. 

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS  datasheet on 1010 and 1012 Olivia Street offered at $950,000.

And CLICK HERE for more photos of 1010 and 1012 Olivia Street.
 

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet on at adjacent and renovated and expanded 911 Watson Street offered at $2,450,000.

The two Olivia Street houses are among the finest of the old houses let undone. It would be shame to lose them and a task to renovate. Please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to set up a private showing. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. 

 

Not me!

 

Sawyer's Bakery, Key West - Architectural History Preserved in Folk Art

A couple days ago my friend Ronny Bailey pulled his pickup truck across the street from Preferred Properties Key West to show me his newest piece of folk art - his depiction of the former Sawyer's Bakery that used to exist at 913 Eaton Street. Later I searched the Sanborn Fire Map of 1892 and learned the house existed at least that early. I then searched through my old shoebox and found two photos of the property which date as early as 1960 when workers at Southernmost Sign were photographed out front - see below followed by a 2019 photo of the same property.

Ronny Bailey is a fifth generation Conch from the Roberts family line who immigrated to Key West from the Bahamas. He was a carpenter and roofer in his younger years. He started creating these folk art depictions of our older homes and businesses after he retired. He re-purposes salvaged wood which he cuts and cobbles together to make these miniature buildings. He carves the chickens and folk figures like "Nana" inside the store. Ronny gave me a brief history of the property dating back to when it was home with the adjacent house. Later the owner updated the front of 91e Eaton with larger windows so that so that passers by could look inside to see the hats that were for sale. Some of the most important homes in Key West were located on Fleming and Eaton Street back in the late 1800s.

Ronny is a man of faith and always adds what I call his three watch words to each of his pieces of art: love, peace, and joy. If you study the cake in the window above you will see the word joy. Peace is written on the yellow bench. And I Love Cake is on the top of the building.

Stop and checkout the underside of the roof. It's painted blue to keep bees from nesting. The places looks as old as the real thing. That is fresh paint made to look ancient. Inside Ronny's humor can be found on various signs including the yellow sign that reads FREE CAKE TOMORROW. Ronny recreated an actual sign advertising Key Lime Pie for five cents a slice. Check the spelling for accuracy.

Some of Ronny Bailey's folk art can be viewed and purchased at his online Etsy Store CLICK HERE.

If you are in the market for a real house in Key West, please contact me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, or send me an email at kw1101v@aol.com. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West . I also bring joy to the world for people who realize the dream of owning a place in Paradise.

408 William Street, Key West - Ronny Bailey's Homage to the Old Bahama House

The thing that makes Key West different from every place else in America is that it is not like everyplace else - not the people, not the climate, not the rat race, and certainly not the houses. Some current local business people may want to change that.  We know who they are; where they live; and they better just not get too far out there if they know what's best. In the meantime let's celebrate our rich heritage of old homes saved from wrecking balls and developers.

408 William Street, Key West, was brought to Key West from Green Turtle Cay in 1847, and settled into its current home on one of the best streets in Old Town. It has received numerous local and state historic preservation awards. All rooms have windows and or doors to provide natural ventilation (there were no air conditioners in the mid 1800s). 

Local folk artist Ronny Bailey created his artistic homage to the "Old Bahama House" also known as the "Richard Roberts House" which I recently photographed on the back of Ronny's pick-up truck.  Ronny is a multi-generation Conch who retired from the carpentry trade several years ago.  He never lost the joy of working with wood. He started messing around with left over pieces of Dade County Pine from old houses. He cut the old boards into tiny pieces which he used to build replicas of real houses in Key West. He created windows, doors, roofs, and shutters using tiny pieces of the salvaged wood which he meticulously painted.  Note the attention to detail even showing variations of the wood actually used in the real house. See also the peeling paint and evidence of potential wood rot forming at the base of the building. This effect was achieved through paint technique.

Ronny told me this project was too important for just one folk artist to undertake. So he enlisted his grandson to paint the picture of the fish which hangs on the inside wall of the house.  Even though the green painted Bahama shutters have a few failing slats, you still cannot see inside the front windows. However, Ronny left the red door ajar where we can see the inside is equally detailed. All of the interior is also painted  including the walls, ceiling, floors, baseboard, and door trim. Look carefully at the grime on the red entry door framed by green trim and weather-beaten yellow siding.

Note the scuttle visible atop the roof above. It can be seen in both the lithograph and in the 1934 black and white photo taken by a WPA photographer who photographed many of the old houses in Key West during the Great Depression. Scuttles were retractable metal boxes on top of roofs which allowed warm air to rise to the outside. This house house has porches on the south and north sides with windows and doors which allows natural air to cool the inside. The metal roof shows signs of age and rust. Remember this is a tiny replica. Ronny taught himself how to bend old metal to the same shape as real roofs. This ain't easy folks. One time Ronny told me that some of his carpenter friends saw his work and decided to emulate (better word for copy) him. He said they gave up. They could cut and put pieces of wood together, but they could not create any piece that resembled his works. I suggest we nominate Ronny to go on America's Got Talent, but we'd all get bored to death because these pieces take months to create. 

You'll also see Ronny's watch words "joy, peace, and love" painted on the house. Ronny's watch words appear on each of his works. See if you can find them.

Ronny's homage to the Old Bahama House will be on display at the Key West Custom House.

The Key West/Bahamas Connection

January 18 - April 7, 2019

Custom House Museum | Bryan Gallery

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