Florida Keys Waterfront Home - Cudjoe Key

90 foot lap pool overlooking the Atlantic Ocean

You might call this 90 foot pool overlooking the Atlantic Ocean the lap of luxury. The 3384 sq ft home is located at 20874  W 9th Avenue on Cudjoe Cudjoe Key at Mile Marker 20, about a 20 minute drive out from Key West. The house sits just at the end of a canal that provides immediate access to the Atlantic Ocean. The house is located on an 18,960 sq ft lot with all major views oriented toward the water. Click GOOGLE MAP for an aerial view of this waterfront property.

The listing Realtor at Preferred Properties (that's where I work but this is not my listing) describes this incredible property this way:

"On a spectacular elevated vantage point with outstanding panoramic views straight to the Ocean is this spacious home. The true focal point of this home is the vast living/ dining area inside which opens to a covered lanai overlooking a 90 Foot lap pool and hot tub. There is a spacious family room off the large kitchen. There Two nice size bedrooms on one side of the home which share a hall bath, and large laundry room. The Master suite is complete with a large sitting area, Ocean views and an oversized bath room. There is a two car garage and parking for many cars in the semi-circle driveway. Davits for a boat and certainly room for your friends boat as well. Just 20 minutes from downtown Key West."

 From the moment you enter this expansive home your eyes are drawn through the living areas out to the pool and then past the mangroves and finally to the space where the sea meets the sky. This is glorious. The living areas are located in the middle of the home which separates the master suite on the east and the family bedrooms or guest areas on the west. 

Living room

Informal dining area

When I first entered the home my eyes were immediately drawn to the left beyond the bring living area shown above and past the informal dining area to the mangroves and water. Just to the right was the formal dining room and beyond it was the large kitchen with a large window with an incredible view of the pool and open water beyond.

I couldn't wait any longer. I had to step outside to see for myself how wonderful the outdoor space was to be.

The family room is seen above

The spa and 90 foot lap pool

The master suite is larger than some of the two story homes in Truman Annex. And the views are just incredible. The master suite has immediate access to the pool area, but there is an inside spa in the master bath.

The home has its own 125' private dock with two davits

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and to view more listing photos of this luxury Key West area home that is offered at $1,950,000.

If you would like to view the lap of luxury up close or if you would like to see any other home in Key West, I would appreciate your phone call. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. in Key West. Please call me Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule your showing.

Chicago - 1968 Democratic National Convention

I was just twenty-one years old in August 1968 when I arrived at Chicago to attend the Democratic National Convention. I had participated in the delegate selection process in Colorado used back then to select delegates to attend the county, state, and national convention. I had been actively involved in politics since age 17 when I formed the Jefferson County Teen Democrats and later became a college director for the Colorado Young Dems.

I believe it was late March 1968 when I drove from Ft Collins, Colorado to attend a speech  in Denver being given by Senator Robert F. Kennedy who was running for President.  Kennedy spoke at the old downtown arena which has since been torn down. After the speech I got to go to a special area where I got to meet him personally. He was so thin. His hair was very gray and his gray suit was crumpled. I still remember him as being distracted or not with the moment. He seemed aloof or not wanting to be where he was.

A couple of weeks later Kennedy had to cut short his campaigning to announce the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. to the crowd that had assembled to hear Kennedy speak in Indianapolis.  A month later Kennedy was assassinated. The country had gone mad, or so it seemed. King's death prompted riots across America. Kennedy's death was like the straw that broke the camel's back. How much more violence could we as a people endure?

I think it was late June or early July when I received a phone call inviting me to meet Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey in his hotel suite at the Denver Hilton. I supported Eugene McCarthy, but I couldn't pass up the invite. Humphrey on that day was the opposite of Kennedy. He was very much in the moment. He was campaigning for every vote he could get at the convention which was weeks away. He was gregarious and at least acted like he really cared that each person in that hotel room mattered to him. I left still supporting McCarthy.

Eugene McCarthy attended the Colorado State Convention which was held in early summer at the Moby Gym at Colorado State University.  Robert Kennedy's Colorado supporters were divided as to who they would vote for at the convention. Some had moved to support McCarthy while others planned to go to Chicago to support Kennedy even though he was dead. The party loyalists supported Vice President Humphrey believing only he could actually get elected. They saw McCarthy as a spoiler and a losing candidate in a contest against Richard Nixon. Everyone in attendance that Saturday afternoon, however, gave Eugene McCarthy a rousing welcome. It was after all Eugene McCarthy's near win in the 1968 New Hampshire Democratic Primary over sitting President Lyndon Johnson that had first spurred Kennedy to seek the nomination and then I think led to Johnson's decision not to run for a second term. Period.  McCarthy had given hope to so many people during the very dark days of "nineteen hundred and sixty-eight". 

I arrived at the Convention on Friday afternoon in the sweltering heat and humidity for which Chicago is famous. A buddy and I had reserved rooms at the downtown YMCA. Oh My God, what a nightmare. The single bed room had no air conditioning. Instead of a window, this interior room opened into an air shaft.  I had to share a bath with a group of very strange men. I was scared out of my mind. What was a little nerdy suburban boy like me doing in a place like this?  I told the "adults" I was with about my plight, and I got invited to share a room with a couple of Colorado delegates who were staying at the Executive House.  I got to see them in their skivvies - not much better than the oldies at the YMCA but at least I didn't fear getting raped.

On Sunday before the Convention began the Colorado delegation attended a brunch at the lakefront home of Lt. Governor Mark Hogan's family. (I later worked as an intern in his office.)  Afterward a small group was invited to meet with Senator George McGovern at his suite at the LaSalle Hotel.  He was a very gentle man. Unlike Kennedy months before, McGovern was engaging, not aloof.  But he had not a chance in hell of getting the nomination let alone getting elected.

At the end of the afternoon I got to meet Senator Eugene McCarthy. He had just spoken to a group of Jewish voters. We attended the speech and managed to go backstage where met him in person.  I already admitted to being a nerd. Now I must admit I was a total idiot for believing for a moment McCarthy could have got the nomination. Things like that don't happen in real life. But in that moment I thought I had shook the hand of the man that would become the next President.

The Convention began on Monday night.  I had an alternate badge which meant I was not allowed to sit with the Colorado delegation unless a delegate left the floor. That lasted about fifteen minutes. Have you ever seen a Democrat sit down and shut up?  They moved about and caucused and caused commotion. That's what Democrats do. So I had plenty of opportunities to go on the main floor where I sat with the Colorado delegation for a few minutes. Then I got up and roamed around like the rest of the folks. Later I made my way to the hallways behind the television broadcast booths that overlooked the floor below. Then I found the McCarthy convention headquarters. Posters of McCarthy covered the walls.  Back then there were no computers or portable phones.  Some people had walkie-talkies but most communication was done in person or via messenger.

(Photo by Lee Balterman/Time  Life Pictures/Getty Images)

I was a political science major in college. The sight of all of the Senators, political figures, and newsmen was for me like being at the Oscars. In fact I did have an Oscar moment.  Paul Newman was standing in a huge hallway by himself smoking a cigarette - trying to be alone. I walked right past him, doing my best impression of not noticing somebody really famous.

Mayor Daley - Defiant

The two major items on the Wednesday agenda was the vote on the party platform,  but primarily the Viet Name plank, and the Presidential nominations.   The Colorado delegation drove to the conventional hall in our two buses just like we did on Monday and Tuesday. The peace initiative plank sought to establish a cessation of offensive actions by the U.S. and to establish a withdrawal date of American troops. The Party regulars voted that proposition down. They did not want to embarrass the President with any unneeded or unwanted advice. Even after that defeat of the peace plank, I still believed that McCarthy had a chance in getting the nomination. Paul O'Neil later wrote in LIFE magazine "President Lyndon Johnson used last week's convention to preserve his hard policy on Vietnam. Chicago's Mayor Richard J. Daley used it to demonstrate his personal sovereignty and iron control over his city."

As I recall the scenario that followed the Convention Chairman cited Chicago city rules which forbade any kind of placard or banner to support a candidate whose name had been put into nomination.  The McCarthy people took the Chair at its word and no demonstration was planned.  Guess what, Mayor Daley changed the rules and allowed the Humphrey delegates onto the floor with placards galore. Humphrey signs were everywhere.

I went up to the McCarthy headquarters and told the people what had happened on the floor. I asked if I could remove all the McCarthy posters from the walls and take them to the floor to be distributed when McCarthy's name was placed in nomination. Of course I could. And I did. Those posters were the extent of McCarthy's demonstration save the people waving and shouting and carrying around of the state standards.

Throughout the day and into the night tensions were mounting between the 10,000 or so yippees assembled in Grant Park.  The police charged the protesters. What transpired was photographed and documented for all to see. Television crews weren't quite as agile then as they are now, but they got plenty of footage of cops beating people. The people being beaten responded by calling the cops "Pigs" and yelling "Seig Heil!".  That enraged the cops who let their aggression explode. Later, the Walker Commission would term the conduct of the Chicago Police Department a "Police Riot".

Word started to spread throughout the convention floor about what was happening in the streets of Chicago.  Senator Abraham Ribicoff used his nomination speech of George McGovern as a vehicle to tell the convention floor (and those watching the proceedings at home) about the violence in the streets. He said "with George McGovern we wouldn't have Gestapo tactics in the streets of Chicago". The drama grew more intense after Colorado Chairman Bob Maytag (that Maytag, the washing machine Maytag) got control of an open microphone and said "Is there a law by which Mayor Daley can be compelled to suspend the police state terror...." His microphone was cut off.  The voting followed. Humphrey was selected as the nominee. That was not the end of the events for Wednesday, August 28, 1968, however.

After the convention adjourned for the night, the Colorado delegation went back to our buses. We got inside and everybody was talking about Maytag's remarks, the defeat of the peace plank, how Humphrey just lost the election, and so on. Then we all started to notice that all of the other buses had left the parking lot. A young lawyer named Steve Heady got off the bus to ask what the delay was. A cop ordered him to get back inside the bus and shut up and announced nobody would be leaving the parking lot until he decided it was time to go. So we sat there for maybe an hour. Some women were crying. A lot of the men were very angry. Every other bus had left the area. Finally, our bus drivers were allowed to leave. We drove back to the our hotel. But my night was not over.

I have no sense of time as to when we got back to the Executive House. My buddy Don S. and a few other people decided to walk down to the Hilton Hotel where the McCarthy headquarters was located.  I was not prepared for what  was to come next. When we got near the hotel we could smell the awful odor of tear gas.  Not just a lingering whiff. No, this was a massive presence, the kind of stench you may have experienced if you ever drove past stockyards in the hot humid summer. A stench so bad you think the person next to you just vomited all over the place.  No matter where I went, the odor was there. The closer we got our eyes started to react as well.

Injured inside the Hilton Hotel

When I got to the hotel I went everywhere looking for another friend who  decided to work at the McCarthy headquarters rather than attend the convention. I went up to the McCarthy floor looking for her.  Everywhere I went  I saw people in blood stained bandages. I saw boys and girls my age and younger and older all bloodied.  It seemed everybody was bloodied and most were bandaged. The hotel lobby looked like a scene from a World War II movie full of wounded warriors just back from the battle. Except this was America. And this was not World War II.

In 1968 I got to watch on TV as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Bobby Kennedy were assassinated. I got to attend the Democratic National Convention which turned into  debacle as the TV networks showed the Chicago Police Department wage a police riot against American citizens. For seventeen minutes viewers at home got to watch the police take out their aggression on American citizens as the people being beaten shouted "The Whole World is Watching".  I got so fed up with the Democratic Party and its convention that I left Chicago the next day and went back home by myself.

820 Whitehead Street - Key West

820 Whitehead Street - September 2012

820 Whitehead Street in 1965

Maybe I should have entitled today's blog "Honey, I Blew Up the Kid - er, I Mean House".  As I prepared to write today's blog, I looked in the old shoe box to find old photos of 820 Whitehead Street, the subject du jour. I found the above black and white photo but at first thought the street notation was incorrect. And then I realized that the address and the photo are accurate. The house has dramatically changed since the photo was taken in 1965. The front facade and porch were reconfigured and a second story was added that greatly expanded the interior space. All of these improvements were done by the owner-developer who undertook the redevelopment of six contiguous houses in 2005. The other houses sat on small lots and did not have much in common. Three houses on Whitehead Street (including 820 Whitehead at that time) had welcoming street porches for people watching. The interior units (located behind the houses on Whitehead Street) did not have views of anything. The developer created a beautiful pool in the rear which became a shared amenity for each dwelling. The separate units were legally converted into condominiums. This conversion allowed the developer to build a new unit in the very rear and to create minimal common elements so that all property owners could have access to the pool area.

The developer literally rebuilt each of the old cottage houses. But it was 820 Whitehead Street that the "star" treatment.  This home doubled in size and to the incredible view of the seldom used pool at the rear.

If you look at the facade photo you might assume the front porch is the entry to the home. No it is not. The main entry is actually located midway down the gated walkway that heads toward the pool. The entry opens into the living room which is at the back of the house.

The living area is a shared space of living, indoor dining, and kitchen. French doors open out from there onto a covered terrace that overlooks the pool.

The open kitchen is located just to the left of the main entry. The front of the house currently houses a law office (legally permissible as the property is zoned HMDR in case a new owner might want to live and work in the same location. (Cuts down on travel time for sure.)  That room does have access to the front porch from which you can see the Ernest Hemingway House across the street. The main floor bath is located between the kitchen and the main floor bedroom.

The floors in the living area are a beautiful grayish marble that is almost reminiscent of Cuban tile. The floors are stunning in their simplicity.

The master bedroom is located on the second floor. This space is a total surprise to first time viewers. Wow! The space is large and open. This room has a feeling of being much larger than it actually is. A set of French doors open onto a Romeo and Juliet balcony that overlooks the pool below.  What a view that is! The master bath adjoins. The floors on this level (and the stairway) are new rich oak - the real thing.

820 Whitehead Street is located just one block off Duval Street and across the street from Hemingway House. The Southernmost Point is located a few blocks south on Whitehead. The current entrance to Ft Zachary Taylor State Park and Beach is located just a couple of blocks to the north.  This is a great tourist location. I believe this property would make a great vacation rental.

820 Whitehead Street has 970 sq ft under air and is offered at $449,900. The monthly condo fee is $668.99 and covers building maintenance and insurance, common area maintenance, and pool maintenance. CLICK HERE to view the Key West Association of Realtors mls datasheet and listing photos. Then CLICK HERE to view a slideshow of photos I recently took of this property.  I think you will find that this house has a lot to offer and is priced to sell.

If you would like to see this property or any other property in Key West please contact me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. in Key West.

Labor Day Suggestion: Quit Your Job And Move To Key West

 

My niece and her husband recently visited me. It was their first trip to Key West, and they both fell in love with the place. A couple of weeks ago she sent me an email that said, in part,

"Bill thinks he could drive a pedi-car and I saw a job opening in a tourist shop with paid vacation and full benefits package."

It's amazing the number of stories I have heard over the years about people who come here for a vacation and then decide not to return back home. They found a new home. They looked and found a new job.  They found where they wanted to spend the rest of their lives.

I have written before about how I have quit a couple of jobs. I have a low tolerance level for jerks. Me, I let it fester until I could not take it any longer and then abruptly left. People with cash or an alternate source of income can do things like that. Some people can just suck it up better than others. 

I moved here to open and operate the Eaton Lodge Guest House which was located just off Duval Street on Eaton. The place was foreclosed upon by the SBA. I purchased it at a public auction in October 1993. I took possession Christmas week that year. I placed a couple of HELP WANTED ads in the Key West Citizen and had several applicants within a couple of days. The property had been boarded up for about two years. I needed to get the place cleaned up and ready for business. I learned quickly that it is easy to find workers in Key West. One of the first people I hired as a recent arrival from Connecticut. He had been a Wall Street trader who lost his job and said screw it. He had a yacht which he, his wife and kids sailed to Key West where he took up odd jobs until he could find a more permanent position.  He stayed a week or two doing chores for me and then found something a little better and that did not involve as much work.

It was easy to find replacement workers. There is an endless supply of people who come here looking to live life to the fullest in Paradise. Many find out after they move here that they need two or more jobs to pay the rent and their bar tab at their favorite watering hole. Don't get me wrong, there are good jobs. I have found that for some reason good people with good intentions move here and then catch the Keys Disease. They start not showing up for work on time or missing work altogether.  

Others, however, hold down several jobs and make it to work on time each and every day. Many of the people who work in the hospitality business and construction trades are from Eastern Europe and Latin America. They come to Key West where they have two or more jobs, save their money, and send money back home. They can make more money in Key West in six months than they can in their native lands all year.  And Key West is much prettier and probably less repressive than most places in the world, on that we can all agree. 

In case you did not know it, some of the hotels do not actually employ the housekeepers or maintenance people. Instead, the hotel contracts with a labor provider who supplies the workers as "independent contractors". By using contract labor the hotels don't have to comply with FICA and other federal or state requirements which helps keep operating costs down. Sometimes the "independent contractors" live in housing provided by the labor contractor who takes a portion of the pay for the right to live in company owned hell holes.  Most of these people are living on the edge. Who are they going to complain to? And if they complain, they won't be around to testify in some far off hearing. Free Enterprise at work.

If you are reading this blog the chances are you are not going to end up working for a labor provider. You may, instead, look for business which you could run. Maybe you could do as I did and buy a guesthouse or a small business.  CLICK HERE to search the Key West mls commercial listings.  Maybe you can find a reason to tell your boss "I quit, and I'm never coming back"!

Have a wonderful day off work this Labor Day.  If you have a job, be thankful and show up for work on time on Tuesday. But it you decide to tell your boss to take a hike and decide to move to Key West to buy a guest house like I did, please consider contacting 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.  Let me help you find your place in Paradise.

  

330 Julia Street - Short Sale - Investment Property - Key West

The Old Stone Church located at the corner of Whitehead Street and Julia Street (330 Julia Street) is offered for sale as a Short Sale at the asking price of $899,000 or $184 per sq ft. The property is no longer used as a church but instead has been converted into a unique mix of commercial space and three residential apartments.

330 Julia Street - 1965

Author J. Willis Burke writes in his book THE STREETS OF KEY WEST the  AME Zion Church at 704 Whitehead Street (same location, just a different address attributed) was established by freed slaves in 1865 and was originally called the First African Methodist Church. Burke says the current building dates from 1894 but records show it was built in 1900. Later it was called the Stephens AME Zion Church. The property was renovated after 1993 and converted at that time into the present usage.

The building today has a total of 4849 sq ft of interior space which is divided between the commercial space that now houses a gallery and offices plus the three residential apartments. Among the features of this beautiful building are Dade County Pine ceilings and original beams, stained glass windows, hardwood, tile and carpeted flooring, and central air conditioning. Two of the apartments are two bedrooms (each split with a second bedroom on the second floor) and a one bedroom apartment. The commercial space has central air conditioning and the apartments have individual units. The commercial and residential spaces also have individual electric service. This property provides and excellent opportunity for a buyer looking for commercial property located in a prime area of Key West and that offers supplemental income. CLICK HERE to view a slide show of photos I took of this amazing property.

I recently showed this property and think it would make a wonderful investment opportunity for an owner/user who would use the commercial space in a manner as presently used (gallery and/or offices). The building is located just five blocks from the Monroe County Courthouse. The present office configuration appeared to be in very good condition. The location would surely attract lots foot traffic as it is located one block south of the Hemingway House and just a couple of blocks from the Southernmost Point. Tourists from all over the world walk the trek past this location daily.


I was able to see the inside of both two bedroom units. One needs a fresh coat of paint and some TLC, the other looked great.  All three units rent at market rates so they should provide good cash flow to an investor.  The apartment licenses may have been suspended by the City of Key West due to non-payment of sewer bills. A new owner will need to apply to the City for restoration of the licenses.

This property will not stay on the active short sale market for very long, especially at the asking price.  I urge serious buyers to contact me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a showing. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc.  Let me help you find your place in Key West.    

1208 Von Phister Street - Casa Marina Area - Key West

1208 Von Phister Street - Key West

 1208 Von Phister Street was just listed by Preferred Properties, that's where I work but this is not my listing. The Monroe County Property Appraiser records show that this 780 sq ft house was built in 1938. Methinks the records are in error. The house has two bedrooms, one bath, and has been updated. A new owner could pretty much move right in. The house sits on a good sized lot that measures 49' x 93' (4563 sq ft) one-half block east of White Street and one block north of Flagler Avenue in the Casa Marina area of Key West.

The Casa Marina area was mostly barren land with streets but few houses until after World War II.  The aerial photo below shows only a few houses in the area when the photo was taken in the 1920s.  And since few houses were being built anywhere in the United States during the Great Depression, I think it's safe to the house as 1208 Von Phister Street was more thank likely built either before the Depression or soon after World War II ended as were many of the other houses in the area.

In June 2011 I wrote about the beautiful home directly across the street at 1205 Von Phister (photo below) that was owned by designer Debra Yates. CLICK HERE to read that blog. The Yates' house looked quite similar to 1208 Von Phister Street before it and the grounds were transformed into a lush tropical paradise. Maybe the next owner of 1208 Von Phister Street will do something creative as well.

1205 Von Phister Street

Think of 1208 Von Phister Street  as a nearly blank canvas save for the house that sits there and the edge of the canvas which are the lot lines. Look at the photos below and imagine how you could "draw inside the lines" to create your own designer paradise, just like Debra Yates did across the street.

First, you might install a white picket fence across the front of the property. Or you might insulate the house by putting up one of the privacy fences many in the Casa Marina area have done. The lot already has off street parking on the left. You might install an electronic gate  as well.

Driveway

The sunny back yard is a very large space with plenty of room for a pool plus outdoor living area. You might decide to blow out the rear wall of the house and open the kitchen onto a covered outdoor living area overlooking the pool and gardens.  I can tell you from experience that you can plant almost anything in the ground here and watch it grow. CLICK HERE to view a slideshow of photos I took of the outside of the property.

The existing house size and lot size would accommodate  a larger house and a pool.  Not all buyers want to undertake renovation and expansion. But if you do, the space is available. And the great thing about this property is the large side yard on the east side which ought to make contractor access to the rear much easier (and less costly).  CLICK HERE to view the Key West Association of Realtors mls datasheet and to see listing photos of the interior of 1208 Von Phister Street which is offered at $595,000.

If you would like to see 1208 Von Phister Street in person, please contact me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. I live in this neighborhood. I would like love to help you find your new home in Paradise.