Just Listed 412 Grinnell Street
in Key West. I fell in love with this house the first time I stepped
inside nearly two decades ago. I believe this was the first eyebrow
house I got to see from the inside. The house was deliciously
enchanting. That owner (Richard Sheldon) had renovated the original
house, built a new living room and kitchen addition, and added a pool.
The home has changed ownership three times since then. The current
owners purchased the house through me in 2012 and undertook a thorough
renovation and small expansion of the property for which they were
awarded the 2015 Historic Florida Keys Ceramic Star for
excellence for preservation, restoration, rehabilitation and new
construction. Now 412 Grinnell Street is offered for sale. The current
owners feel the need to be near their toddler granddaughter and her soon
to be sibling and for this reason this home is now offered for sale.
Eyebrow
houses are particularly unique to Key West. They are two story homes
which vary in height, width, and size. These houses get the name
"eyebrow" because the second floor windows
are sheltered by the front roof eave which extends out over the house
and supported by columns or posts. Before electric fans
and later air conditioning, shade and natural air flow cooled homes. The
windows of an eyebrow house can be left open during rain storms which
allows air to
flow to cool the rooms. 412 Grinnell Street is one of the larger such
homes on the island.
This
home was built in 1895. It looks so cute and sweet from the outside.
Then when you step inside you know the place is going to be even better
than you imagined. Your eyes are immediately drawn past the entry hall
and through the living room out to the pool. And what pool it is - a 30'
X 10' foot pool and a 6' X 6' spa. The rear side has a tall privacy
fence with native trees and tropical foliage that has grown to adult
height. Later you will learn there are no neighbors to the immediate
rear which is Fletchers Lane - a walking lane accessed off Eaton Street,
about 100 feet to the north.
The
owners did a bundle of projects during the renovation including
replacing the metal; replacing piers where required; and installing
heart pine floors (aged 200 to 500 years) which look absolutely perfect.
All floors on both levels are flat and flawless. All of the HVAC is
new. The owner updated all of the interior spaces, renovated all
bathrooms, added wind impact resistant windows and doors where
permissible. Every town has a go-to local custom cabinet maker. Hansen
& Bringle is that company in Key West. They installed new custom
cabinets in the kitchen and bathrooms and wainscoting in living and
dining rooms.
The
kitchen, while relatively recently new, was still renovated. An all too
large bank of windows was removed and replaced with a single new window
which permitted the installation of upper cabinets. The laundry closet
became a pantry and the washer and dryer were placed under the kitchen
counter. New SubZero, Wolf, and Miele appliances were added as were new
granite counter-tops. One of the best features is the kitchen door which
opens out to a little porch where there is an herb garden. The porch
leads down to the brick paved driveway with electrically opening gate.
The
owners took down the original guest cottage and built an entirely new
23' X 12' guest house. It is located in a separate building just off the
covered rear deck. That deck will probably be the most used space in
the house besides the bedroom. The guest cottage has a cathedral ceiling
punctuated by a round impact glass window near the top of the gable,
natural travertine marble floors, and a wet bar with under counter
refrigerator. It has a full bath. This cottage and bath mean the entire
home has four or five bedrooms (explained below) each with bath. The
owner thinks the guest cottage could be used as a master suite.
The
guest cottage is located next to the pool which has a gate opens that
opens out to Fletchers Lane. Guests can return from a night out in Key
West without disturbing the folks in the main house. The newly
resurfaced and revamped pool includes a salt water filtration system,
LED light show, and remote control programing. Travertine marble coping
surrounds the pool and spa. All new Azec decks were installed including
the covered rear lanai. The gardens were replanted with native foliage.
The owners added an irrigation system to supplement Mother Nature.
Depending on your need, the main house has either four bedrooms and four baths or
three bedrooms and a study. The study or fourth bedroom is located at
the right
front of the home. It has two stained glass doors and panels. Everybody
who sees it goes "Ooh and Aah". This space would inspire any would-be
writer, artist, or thinker
of great thoughts, or a grandmother who knits booties (do they still do
that?) or a grandfather who smokes a pipe (do they still do that,
either?). The room has a half bath that is illuminated by a chandelier.
The owners had a new stained glass window made with the house numerals
which was place in the transom over the front door. The ceramic star is
placed above the transom. Passersby at night admire the colors emanating
from this room.
The
owners use the main floor bedroom as their master. It is located at the
front of the house opposite the study/bedroom. About half of the main
floor Dade County Pine walls are natural and the remaining walls are
painted. The master bedroom has Dade Pine and has a fairly good sized
en-suite bath with large shower complete a marine porthole where you can
look out to see
tropical foliage. I guarantee you will have a smile on your face every
day if you use this shower and that's not a bad way to start your day
any day.
There
are two more bedrooms on the second
floor. Notice the windows near floor level and look out to the street.
You will then understand the eyebrow concept. The heart pine floors are
gorgeous. Each bedroom has a brand new en-suite bath with
shower. The rooms are not big, nor are they small. They are how people
lived one hundred twenty five years ago except these rooms are air
conditioned, have electricity, and have bathrooms.
The
owner traced the history of this home back to the beginning of the
island. Every detail of this old house has been committed to writing
and detailed so that future generations may share in the history of this
home. I think any potential buyer will appreciate the care that has
been given not only to the preservation of the structure but also of the
history of the house which the owners call "La Casa Ceja", The Eyebrow
House. CLICK HERE
to view an album of photos of this beautiful Old Town treasure that has
been carefully and thoughtfully restored and made better than ever
before. You won't have to do a thing except enjoy your home and make
reservations for dinner.
CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet on 412 Grinnell Street offered at $1,999,000. The please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642,
to schedule a private showing. I am the listing agent on this very
special property. You won't find anything comparable at this price. I am
a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.
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Thursday, July 19, 2012
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The information on this site is for discussion purposes only. Under no circumstances does this information constitute a recommendation to buy or sell securities, assets, real estate, or otherwise. Information has not been verified, is not guaranteed, and is subject to change.
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1 comment:
I love it and I want it!
Noisy at night?
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