912 Truman Avenue - Old Town - Key West

The photo above shows how 912 Truman Avenue appeared in 1965 when the photo was taken. Look to the right and you will see part of a garage on that property. Behind the three story main house was a huge rear yard.  The house was extensively renovated in 2002 at which time the adjacent garage was also renovated and expanded. The grounds to the rear had new houses built upon them. To comply with City of Key West building code, the properties were classified as condominiums. There are limited common areas for ingress and egress to the new houses. Otherwise, the quarterly condominium fee is just $150.

 

The three photos above show the front porch of 912 Truman Avenue as the property  appears in 2012.  The house sits behind a white picket fence and specimen palms.  This is one of the few surviving homes on Truman Avenue that remain a single family home. Many of the larger homes were converted into apartments, guest houses, or were morphed into commercial businesses. Alas, some of the grand old homes were demolished and replaced by modern structures.

When you step inside 912 Truman Avenue its like stepping back into another era. This home retains the functionality and character of the original home. Some new fangled features such as nearly gourmet kitchen, updated baths, and central air conditioning have been added. But the old style rooms remain in tact with all of their flaws, charm and character.

As you enter the front entry you are greeted by a wonderful staircase and central hallway that divides the house in two. On the right side you will find the living room and parlor on the right side.  The dining room and kitchen are on the left side. A small bath and servants' stairway are located at the rear.

 Front door with living room located on the right

The dining room is located to the left. Note the crown molding and high baseboards.

The beautiful staircase leads to the bedrooms on the second and third floors.

The living room (above) is divided into two sections.  Note the rich Dade County Pine walls, the rich and very real wood floors (not the kind of manufactured floors we see in modern homes which you just know are fake), and the old school wood ceilings. Note as well the ancient windows with glass that ripples.

The dining room obviously hearkens back to another era. What a wonderful space this would be to share food and beverage with family and friends. So what if it is formal. Instead of buying take-out or nuking Healthy Choice or Marie Callander's you might actually cook a real meal.

My dear old grandmother had the same octagonal tile in her bathroom. I love the look and feel of this place. It evokes a feeling continuity over generations of people that lived here. The house has the necessities, but it is not consumed by modernity. It retained its soul. 

The master bedroom and bath occupy the west side of the second floor. Two more bedrooms plus a shared bath are on the east side. The master bath is huge. In my opinion, the renovator could have done a better job in this space. I would probably redo the space, eliminate some of the marble and glitz, add more closet space, and make the master suite function better in the process.

The two second floor bedrooms are shown above. One is now used as a sitting room. Note the old newspapers glued to the ceiling. The papers were originally used as insulation and where retained when the home was renovated.

A door in the hallway opens to the second floor front balcony that spans the breadth of the home.

The master bedroom is located to the right and it's bath is located to the right rear. The second bath is located at the far rear and it is used by the occupants in either of the bedrooms on the left. Note the servants' staircase at the rear. It goes goes down to the area just off the kitchen. The main staircase provides access from the main floor (at front). And the staircase rising on the left leads to the third floor bed and bath.

The third floor space is actually quite large. Unfortunately I took lousy pics. 

 Off street parking.

The listing Realtor describes 912 Truman Avenue this way:

"This elegant historic three-story home has been carefully restored with stainless steel and granite in the kitchen and three and half modern but charming bathrooms. The double front porches are 38 feet long, there is a sparkling swimming pool in back and off street parking. This a great price per square foot for a renovated home."

CLICK HERE to view the Key West Association of Realtors mls data sheet and to view listing photos. And CLICK HERE to look at photos I took. 912 Truman Avenue is offered at just $795,000 or $227 per sq ft for this gracious 3494 sq ft historic home.

This property is listed by Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc., but it is not my listing.  If you are a buyer who wants a real "old house" and not an imitation of one, please contact me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a showing of this property. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties.