816 Eaton Street, Key West - Quintessential Eyebrow House

In his book The Houses of Key West  Alex Cammerer wrote about his first visit to Key West which turned into a love affair with the architecture of Old Town. He referred to eyebrow houses simply stating "with their front porch roofs extending demurely over the second-story windows, hence the term eyebrows. I have discovered that they are unique to Key West and are not found anywhere else in the country."

816 Eaton Street, Key West

Cammerer then compared the eyebrow style to a salt box laid on its side with the roof line extended downwards to rest upon columns which creates a permanent awning that spans the entire width of the house sheltering the second floor windows from light, rain, and wind. Back in real old days  - the time before air conditioning and even before electricity - houses were cooled naturally using window placement for cross ventilation, shutters, awnings, scuttles, and trees. The eyebrow house provided a different manner to provide air circulation. And it did so with great style.

A few months back I wrote a blog about the very small eyebrow house at 628 Frances Street. It was such a cute little house of only 1017 square feet situated on a 2366 square foot lot. Today's featured home located at 816 Eaton Street is more than twice the size at 2352 square feet and sits on a 4285 square foot lot. Some eyebrow homes are small; some are large; they are all unique. Let me share with you the features of this newly renovated home which the listing Realtor describes as:

"This award-winning, Circa 1872 'Eyebrow' in Old Town can be offered fully furnished. No expense was spared in renovating and furnishing the property. Each of the four bedrooms have bathrooms en suite. Two bedrooms are located downstairs. A free-standing staircase leads to the other very private guest bedrooms upstairs, one with it's own spectacular balcony. An inviting walkway leads up to a grand covered front porch, a gracious entrance to this elegant home. The welcoming living room with warm Dade County pine walls gracefully leads the eye past the gourmet eat-in kitchen and dining area out to the pool with waterfall and lush tropical gardens. Also outdoors are comfortable and elegant living and dining areas. Special features include ductless central air through out, gourmet kitchen with adjoining laundry and pantry, covered outdoor entertainment area with widescreen television, off-street parking, and so much more. This home has everything you are looking for in a Key West property."

First floor front bedroom and bath

I have been inside a lot of the eyebrow houses in Key West over the years. The houses were built with a center hall on the first floor with a stairway at the rear that led to the second floor landing at the front of the house which would have bedrooms on either side of the landing. The main floor typically had two boxed-in rooms on either side of the entry hall. The interior walls were constructed with Dade County Pine. If you look at the first photo above you will see a doorway entrance to a main floor bedroom located to the right of the front door. But the space to the left side is open into the living room. Someone removed the wall that used to be located there. Note also the large opening at the rear of the stairs that leads into the kitchen. The kitchen appears to be a modern addition to the old house and even more recently updated by this current owner. There is an adjacent pantry which also includes the laundry and lots of storage.

Potential main floor master suite off the pool

I had not been inside this home before my recent visit. I looked at the old mls photos and saw a free form pool added in 1996. The current owner removed that oddity and replaced with the new pool and the unique covered outdoor living area. This space remarkable!  There is a second main floor bedroom located off the back side of the house. I would be tempted to use this bedroom as the master suite.

The second floor landing provides access to either of the bedrooms. I was surprised to see how large these bedrooms are. Like I said earlier, I have been inside a lot of eyebrow houses. These bedrooms are huge by comparison to most I have seen. And each bedroom has a real bath - large ones in fact. The master suite even has a private sundeck.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and more beautiful photos of this photogenic eyebrow house that is offered for sale a $2,195,000 by Preferred Properties Key West where I am a buyers agent. Please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to set up a private showing. Let's take a look at all the details that have been incorporated into this beautiful home.