1021 Catherine Street, Key West - Conch Grove Compound

The new listing at 1021 Catherine Street is located in the Conch Grove Compound located two blocks west of White Street in the the South of Truman area in Old Town Key West. The compound consists of eleven unique cottages and single family homes which share a large sunny and heated pool, and gardens. Each cottage or house own is owned in fee simple.  The property owners share ownership of all of the common areas including the sunny pool.  A couple of the cottages are quite small and a couple of the houses are very large. Writer James Kirkwood, co-author of “A Chorus Line”, lived next door at 1023 Catherine Street and was one of the first homeowners in the Conch Grove Compound. He knew a thing or two about a singular sensation. Other original owners included Jay Garon (literary agent who "discovered" John Grisham) and Albin Krebs, a reporter for The New York Times, who wrote obituaries of notable figures. The compound was then and is still today a small enclave of individual homes that share a sunny pool on a quiet little street on a little island out in the middle of the ocean.

I searched through my old shoebox and found the black and white photo below showing 1021 Catherine Street in 1965 long before it was renovated. I then Searched the historic Sanborn Fire Maps to see if I could determine when this house was built. There were numerous small houses on this corner location between the first map in 1889 and 1912 when 1127 Catherine Street first appeared. 1127 Catherine Street was a larger house and faced south as opposed to the smaller cottage that sat on the same lot on earlier maps and which faced toward Watson Street. Several smaller cottages fronted onto Watson and also extended eastward into the property. I am assuming that some of the surviving small cottages dated back to the 1889 era and that 1127 Catherine Street was built after 1899 and was later renumbered as 1021 Catherine St after the 1912 map. Those original 200 sq ft  cottages just did not make sense for long term living for most folks.

The cigar makers of yesteryear and the writers of plays and obituaries of not so long ago would surely be surprised to see how much this little compound and the houses therein have changed  This house has been enlarged on the ground floor and a second floor added in 1995. The Monroe County Property Appraiser website shows this home as being 1862 square feet and sitting on an irregular rectangular 87' X 45' lot. The original front yard is now the back yard which  includes a private spa. The west side yard now has a nice shaded private patio.There is abundant walking space around the entire perimeter of the house.

The original house was remodeled into three parts. A new contemporary building was added at the rear to become the new main entrance to the home. It has clean lines, new opaque glass louvered windows that provide privacy without the use of curtains or shutters, saltillo tile floors, vaulted ceiling coupled with the expansive use of glass, and an open-concept living area.  The main floor of the original house was re-oriented to move the two bedrooms and baths to the front of the original house. The kitchen and bath then became located in the middle of the renovated home. Timber framing was exposed to give height to the spaces. The master bedroom with en-suite bath is quite large and includes a screen enclosed private porch. A second bedroom is now used as an office.  A set of French doors open out to the private spa in the new private backyard.

Do you remember the haunting lyrics of Peggy Lee's "Is That All There Is?" There's more here! When you enter the compound you can move through a winding path toward the common pool or make a sharp right turn where you end up a 1021 Catherine which has its own little private front yard. When you approach the front porch you see a set of exterior stairs that deliver you to the second floor mother-in-law suite. I can tell you from personal experience when you start to get older and see your years waning, you begin to wonder if that is all there is. Imagine your mom arriving at this tree-top nest and how grateful she would feel to live in such a glorious space with such sunny views. That's not a bad way to spend your days, be they be end days or just plain old ordinary days.

As some people get older they start to divest themselves from all the "things" they have accumulated by shopping and shopping over the years. When people move to Key West they realize they probably won't have room for all the stuff they accumulated and won't need as many clothes (especially cold weather clothing). This little nest is perfect for the person who appreciates light and space and fresh air. I'll bet you mom would feel at home, here.

That's the pool. It does not get much better than this. The HOA fee is a nominal $200 per month and covers pool and yard maintenance. Owners are responsible for maintaining their own homes. 1021 Catherine Street is offered at $998,000. CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet to view the particulars and see more listing photos. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a private showing. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. Let me show you this singular sensation. There is more to life!