614 Grinnell Street, Key West - Classic Eyebrow House

Just Listed 614 Grinnell Street, Key West, Florida. This home is referred to as an eyebrow house because the roof eaves extend out over the porch protecting the second floor windows from rain or wind. In the days before air conditioning, residents had to rely on natural ventilation and trees to provide cooling.

 I searched through my old shoebox and found the above black and white photo taken in 1965. You will see at least three features that are different than the current house including the historic single metal shingles, louvers instead of glass windows, and no gingerbread trim on the front columns.

I also found the photo above taken in 1980 which shows the house with glass windows. Two petite French style shutters provided a little air circulation into the living area. Windows on either side allowed air to flow through the house.

I searched the Historic Sanborn Fire Maps and identified 614 Grinnell Street on the 1899 map. The 1889 map did not show any houses in this entire area which I know is not correct. We know the house existed at least as early as 1899. The Monroe County Property Appraiser website shows that the house existed as of 1901.

Every single eyebrow house I have been inside of has been laid out differently. This house is unique. The first thing I saw when I entered the home was the back side of the staircase to the second floor. The kitchen is located at the left front of the house and the living room at the right front. Two sets of French doors open out to the north side yard.  The interior walls are Dade County Pine.

The master bedroom and bath are located at the rear of the first floor. French doors inward but lead out to a covered deck which leads out to the pool and rear gardens. Interior louvered shutters can be seen on the left side in the above photo. Those shutters provide privacy to the master bedroom.

The guest bedroom and full bath are located on the second floor. The bath is quite large.

According to the Monroe County Property Appraiser this house has 1485 square feet of living space under air conditioning plus 1644 sq ft of deck much of which is covered. There is a small cottage at the left rear of the lot which has water. A new owner might renovate that space into a third bedroom and bath. The lot measures 50.3' X 101'.  The owner told me he used to park his gold Plymouth automobile in the inside of the backyard which has a large gate that opens onto Griffin Lane (entered off Southard Street).

This block of Grinnell Street is one of the quietest blocks in Old Town because it ends at Angela Street which is the northern border of the Key West cemetery. That means the Conch trains and trolleys will not be passing this house because they cannot torn onto Angela Street. Your life will be quieter because of this. Instead, you will see the occasional tourist on bike or many a neighbor walking a dog to the Grinnell Street Pocket Park up on the corner.

 Five Brothers is located down the block at the corner of Southard Street. The Key West Historic Seaport is located three blocks further north and Duval Street is located five blocks to the west. Most of the gyms and yoga studios are located within a five to ten minute walk.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and to view listing photos. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to set up a private showing of 614 Grinnell St offered at $1,575,000. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.