1424 White Street, Key West - Casa Marina Area

I remember driving home from work one late afternoon in 2002 when I saw what I thought was impossible -being razed in Key West. Checkout the photo just below and you can see the house that used to sit at 1424 White Street in the Casa Marina area. As you may be aware you can't tear down old houses in the Historic District and in some parts of Casa Marina or the Meadows areas. Houses that have been officially designated as historically significant by the Historic Architectural Review Commission must undergo rigorous approval process before the structures can be altered. And only a few houses meet the criteria that would permit demolition.

1424 White Street as it appeared in 1965

1424 White Street as it appeared in July 2010

Now look at the photo immediately above. Notice the striking similarity between the two and yet detect the differences. The obvious changes are the longer existent exterior stairway, the removal of the second floor porch "addition", and what appears to be replacement siding. Otherwise the porches and everything else looks pretty much the same. Or so it seems.

In the days that followed I watched the roof of the old house get hoisted into the air. Then piece by piece the old house was torn down. Stick by stick and room by room the house came tumbling down. Then bobcats moved in and tore up the earth under the old house. The site was clean except for the original which which was suspended in air. A new crew moved in and drilled holes in the earth for new concrete piers. Carpenters began building the frame for a new house in the space under the roof. Weeks and months went by and finally the roof was lowered onto the new shell. Siding was attached and the exterior was painted. The old relic porch stoop was restored and given new life but the historic bases were kept intact and intentionally not restored so as to keep a more authentic look. It is that old look that tricks the eye and makes one think the house itself is a relic when in fact it was "new" in 2003.

This is how the listing Realtor describes 1424 White Street:

"The perfect blend of classic Conch architecture with a stunning rebuild and renovation greets you at this coveted Casa Marina home. Although the historical piece dates to 1928 with the original concrete pillars in the front, it was rebuilt by an award winning builder from the ground up in 2003. Beautiful whitewashed Dade County Pine walls greet you as you enter the front door with a large staircase to take you upstairs to 3 of the bedrooms. The 2 guest bedrooms have a large renovated bathroom between them with beautiful turquoise quartz countertops and glass tiled walls. The master suite has 2 rooms with a cathedral ceiling in the bedroom and a large bathroom also filled with turquoise. The downstairs has a fourth bedroom currently used as an office plus a completely renovated bathroom.
Boasting large voluminous rooms with 10 foot ceilings this 4 bedroom/3 bathroom charmer showcases a fabulous open floor plan and entertaining space. The chef's kitchen was redesigned in 2018 and features beautiful Vadara counters, an undercounter beverage cooler, 5 burner gas cooktop, oven, wine refrigerator and top of the line stainless steel appliances. The kitchen/dining area flows seamlessly to a large family room with double French doors leading out to over 640 sq. ft. of Ipe decking surrounding the heated cocktail pool. The possibilities for this property can be endless, from a year round home to wonderful luxury rental option"

There is a large den or family room located at the front of the house which could easily become a guest bedroom or even a first floor bedroom when climbing the stairs becomes difficult as there is a full bath located adjacent.

The inside of this house is all about family and entertaining. The ceilings on both floors are high. The great room at the back of the first floor has a large family-style kitchen which extends into the living area and the adjacent semi-formal dining area. French doors at the back and rear side of the house open out to the rear garden and pool. Too many of the older houses in Old Town are claustrophobic. This home is the opposite. Big spaces make for big living.  Note the extra large crown molding, high baseboards, quality trim and clean real wood floors. This home was built by one of the premium local contractors to be his family's permanent home. While the wood walls resemble Dade County Pine of yore, they are new pine painted to look old.

The gentleness of the stairway and the second floor landing are so graceful. The master bedroom is located at the rear of the second floor. It's another good sized room with rear deck overlooking the backyard.

Two guest bedrooms share a large bath on the second floor. The master suite is located at the rear. All three bedrooms have access to the second floor covered front porch. The master suite is very large and has a unique closet system built into an office. The master bath is immense. My favorite feature of the bedroom are the multiple windows on two sides.

This 2392 sq ft home is located at the corner of White and Von Phister Streets in the Casa Marina area. It is offered for sale at $2,190,000. This home was built by one of the top residential builders in Key West for his family's personal residence. You can see the attention to detail on the outside and on the inside. CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and listing photos.

I live one block away and I love this area because it is close to everything. The White Street Pier and Higgs Beach are a short four minute walk away. That's where they shoot off fireworks at least twice each year.) Faustos Market is a few blocks to the north. They have a great little meat counter with an in house butcher. The Dairy Queen and numerous small restaurants are in that area as well.

If you a looking for a special place in Key West let me show you 1424 White Street. Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. in Key West. Let me show you the house that would not die.