723 Windsor Lane, Key West - Key West Writers Compound

A few weeks ago I found an utterly charming article entitled Key West Dialogue published in the NEW YORK TIMES March 18, 1984 by A.B. Beattie. CLICK HERE to read - it's worth reading. Locals and long time returning visitors to Key West will appreciate the first paragraph:

"Key West looks like a lurid postcard. The colors are very intense, and almost everywhere you look there is something scenic. I mean, you can go around Key West taking pictures in your head, because almost everything is perfect. You can't miss there. If there's a crack in the sidewalk, there's hibiscus growing in it. If you see an ugly empty lot, there's always the weird juxtaposition - a mansion directly adjoining it. There's really no harmony. If there's harmony there, it's in the air, it's not really in the way things physically relate to each other."

The aerial photo at the top of this page was taken earlier this year of my listing at 744 Windsor Lane now offered at $5,000,000. The Key West Writers Compound is located across the street. 

 That property is the perfect example of the juxtaposition A.B. Beattie noted in 1984 of mansions and fixer-uppers existing in perfect harmony. Key West is still as colorful as it was thirty-five years ago. It's just a lot more expensive. I edited the top photo to show the physical location of the Writer's Compound where 723 Windsor Lane is now offered for sale.

The Key West Writers Compound is "hidden behind the white stucco wall, is a collection of once run-down shacks and shanties, frame cottages perched upon limestone piers, later restored as the winter residences of such literary luminaries as poet Richard Wilbur [former U.S. Poet Laureate], critic John Ciardi, writer Ralph Ellison and Hiroshima author John Hersey. There are several literati compounds in Old Town,and this complex, established in 1976, with its landscaped walkways and a central pool, is one of the most charming. Wilbur won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry and is renowned for his translations of Moliere; Ciardi, a critic, also translated Dante’s Divine Comedy; Ralph Ellison wrote The Invisible Man; and John Hersey, taught at Yale for 18 years and won the Pulitzer Prize for his writing debut, A Bell for Adano." (From SeekKeyWest.com with Sharon Wells) 

The compound itself is an assemblage of other cottages that were built for the Key West working class. They were nothing extra-ordinary. The simplicity of their design and construction was perhaps the primary reason the writers chose to congregate there. Today a large fence sets the compound apart from the street. Two large gates open onto a wide bricked walkway that navigates owners to each of the homes in the compound. There is a large pool located near the east side of the property. I don't recall ever seeing anyone actually swimming there, however. I do recall admiring the great views of specimen trees and brightly colored foliage. The compound would be a treasure on its own even if the notable writers had never lived there. But they did and that sets this property apart and makes the compound very notable.

The individual cottages are scattered about the lush tropical foliage and towering palms.  723 Windsor Lane is situated on a 1604 square foot lot at the rear eastern boundary of the compound. 

723 Windsor Lane dates back to 1899 updated to the highest standards. The 917 square foot cottage includes a writer's office (or den), sun room which is used for interior dining, living room, eat-in kitchen, bedroom, and bath. There is a private deck as well as the front porch which looks out to the garden pathway.

The top of Solares Hill is just a couple of houses to the west of the compound. All houses in the compound are located in the X Zone for flood insurance purposes. Flood insurance is not required in the X Zone. Homes in the compound are classified as land based condos. Owners purchase their own home owner, flood, and wind insurance policies. HOA fees are $850 payable quarterly.

The Writers Compound is just a few short blocks walk to the Historic Key West Seaport to the north or a three block walk to Duval Street to the west. That's part of the joy of living in a great location like the Writer's Compound: you can be anywhere important within a few minutes.

If you are looking a a great place in a great location at a really great price, this property may be exactly what you are looking for. Remember, at least one owner must be at least 55 years of age to be able to buy into this compound. No children under 18 are permitted at the pool-ever. If you have little grand kids or nieces the nephews, this won't work. Otherwise, this is a place to consider.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and listing photos of 723 Windsor Lane, Key West offered for sale at $738,000. 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.