312 William Street, Key West - Just Listed

Just Listed the William Kemp House at 312 Fleming Street, Key West. This home is located near the foot of the William Street which was and still is the principal harbor in Key West. I found a photo of William Street taken in 1895 that shows a smaller one story house in the location where 312 William Street sits today. I took the color photo a couple of the same location two days ago. The seaport has always been a center of commerce in Key West. In former days the commerce was shipping and sponging. Today the seaport is home to fishing and sailing trips, restaurants, bars, and other tourist related enterprises.

William Kemp brought the sponging business to Key West which eventually became a vital part of the economy. The house at 312 William Street is named after him. The house was awarded a Ceramic Star for historic preservation. And rightfully so. Look below.

The top image shows that 310 (right) and 312 William Street (left) were bridged together on the second floor in 1965.  The 1970s photo shows the bridge and first floor porch enclosure were removed.The house also appears to have been elevated since the 1970s photo. It sits at the same location but it definitely has two or three steps to the front porch.

I searched the historic Sanborn Fire map for 1889 only to learn that none of the houses on the 300 block of William Street appeared on the map. The entire block was omitted.  It was not until the 1892 map that 312 William appeared where the building used as was noted as "Cobbler". There was a much smaller house located directly at the front of the property. The Red Doors, a house of ill repute, was located at the corner of Caroline Street across the street from the seaport.

The Ceramic Star can be seen the left of the blue shutters that adorned so many of the older homes. They provided privacy for the occupants while still allowing air to flow through the homes. Air flow through window, doors, and scuttles was the way homes were ventilated before the advent of electric ceiling fans and air conditioning.

The lot measures 23.38' by 96.7' - there's a bit of jog so it is not a perfect rectangle. The house offers 1,375 square feet of living space on two floors including a small guest cottage at the rear. There are a total of three bedrooms and three baths (guest bath on first floor) plus a pool. The interiors have all been updated with recessed lights, crown molding, air conditioning, and so on. Cobblers and spongers never lived like this.

The black mesh fencing around the pool can be removed. It is meant to provide safety for small children. The cottage at the rear includes a bath. Furnishings in the home are negotiable. Not sure about the fish. Not sure I would want them either.

I used to own one of the earlier houses built in Key West. The staircases were handmade by craftsmen. They remain a sweet architectural element of the past you just do not see in modern buildings. It's little details like this that continue to make the old homes of Key West special and different form old homes in other parts of the country.

The second floor front bedroom has access to the second floor front porch. French doors in the back bedroom open to a balcony that overlooks the pool and cottage below. The ceilings in both bedrooms are vaulted to give the rooms a more spacious feel. The windows and doors introduce wonderful daytime lighting. The shutters provide privacy all day.

312 William Street is located about 150 feet from the newly revitalized Caroline Street Corridor and all of Key West including the once notorious Red Doors.

The Red Doors - 1975

 The Red Doors - 1980

The City of Key West renovated and upgraded the Historic Seaport shortly after I moved to Key West at the end of 1993. A new boardwalk was added that eventually will wrap all the way to near Fort Zachary Taylor State Park and Beach. Tourist related businesses in the area flourished. All of the homes near the waterfront benefited from the revitalization. Two years ago the city completed a separate revitalization of the Caroline Street Corridor. The area is abuzz with activity during the daytime but returns to quite by late afternoon - that's the time tourists head back their inns and hotels to get ready for their adventures later in the day.

Sponging Docks in 1902

 CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and more photos of 312 William Street, Key West offered for sale at $1,495,000. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a private showing of this home. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West (listing broker of this home).