1021 Fleming Street Key West as it appeared in 1965. Built in 1892.
1021 Fleming Street Key West - August 2010Just listed, but not by me, 1021 Fleming Street, a true Key West Classic Conch Home that is ripe for renovation. Look at the photo above that was taken in 1965. Checkout the clean lines of this remarkable home that was built in 1892. Now look at the same house shown in the photo immediately above as it appears in 2010. Same house, same street, same garage and same big back yard. Virtually untouched.
You can tell a lot about houses the way that prior owners cared for them. Look at the photo above, it says it all. "HOME SWEET HOME". The paint is peeling a bit. Kind of like when a distinguished gentleman gets older and his skin looses the tautness of youth. Crows feet and little wrinkles appear. I guess some would say a man with features like that is over the hill. Others may find a man like that a great catch.
1021 Fleming street is not a big house. The home has 1344 sq ft of living space. It sits on a very good sized lot ( 4656 sq ft or 49' x 96') on one of the best blocks in Key West. The historic Eden House is a couple of doors to the west. Two of the prettiest homes in town are located adjacent to the east. Here is the best part: this home is Bank Owned and it is priced to sell $321,750. CLICK HERE to view the mls listing datasheet.
The house has original Dade County Pine walls and ceilings. The place looks pretty much like it looked like decades ago. The original windows and glass are in good condition. The glass ripples as it reflects the life on the streets of Key West(CLICK HERE).The house has four bedrooms and two baths. The kitchen looks like it was last remodeled in the 1950s. But that's okay. A lot of good things came out of that decade. Not everything has to be au currant. A new owner probably will redo this place. Interior spaces, fixtures and fittings will likely be changed. But the character of this old house is strong enough to withstand the challenges of this new century. Who knows, maybe a new owner will resist the temptation to fix this place and only do small changes.
Look at the top two photos again. See that garage at the left side of each. Same old building, but perhaps the building might work better if it were converted into a guest cottage or a pool house. The yard (CLICK HERE) is very large for Old Town. That yard has got to be the second best feature of the property. (The architecture is still number one in my book.) There is plenty of room to put in a good sized pool. The existing back porch is a relic and I would hope a new owner could get permission from HARC (Historic Architectural Review Commission) to nix the current porch and replace it with something that works for today's lifestyle. A good architect can assist a prospective buyer in understanding exactly what it permissible and what is possible. Perhaps new brick pavers could replace the existing concrete pathway to the garage. I can envision this place freshly painted with a nice new white picket fence.
CLICK HERE to view several photos I took of this property. If you are looking for a project property in a great Old Town location, the house at 1021 Fleming Street should definitely be on your list of homes to see. Please contact me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a showing of this great old Key West home. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. Our office is the Lower Florida Keys exclusive affiliate of Christie's Great Estates. There could be a HOME SWEET HOME in your future.
