Longtime readers of my little blog know that I live in the
Casa Marina Area of Key West because I am always writing about houses in this part of town. I lived in Old Town during the first two years I lived here. I enjoyed the convenience of being able to walk to everything. Then I moved to the Casa Marina where I have lived for nearly twenty years. I love living here because there are fewer people, fewer houses, larger lots, bigger skies, taller palms, and a myriad of other reasons. Today I am writing about
1416 White Street, a home located a block or so from where I live. I dug into my old shoebox and found a photo of
1420 White Street that dates back fifty years. 1420 White Street was once located on a huge lot that included a carriage house which later burned down. Instead of rebuilding the carriage house the owner built a simple garage behind the house. In 2002-2003 the owner did a lot split and carved out separate parcels for 1416 White Street, 1420 White Street, and 1133 Von Phister Street. A local developer bought the 1416 White parcel. The new owner hired Thomas Kelly as the architect to design the new house and engaged
Bird Construction to build the
2976 sq ft house on the
3849 sq ft lot (42' X 117'). The first and only owner of 1416 White Street purchased the home during construction and added some personal touches. The home was a 2005 House and Garden tour participant and recipient of certificate of
excellence for historic architectural design. (The garage at 1133 Von Phister Street sold in 2005 for $749,000 and was re-sold in 2012 as a short sale for $240,000. The new owner of the Von Phister property took down the garage and built a beautiful new two story home on that lot.)
As I walked through the front yard and approached 1416 White Street I noticed multiple round columns on the first and second floor porches which compliment the columns on the historic home next door at 1420 White. That house was built a century ago. The new house is an "L" shaped modern structure with a traditional symmetrical design on the first and second floors. There are dual front doors in the center of each floor with windows on either side. Vertical wood panels painted white were inserted under the windows to mimic the look of a Dutch door.
When I entered the front door my eyes were immediately drawn to what I will describe as a coffered ceiling. Though not as deep as normal coffered ceilings, the geometry of this ceiling is solid and correct. My eyes then went downward to the cherry Brazilian floors. Extra large baseboards and wide trim are painted a crisp white and frame the windows and doors. Plantation shutters cover all the windows and doors in the house. The shutters in the living area are darkly stained and stand in sharp contrast to the white trim. Then I saw the staircase that almost looks feminine with its delicate white balusters that stand in contrast to darkly stained treads and handrail. The center hall and staircase rise three floor to the office which can also be used as fourth bedroom.
The first room I photographed is the den. Note the chair-rail and crown molding. Pocket doors can close this space off from the rest of the home. The TV rises out of the cabinet.
The kitchen really is the heart of this home. It is located opposite the semi-formal dining area. A hallway on the side leads to the main level second master suite and a door opposite the center island/breakfast bar opens out to the rear deck and pool area for alfresco dining. This kitchen was custom built for this home. Top of the line appliances, lots of cupboards and drawers, marble counter tops, under counter and recessed lighting make this a true dream kitchen.
If you are nearing retirement you might find the main level second master suite an interesting feature of this home. Not everybody will have trouble doing stairs, but enough people do that having a wonderful bedroom on the main floor is a dream come true. This particular room has a vaulted ceiling that gives the space some dramatic flair. French doors open out to the pool for an early morning dip or a late night soak in the spa. The bathroom might be the pretties of the five in this house. The opaque glass counter top and vessel sink sit upon a one-of-a-kind basin with built in towel storage. It's little features like this that are special to this house that together make this house
very special indeed! (There's a darling powder room located in the hallway just off the kitchen.)
There are two bedrooms on the second floor. The front bedroom has access to the second floor front balcony. That balcony provides a great place to sit and watch people on their way to Higg's Beach which is located three blocks to the south. This bedroom also has a large en-suite bath.
The second floor master suite is located on the back side of the house. The bath is extra luxurious with its graceful vanity and dual sinks, soaking tub, and shower plus additional closet space. The bedroom has a set of French doors that open out to the rear deck that overlooks the pool below. What a nice place that must be to sit late at night appreciating all that you have done in life that allowed you and your mate to end up in such a wonderful island home far from the cold and craziness of the world up north.
The delicate staircase rises to the third floor where the current owner uses this space as an office. There is a separate bath up here as well. This would be a great place for your unemployed brother in law to spend his lengthy visits.
CLICK HERE to view all the photos I took of this beautiful home.
1416 White Street comes with a private oasis that includes a spa, steps that seem to cascade down into the pool with waterfall, and rear garden. What more could you want - a whole house generator perhaps? This house has one of those as well.
CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and to view listing photos of
1416 White Street offered at
$1,998,975. Then please call me,
Gary Thomas,
305-766-2642 to schedule a private showing of this gracious home. If you appreciate the finer things in life, you will certainly appreciate this lovely home. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at
Preferred Properties Key West.
