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Showing posts with label 622 grinnell street key west. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 622 grinnell street key west. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

622 Grinnell Street Key West - Back on the Market

I have written about 622 Grinnell Street in Old Town Key West in four prior blogs. It went under contract at the end of March and just came back on the market. This house is in about as original condition as one can get in Old Town.  The extra wide Dade County Pine walls on the first floor tell this is a very old house. The planks are much wider than seen in houses built in the late 1800s or early 1900s. As old growth lumber was used up, builders started using newer woods with planks not as large. After all the Dade County Pine was used up, builders had to import woods from other areas.

The house has been used as three separate living units since it was purchased by the current owners' family in the 1930s. There is no interior staircase - in fact I am not sure there ever was an interior staircase.  The property consists of the main house and a separate cottage that fronts onto Canfield Lane. The main house is divided into two units. The ground floor is a chopped up two bedroom. It has use of the front porch and a side porch that looks out to Canfield Lane.   
 The second and third floors are rented as one living unit although both floors have small kitchens and baths. The second floor is laid out just like the first floor but it shows much better. The second floor has exclusive access to the second floor balcony that has a commanding view of Grinnell Street. This is one of the best balconies I have ever stood upon. For some reason this house stands so much taller than other homes. The third floor is accessed via spiral staircase on the south side exterior staircase. The the third floor landing provides an almost 360 degree view of the area. You can see the towers of St. Mary's Basilica and the roofs of smaller Conch Houses all over Old Town.
The house has an almost imposing presence on the street. It stands so tall compared to other houses on the block.  I think this is one of the best properties for sale in our market at this time. If you are a buyer looking for a project house, this may be the one.

Consider the listing agent's description:
"Wonderful, original conch home with three legal units. Great location and superb street presence. Access to the rear cottage is from a lane.Possible conversion back to single family and would be a really spectacular property as such. Opportunity to work with a property that has been maintained while leaving a Key West flavor."


The rooftop deck on the main house has an incredible view of the area. You can even see the spires at St Mary's Basilica. Most of the lot is covered with tropical foliage and red brick pavers. The house itself has been maintained. It would, however, benefit from a total renovation.  Inside the rooms have the character that people who love our dear old homes seek. The house is filled with Dade County Pine and old glass with ripples. There are little cubby holes and scuttles and treasures galore throughout this old house.

The second floor is shown below when I photographed it when the owner lived in the property.  It was about as quintessential Key West as you can get.
The listing agent states that the property as a whole has 2740 sq ft of living space and sits on a 57' x 83' (4683 sq ft) lot. I think the highest and best use of this house is to convert the property into a single family home and use the Canfield Lane cottage as a guest cottage.  CLICK HERE to view a slideshow of photos of this property.

This block of Grinnell Street is one of the quietest blocks in Old Town because it ends at Angela Street which is the northern border of the Key West cemetery. That means the Conch trains and trolleys will not be passing this house because they cannot torn onto Angela Street. Your life will be quieter because of this. Instead, you will see the occasional tourist on bike or many a neighbor walking a dog to the Grinnell Street Pocket Park up on the corner.

Five Brothers is located down the block at the corner of Southard Street. The Key West Historic Seaport is located three blocks further north and Duval Street is located five blocks to the west. Most of the gyms and yoga studios are located within a five to ten minute walk.
622 Grinnell Street is offered at $1,200,000. CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls data sheet on this property. Or better than that, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642.  I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. Let me help you find your place in Paradise.

Saturday, March 22, 2014

622 Grinnell Street - The Flavor of Key West


The listing Realtor describes 622 Grinnell Street as "Wonderful, original conch home with three legal units. Great location and superb street presence. Access to the rear cottage is from a lane. Possible conversion back to single family and would be a really spectacular property as such. Opportunity to work with a property that has been maintained while leaving a Key West flavor."

Three words in his description really stand out: wonderful, location, and flavor (of Key West).  I know I sometimes get a little gushy about some houses and let the superlatives fly.  This property does that to me - big time.  To say this house is wonderful is an understatement. It is the embodiment of what makes Old Town Key West so special. We have a treasure trove of wonderful old homes confined to few blocks on an island out in the middle of the ocean. You just don't get in the car and drive to Key West in an hour or so. The drive from Miami, our nearest big neighbor, takes about three hours on a good day.  For most people getting here involves booking a flight that takes several hours. Some adventurous souls take the ferry.  The time it takes to get here is worth it. It lets you decompress from whence you came and prepare yourself for what lays ahead.

I checked the Sanborn Fire Maps of Key West and learned that 622 Grinnell Street appeared for the first time in the 1892 edition. It could have built several years,for some strange reason, that block of Grinnell Street was omitted in the 1889 edition.  Whatever the case,  we know the house existed by 1892.  I found a photo of the property that was taken in 1965.  Compare that black and white photo to a photo I  recently took. 
The property consists of the main house on Grinnell Street and the rear (guest) cottage on Canfield Lane. The main house does not have (and may have never had) an interior staircase. I have shown this property several times and have been unable to find any evidence of a prior interior staircase.  However, the house is quite large and there are a couple of alternative areas where a new staircase could be added which would then make it possible to convert the property into a single family residence. The property is divided with one apartment on the first floor, a second apartment that shares the second and third floors, and the cottage on Canfield Lane is the third unit.
Historic Photo of Canfield Lane Cottage
622 Grinnell Street has 1820 sq ft of interior living space. The cottage has an additional 512 sq ft.  The house and cottage sit on a large lot on one of the quietest blocks in Old Town. In my  opinion the highest and best use of this property would be to convert the main building into a single family residence and update the guest cottage. There is adequate room for a pool on the south side of the house and there is room for off street parking beside the guest cottage.

The photos below were taken a several months ago when the property was owner occupied. Tenants now occupy the property and it does not show the same.
Main floor living room
Third floor apartment
Third floor apartment with old scuttles
The rooftop deck on the main house has an incredible view of the area. You can see the spires at St Mary's Basilica. Most of the lot is covered with dense tropical foliage and red brick pavers. The house itself has been well maintained and looks great.  Buyers who seek Dade County Pine and old glass with ripples will fall in love with this old house. There are little cubby holes and scuttles and other architectural treasures galore.
                                                            Third floor rooftop deck
Second floor living room with front with front porch
The listing agent states that the property as a whole has 2740 sq ft of living space and sits on a 57' x 83' (4683 sq ft) lot. The house has not been touched in years and would benefit from a thorough renovation. But understand that the property is livable as is. But it could be so much more! CLICK HERE to view a slide show of photos I took of this property.
I sold the house next door at 618 Grinnell Street a couple of years ago. It was in similar condition and it was owned by the same folks that own 622 Grinnell Street. My buyer got a much better price than the asking price. That does not infer a buyer for 622 Grinnell would get the same type of deal, but you never know what price you can agree upon until you make a real offer.  My buyer did an excellent renovation of his property at 618 Grinnell for which he received a Ceramic Star for Historic Restoration. (He took out most of the old trees and vegetation, added a pool, parking on the side, and introduced new native landscaping.) Look at the before and after images of 618 Grinnell and imagine  how proud you would be to receive to similar recognition after you renovate 622 Grinnell.

The 600 block of Grinnell Street is one of the quietest blocks in Old Town. That is because it ends at Angela Street which is the northern border of the Key West cemetery. That means that Conch trains, trolley cars, and Duck Tour vehicles will not be using this street. Those vehicles cannot traverse Angela Street. Your life will be quieter because of this. Occasionally you will still see tourists walking by or riding bikes. And you will see neighbors go across the street to use the Grinnell Street Pocket Park.
Five Brothers Grocery and Sandwich Shop is located down on the corner of Southard Street. The Key West Historic Seaport is located three blocks further north and Duval Street is located five blocks to the west. Most of the gyms and yoga studios are located within a five to ten minute walk of this location.
622 Grinnell Street is offered at $1,200,000 CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls data sheet on this property. Or better than that, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 or send me an email at kw1101v@aol.com.  I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. Let me help you find your place in Paradise.


Wednesday, October 2, 2013

622 Grinnell Street ~ Key West

If you have been thinking of buying one of the few remaining  untouched Grand Conch Houses in Key West, may I suggest that you consider looking at the 622 Grinnell Street. This place is in pretty much original condition, and it is loaded with charm. You won't see stainless steel appliances, marble, or granite anywhere. You will see original Dade County Pine walls, high ceilings, ancient original windows with window panes that ripple, wood floors that slope a bit in some places, porches in front, in back, on the side, and up high. You will be amazed at the awesomeness of this old house. If your are a pessimist by nature, don't look. All you will see is the work and the money you will spend.  But if you are an optimist, you must look. You will see the innate beauty of this old place where you can use your creative juices to create a wondrous new living space for generations to follow.
622 Grinnell Street is listed by Preferred Properties Key West, but it is not my listing. The listing agent describes the house this way:
"Wonderful, original conch home with three legal units. Great location and superb street presence. Access to the rear cottage is from a lane.Possible conversion back to single family and would be a really spectacular property as such. Opportunity to work with a property that has been maintained while leaving a Key West flavor."
I did a second review of the Sanborn Fire Maps of Key West and learned that 622 Grinnell Street first appeared in the 1892 edition. It could have built several years before that because, for some strange reason, that block of Grinnell Street was omitted in the 1889 edition. Anyway, we know the house existed in 1892.  I found a photo of the property that was taken in 1965.  Compare that black and white photo to a photo I took a couple of months ago. 
The property consists of the main house on Grinnell Street and the rear (guest) cottage on Canfield Lane. The main house does not have (and may have never had) an interior staircase. I have shown this property several times and have been unable to find any evidence of a prior interior staircase.  However, the house is quite large and there are a couple of alternative areas where a new staircase could be added which would then lead to the conversion into a single family residence. Until a few months ago one sibling owner occupied the first floor and another occupied the second and third floor.  The cottage has been a rental for some time. This explains the mls listing as three legal units.

622 Grinnell Street has 1820 sq ft of interior living space. The cottage has an additional 512 sq ft.  The house and cottage sit on a large lot on one of the quietest blocks in Old Town. Grinnell Street dead ends at the corner of Angela Street which is the northern boundary of the Key West cemetery.  In my  opinion the highest and best use of this property would be to convert the main building into a single family residence and update the guest cottage. There is adequate room for a pool on the south side of the house and there is room for off street parking beside the guest cottage.

The photos below were taken a few months back when the property was owner occupied. Tenants now occupy the property and it does not show the same.
Main floor living room
Third floor apartment
Third floor apartment with old scuttles
The rooftop deck on the main house has an incredible view of the area. You can see the spires at St Mary's Basilica. Most of the lot is covered with tropical foliage and red brick pavers. The house itself has been well maintained and looks great.  Buyers who seek Dade County Pine and old glass with ripples will fall in love with this old house. There are little cubby holes and scuttles and other architectural treasures galore.
                                                            Third floor rooftop deck
Second floor living room with front with front porch
The listing agent states that the property as a whole has 2740 sq ft of living space and sits on a 57' x 83' (4683 sq ft) lot. The house has not been touched in years and would benefit from a thorough renovation. But understand that the property is livable as is. But it could be so much more! CLICK HERE to view a slideshow of photos I took of this property.
I sold the house next door at 618 Grinnell Street a couple of years ago. It was in similar condition and it was owned by the same folks that own 622 Grinnell Street. My buyer got a much better price than the asking price. That does not infer a buyer for 618 Grinnell would get the same type of deal, but you never know what price you can agree upon until you make a real offer.  My buyer did an excellent renovation of his property for which he received a Ceramic Star for Historic Restoration. (He took out most of the old trees and vegetation, added a pool, parking on the side, and introduced new native landscaping.) Look at the before and after and imagine how proud you would be to receive to similar recognition.

The 600 block of Grinnell Street is one of the quietest blocks in Old Town. That is because it ends at Angela Street which is the northern border of the Key West cemetery. That means that Conch trains, trolley cars, and Duck Tour vehicles will not be using this street. Those vehicles cannot traverse Angela Street. Your life will be quieter because of this. Occasionally you will still see tourists walking by or riding bikes. And you will see neighbors go across the street to use the Grinnell Street Pocket Park.
Five Brothers Grocery and Sandwich Shop is located down on the corner of Southard Street. The Key West Historic Seaport is located three blocks further north and Duval Street is located five blocks to the west. Most of the gyms and yoga studios are located within a five to ten minute walk of this location.
622 Grinnell Street is offered at $1,200,000 CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls data sheet on this property. Or better than that, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 or send me an email at kw1101v@aol.com.  I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. Let me help you find your place in Paradise.


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The information on this site is for discussion purposes only. Under no circumstances does this information constitute a recommendation to buy or sell securities, assets, real estate, or otherwise. Information has not been verified, is not guaranteed, and is subject to change.
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