724 Eaton Street, Key West - Historic Home Available for the First Time

In his book, The Houses of Key West, author Alex Caemmerer tells us the Freeman-Curry House located as it is now known was built in 1865 and remained in the same family until the 1920s when it was purchased by T. Jenkins Curry. The Curry's completely remodeled the house located at 724 Eaton Street and moved it back from the street forty feet where it still sits today. He tells us the outdoor kitchen and outhouse were replaced with modern additions to the building available to the rich in the 1920s. 

I searched through my shoebox and found the above black and white photo which was taken in 1965. Look to the left of the photo and notice what I believe was a pergola that is not shown in 2018 color photo immediately above. Note also there is no fence as also shown in the 2018 photo. This house sits on a huge lot that runs 176 feet from Eaton Street to the end of the lot and 65.5 feet wide. A two story garage was built at the back of the lot which most of which has been converted into apartments. More on that later.

 

The house is built throughout with Dade County Pine - walls, ceiling, and floors. However, pine was not in fashion during the 1920s remodel. Beaver board covered the walls to give the affect of plaster which was then painted. As soon as you enter this imposing home you know it belonged to someone important. Indeed, it did - the county sheriff.

The listing Realtor told me the parquet floors in the ballroom (located to the left of the main entry hall) are a newer addition to the house but he did not know when they were added. All of the house is painted boldly including the ballroom which has trompe l'oeil walls which include wainscoting and panels. Look carefully at the middle photo above and see two delicate French doors which open into an office at the left side of the home. There you will the safe. I used to own a different mansion in the 500 block of Eaton Street. It had a massive safe as well. Years ago I was reminded that back before the Great Depression people did not trust banks and kept their cash in homes.

The formal living area is located to the right side of the entry foyer.  Delicate glass paneled French doors set it off from the entry when privacy is needed. Note the crown molding and extra-high base boards that surround the walls in each room. I assume the colonnade dividing the living area from the dining was a new addition during the 1920s remodel. I don't know this to be a fact with regard to this house, but these colonnades were sold by SEARS in its catalog homes. It's impressive none the less even if that is the case.

The kitchen has wood cabinets made on the site. They are still in perfect condition but may not appeal to modern buyers who can afford nothing but the best. The current owners added a covered rear porch in the 1990s which is accessed through the kitchen.

The arches on the columns replicate the arches at the front of the house. I found this outdoor lounge to be absolutely gracious and inviting. Even though this addition is new, it fits well in this old house that has such a rich history. The architectural drawing of 724 Eaton Street was made by Milo Smith and Associates in the 1970s. It shows the details in this home and proves my point about the rear arches.

The grand staircase delivers us to the second floor. But notice a doorway a few steps below the second floor level. There is a bathroom located in that space.  There is an access panel to the full attic above which has wood floors and is air conditioned.

The master bedroom with huge en-suite bath takes up the entire left side of the second floor. A door a the end of the hall opens out to the second floor balcony.  The house sits tall on the lot - taller than any I have been inside.

The black and white photo above shows the rear of a property located at 808 Eaton Street in 1914. Now the photo elevation is higher that the second floor of that property, but it suggests that one might have had a view of the old seaport located two blocks to the north. Today that background area is the home of the Hyatt Hotel, a big condo, and numerous restaurants.

There are two guest bedrooms located on the west side of the second floor hallway which share the Jack-and-Jill bath. The rear bedroom is used as an office by the current owner. Remember there is a full guest bath mid-way on the stairs for the can't wait moment.

The garage at the rear has been renovated and expanded and now includes legal residential apartments. I suspect a new owner may not want to rent apartments and might want a pool. I think the CBS apartment building could easily be converted into a stylish guest cottage by affixing Hardiboard siding to the walls and replacing the metal windows with period correct wood window giving the cottage look many people want. Part of the first level could be opened and re-purposed as a pool cabana with bar and bathroom. I would add an outdoor shower and add a pool in the middle.  I might also remove the entire rear of the front house and add a new two level porch which would open up the rear to superb views of the pool and rear building. This is a very expensive home and whoever buys it will surely re-invent the space to their liking. I think this will remain an historic property but will likely be bought into the 21st century in new and exciting ways.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and 44 photos of the house, apartments, and ground of 724 Eaton Street, Key West. This is the very first time this historic home has been placed on the MLS. Please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to set up a private showing. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

The Key West House I Did Not Sell

I made my first trip to Key West as a visitor thirty-four years ago this month. I have written in my blog about that life changing trip several times over the years and won't bore readers to tell that tale again.  I fell deeply in love with Key West and decided to make this my home. It took a few years, but I made it happen. During the time of the first trip and my move to Key West, I stayed at several different guest houses. Those experiences taught me how difficult it must be for a home owner to lived next to or even near to a guest house.

(The business card above is from years ago and is not the guest house or the location I am writing about today. Besides, most places in Key West now have hot and cold running water.)

I found a particular guest house I really liked and stayed there on almost every trip I made to Key West. The guest house eventually grew from nine rooms to over forty rooms. The owner  purchased adjacent apartment buildings and a couple of single family houses which he illegally rented nightly. He paid the state bed tax and got away with it.

Several years ago a fixer-upper house located very near my favorite guest house was listed for sale. I wrote about that property in my blog and showed it to prospective buyers. It was purchased by couple from New York who had renovated other properties before. They did a total renovation on this well located house for which they were awarded a ceramic star. They sold the place a year or so later and moved on to a new project.

I showed their renovated property to several potential buyers. One couple really liked it. We looked at the place at least twice and maybe three times. They were considering making an offer. I suggested they check out the house at different times of the day and night. I sensed something was not right but did not want to sabotage a sale in the event I was wrong. They ultimately decided not to make an offer and later bought a home through me in a totally different part of town.

Some other buyer bought this particular place. And another bought it a couple of years later. And another someone else bought it. Three different buyers bought the place in a seven year period after it was renovated.

Last week I saw the photo at the top of today's blog on the internet. The photo shows a DJ spinning records at my favorite old guest house where college kids were enjoying spring break.

The real estate axiom "location", "location", "location" is so true. I am so happy I did not sell the single family with the problematic location adjacent to a sprawling forty unit guest house complex to my customer. They would be listening to the music along with the spring breakers and probably the rest of the year as well.

913 White Street, Key West

Just Listed, but not by me, 913 White Street in Key West, Florida. This vernacular style home sits back from White Street behind a solid fence and gardens. The gated front drive provides off street parking for several cars, a rarity in this Old Town location. The wrap around front porch hearkens back to another century where this might have been grandma's house. Would it were true. What a place this must have been back in the day.

The above photo was taken at the 1928 May Day Parade in Key West.  I added a graphic to show where 913 White Street can be seen in the photo.  I searched through my old shoe box but this is the only photo I found that even suggests a nearness to 913 White Street. While the streetcars and funny looking trucks are gone, most of the houses in the above photo still exist eighty-seven years later including 913 White Street which is now offered for sale at the asking price of $1,799,995.

A recent but not current owner of this property was film and stage actress Kelly McGillis. I got to go to attend a party at this home when I first moved to Key West around 1994.  I had only memories of the back yard which you will see shortly and you may cause you to appreciate why I remembered this property for more than twenty years. It is to use one word: sensational. But first let's look at the house which according to the Monroe County Property Appraiser is 1339 sq ft under air. This square footage does not include any of the covered deck areas or rear second floor balcony. You enter the home through a door that really reminded me this is an old house. You step into a two story entry hall and immediately see the newer stairway that leads to the second floor. The hallway is quite large and occupies a lot of potential living area. What may have been the original parlor is at the front of the house. You will be please to see lots of Dade County Pine in this house as well as high ceilings. 

When you walk past the front entry hall and enter the great room your eyes are immediately drawn through the room out to the back gardens. To get to the gardens you must pass through the casual living area and the kitchen and dining space.  You will see three sets of French doors which open out to the covered rear deck that overlooks the garden and pool beyond.  A small guest cottage comes into view and lures you see what this is all about.

The small cottage is located on the side yard which is actually a separate building lot that has an ingress and egress easement through a neighboring property on Truman Boulevard. The lot roughly measures 60' X 77' and is large enough you could build a separate house in this space. The size of this side yard and the ability to build another structure on it adds tremendous value to the overall property.

The current guest cottage is a good place for the self-indulgent teen who can rock out, play music until dawn, and take selfies all day long. The view from the front steps of the cottage is of the pool, hot tub, cabana with bar, bath, and shower. The view from the hot tub will remind you why you bought this place - it is to use that word again - sensational.

There is a ground floor bedroom with large bathroom and extra large closet area. This suite or rooms might be reconfigured along with the 'parlor' I previously mentioned. These spaces were probably modernized before Kelly McGillis bought this house. The ground floor spaces including the kitchen are all in fairly good condition but could possible benefit from a renovation that might reallocate how the spaces are used. A really good decorator could use the current rooms and make this place much more attractive. I am not saying it looks bad. I am saying it could look much better.

The master suite is located on the second floor rear. A set of French doors open out to a rooftop deck which overlooks the gardens and pool. The interior space is quite large and may provide enough room to add a little morning kitchen where you could brew coffee and a place to grad a late night snack. Another bedroom is located over the front part of the house. The ceiling here does not provide much headroom. But the room has a lot of closet and storage space tucked under the eaves of the house. I think this area would definitely benefit from some remodeling.

CLICK HERE to view the photos I took of this property which offer a variety of views of this intriguing property.

913 White Street sits on a huge parcel of ground. The main lot measures 50' X 150' or 7500 sq ft. The side lot where the guest cottage is located is an irregular 60' X 77' or 4122 sq ft that could legally be sold off or developed further by adding a lager house. CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and 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.