324 Whitehead Street - Old Town - Key West

The listing Realtor, not me, describes 324 Whitehead Street in Key West this way:

"Historic Truman Annex Naval Officers home, circa 1906, featuring 5 bedrooms each with its own ensuite bathroom. Classic front double porches grace the facade of this home, one of the most grandiose in Old Town Key West. Home has been extensively restored to feature a chef's kitchen, formal sitting room, spacious dining area, media room, and guest cottage with large indoor/ outdoor living room not included in living square footage. Master suite boasts a sun-filled sitting room that serves as its entrance. Spacious guest rooms and closets throughout. Over 1000 sq. ft. covered decks and porches. Property has off-street parking via the gated access of Truman annex, yet offers an entrance off Whitehead Street for easy walking access."

One of the things I love about my job is that I get to see the interiors of some pretty incredible homes. I love to see unique cigar Cigar Maker Cottages and Eyebrow Houses. Sometimes I find a Grand Conch or Bahama House that is just "done to a T".  I am always finding some extraordinary architecture or interior design in the Casa Marina Area. Yesterday I got to see one of the most beautiful houses in all of Key West - 324 Whitehead Street which historically was a Naval officer's residence. Today it is a gracious private home offered for sale at $4,850,000.

I dug into the old shoebox and found three photos that date back to the first part of the twentieth century that show 324 Whitehead Street. The first (above) is an aerial photo of  324 Whitehead Street taken in the 1920s. The entire area shown in that photo was part of the US Naval Station until the 1980s. Today much of that area is now part of the Truman Annex. Some of the buildings shown in the top of the photo have been razed and replaced by the Marriott Hotel and condominiums. The middle photo shows 324 Whitehead Street in the 1930s. The bottom photo shows the main gate to the former Naval Station which is about 100 feet north of 324 Whitehead Street. The grandeur of the gates and the facades of the houses let's us know that the military officers lived in style. Wait till you see the inside. 

An iron fence and broad lawn punctuated by tall palms separates the house from Whitehead Street. The front porch sits high off the ground and gives a commanding view of the street.  The front porch is extra wide and runs the length of this huge house. Multiple sets of French doors provide alternate points of entry to the home.

Unlike modern architecture which has rooms with open spaces and sometimes undefined purposes, this grand old house has specific rooms for specific purposes. The front parlor with fireplace is separated from the formal dining room by an interior sets of petite French doors. An informal living area is located on the opposite side of the main floor front. The extra large chef's kitchen is at the right rear. 

An attached guest cottage was added to the north side of the house which includes a bedroom with en-suite bath. The backside of the cottage houses the outdoor living and dining area that overlook the pool below. 

When I arrived at the second floor landing I looked directly into the sitting room off the master bedroom. I was taken aback. Wow! We just don't have spaces as grand as this in Key West. The adjacent master suite includes a fireplace and double sets of French doors that open out to the second level front porch. What a view you have from that place. Then I went back inside and entered the master bath. It is enormous. There are dual pedestal sinks on opposing walls on one side. The entire opposite wall is a custom made closet with mirrored doors that looks like it is a hundred years old. But it isn't. A center island with similar antiquing provides additional storage plus a coffee bar. There are two more bedrooms on the second floor plus a third floor bed and bath that take up the entire third floor.

324 Whitehead Street is offered for sale at $4,850,000. CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and listing photos. If you are in the market for a truly grand home, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to see this one. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

 

206 Harbour Place Condominium - Elegant Key West Waterfront Property

During the Spring of 1987 I attended a party held at the World Famous La Te Da hosted by proprietor Lawrence Formica who introduced Pritam Singh to Key West society and announced plans for the Truman Annex. I wish so much that I had a camera that night or that I could find a photo online.  In today's world of Twitter and Instagram,  there would be several such photos. But 27 years ago people did not record every day events like they do today. In fact that day was not an everyday event. It was a transformative day in Key West history because the Truman Annex became the most popular vacation destination in Key West.  Pritam Singh redeveloped prime ocean front real estate that had been NAVY property for decades. He removed old structures, built seven new communities of condominiums, town homes, and sold single family lots for development by individual homeowners. He added streets, trees and tropical foliage that has grown and matured into a beautiful city-scape. Today Truman Annex is a gated community located behind the historic Presidential gates on Whitehead Street and the Key West waterfront. The Shipyard Condominiums are the least expensive of the properties. Many owners in each of the communities have obtained special transient rental licenses from the City of Key West which allows owners to rent their homes on a weekly basis. The ability to rent one's unit has given would-be Key West second homeowners a realistic and affordable alternative to the purchase of a single family house in Key West. The Harbour Place Condominiums are the most luxurious of the Truman Annex communities. 206 Harbour Place is the largest condominium on the Key West waterfront.

Unit 206 is located on the second floor of the original Naval Administration Building.  I found a couple of photos of President Harry S. Truman standing at the front of the Administration Building in 1969. This was President Truman's last visit to Key West. Today that area looks out to the boardwalk  and Sunset Key beyond. The Administration Building was renovated and became the Harbour Place Condominiums. Balconies and decks were added. Office interiors were transformed into living spaces. Over the years some individual owners have done their own interior renovations. In recent years the windows and doors were replaced with wind impact resistant glass. The building itself was built NAVY STRONG. It may be the safest structure in Key West. It undoubtedly has one of the very best views on the Island of Key West.

The listing Realtor describes unit 206 as "unparalleled elegance and understated luxury".  Two units were combined to create a one-of-a-kind 3073 square foot luxury residence. When you enter the residence your eyes are drawn through the beautifully decorated foyer past the living and dining areas and out to ocean.  The "great room" measures 44 ft in length and has four sets of windows/doors with Plantation Shutters. One set of French doors opens out to the front deck and another set at the south end opens to another deck that overlooks the huge pool. The kitchen has dual counter top cooking surfaces, dual ovens, and dual dishwashers. This place was designed for entertaining and everyday sophisticated living.

The foyer leads into the great room but it also provides access to the master suite at the south end of the unit and provides a genteel entry to the guest bedroom wing by passing through the den. The two guest bedrooms each have baths. The guest rooms have access to a separate balcony that looks out to the community pool, the "outer mole", and Ft Zach Taylor in the distance. There will never be a day when you won't have something new to see.

 

The master suite shown above is probably larger than most condos or town homes in the Truman Annex and anywhere else on the island for that matter. The suite includes the extra spacious bedroom chamber and adjacent office and sitting area. Just to the west is a lady's make-up room with access to the huge walk-in closet. Both the make up area and bedroom enter into the opulent master bath that includes shower and tub, dual vanities, and lots of mirrors.

Unit 206 Harbour Place Condominium is a 3 bedrooms plus a den, and 4.5 baths waterfront residence that includes 3 covered parking spots and a special Truman Annex Transient Rental License which allows the property to be rented up to 25 weeks each year.  CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet on this property that is offered for sale at $2,699,000.  You can view more photos if you CLICK HERE. My photos include many more water views and that is part of why you would buy this home.

After you have look at the photos and property description, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a private showing of this very special waterfront property. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. Let me help you find your place in Paradise. I'd love to be with you on the day you move in and post a selfie on Instagram looking out to the magnificent Key West sunset.