1021 Catherine Street, Key West - Conch Grove Compound

The new listing at 1021 Catherine Street is located in the Conch Grove Compound located two blocks west of White Street in the the South of Truman area in Old Town Key West. The compound consists of eleven unique cottages and single family homes which share a large sunny and heated pool, and gardens. Each cottage or house own is owned in fee simple.  The property owners share ownership of all of the common areas including the sunny pool.  A couple of the cottages are quite small and a couple of the houses are very large. Writer James Kirkwood, co-author of “A Chorus Line”, lived next door at 1023 Catherine Street and was one of the first homeowners in the Conch Grove Compound. He knew a thing or two about a singular sensation. Other original owners included Jay Garon (literary agent who "discovered" John Grisham) and Albin Krebs, a reporter for The New York Times, who wrote obituaries of notable figures. The compound was then and is still today a small enclave of individual homes that share a sunny pool on a quiet little street on a little island out in the middle of the ocean.

I searched through my old shoebox and found the black and white photo below showing 1021 Catherine Street in 1965 long before it was renovated. I then Searched the historic Sanborn Fire Maps to see if I could determine when this house was built. There were numerous small houses on this corner location between the first map in 1889 and 1912 when 1127 Catherine Street first appeared. 1127 Catherine Street was a larger house and faced south as opposed to the smaller cottage that sat on the same lot on earlier maps and which faced toward Watson Street. Several smaller cottages fronted onto Watson and also extended eastward into the property. I am assuming that some of the surviving small cottages dated back to the 1889 era and that 1127 Catherine Street was built after 1899 and was later renumbered as 1021 Catherine St after the 1912 map. Those original 200 sq ft  cottages just did not make sense for long term living for most folks.

The cigar makers of yesteryear and the writers of plays and obituaries of not so long ago would surely be surprised to see how much this little compound and the houses therein have changed  This house has been enlarged on the ground floor and a second floor added in 1995. The Monroe County Property Appraiser website shows this home as being 1862 square feet and sitting on an irregular rectangular 87' X 45' lot. The original front yard is now the back yard which  includes a private spa. The west side yard now has a nice shaded private patio.There is abundant walking space around the entire perimeter of the house.

The original house was remodeled into three parts. A new contemporary building was added at the rear to become the new main entrance to the home. It has clean lines, new opaque glass louvered windows that provide privacy without the use of curtains or shutters, saltillo tile floors, vaulted ceiling coupled with the expansive use of glass, and an open-concept living area.  The main floor of the original house was re-oriented to move the two bedrooms and baths to the front of the original house. The kitchen and bath then became located in the middle of the renovated home. Timber framing was exposed to give height to the spaces. The master bedroom with en-suite bath is quite large and includes a screen enclosed private porch. A second bedroom is now used as an office.  A set of French doors open out to the private spa in the new private backyard.

Do you remember the haunting lyrics of Peggy Lee's "Is That All There Is?" There's more here! When you enter the compound you can move through a winding path toward the common pool or make a sharp right turn where you end up a 1021 Catherine which has its own little private front yard. When you approach the front porch you see a set of exterior stairs that deliver you to the second floor mother-in-law suite. I can tell you from personal experience when you start to get older and see your years waning, you begin to wonder if that is all there is. Imagine your mom arriving at this tree-top nest and how grateful she would feel to live in such a glorious space with such sunny views. That's not a bad way to spend your days, be they be end days or just plain old ordinary days.

As some people get older they start to divest themselves from all the "things" they have accumulated by shopping and shopping over the years. When people move to Key West they realize they probably won't have room for all the stuff they accumulated and won't need as many clothes (especially cold weather clothing). This little nest is perfect for the person who appreciates light and space and fresh air. I'll bet you mom would feel at home, here.

That's the pool. It does not get much better than this. The HOA fee is a nominal $200 per month and covers pool and yard maintenance. Owners are responsible for maintaining their own homes. 1021 Catherine Street is offered at $998,000. CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet to view the particulars and see more listing photos. 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. Let me show you this singular sensation. There is more to life!

 

1117 Watson Street - Key West - Conch Grove Compound - A Singular Sensation

1117 Watson Street, Key West is located two blocks west of White Street and two blocks south of Truman Avenue in the Conch Grove Compound which consists of thirteen cottages and single family houses that share a large sunny and heated pool, gardens, and off street parking. Each cottage or house owns the property in fee simple - just like your home up north in America. But all property owners share ownership of all of the common areas. Each cottage or house is unique. Some cottages are pretty small. A couple of the houses are quite large. So the compound does not look like a Disney version of Key West. It is the real thing. Writer James Kirkwood, co-author of “A Chorus Line”, was one of the first homeowners in the Conch Grove Compound. He knew a thing or two about a singular sensation.

The listing Realtor describes 1117 Watson Street as a

"Totally renovated from top to bottom! This 1 bedroom pied-a-terre is located in the unique Conch Grove Compound in Old Town Key West. The floor plan is very open and features a vaulted ceiling. The loft square footage is a bonus (not included in the MLS square footage). The loft area is open and overlooks the living room. The 3227 square foot lot features a raised brick patio and lush garden area. This cottage has a new roof, new floors, new kitchen cabinets/countertops, new high end appliances, new washer/dryer and a custom artisan seascape bathroom. Shared off-street parking for one car. The large community pool with gazebo is surrounded by lush landscaping. Beautifully decorated and furnished. Ready for the new owner to move in."

 If you read about this house before or if you saw it when it was previously listed, you may remember that the previous owners used the front room as the bedroom. While the original entry door stayed in place on the left side of the front porch, the actual entry to the house was located on the south side of the house. A fair amount of internal floor space was used to create a stairway to a second level loft which was very cramped and that had no practical utility. It was claustrophobic!  Seriously, detective Adrian Monk would have flipped out over the cramped space.  The current owner removed the loft sleeping area and stairway. The entry was relocated back to the front porch but reversed to the south side.

The above photo shows the front entry door on the left. The single bedroom is on the right. There is a new kitchen, updated interiors, new bath, and a totally new aura to this 680 sq ft one bedroom cigar maker cottage.

Not shown in the mls nor do I have any photos that show the large backyard that belong to this unit. One of the joys of owning a place in Key West is having a large enough piece of the outdoors where you can enjoy our wonderful Key West weather.  There is a clearing between the trees that leads through the big green lawn to the pool and sunning area.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West Association of Realtors mls datasheet and listing photos of 1117 Watson Street.  This one bedroom one bath cigar maker's cottage is offered at $675,000.  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 Coastal Realty, Inc.  Instead of meeting with architects, builders, and decorators, spend this summer by the big sunny pool getting the tan of your life.

1117 Watson Street - Old Town - Key West

Just Listed, but not by me, 1117 Watson Street in Old Town Key West. You have seen this same house on my blog a couple of times over the years.  But you have not seen it the way it looks now because the house has been totally updated and give a new houseanality. 

I searched the Historic Sanborn Maps to see if I could determine when the cigar maker cottage was built. The first map dates back to 1889 and it shows houses that existed as of that date.  1117 Watson Street was on that map except back then it was numbered 211 Watson Street.  I am making an assumption here that the number 211 Watson was given because Watson Street began at Division Avenue, which is now known as Truman Avenue.  This house is in the second block of Watson Street. In looking at the map I learned that numerous cigar numerous other cigar maker cottages fronted on to Watson Street while others ran perpendicular east from Watson.  In the 1912 map a wide space just south of the adjacent house was identified as "On Set Court".  That space today is where the shared pool in the Conch Grove Compound is located.

I then dug down into my old shoebox and found a photo of 1117 Watson Street that was taken in 1965. It is shown immediately below. I created a new image that shows the same house nearly fifty years apart. Take a look at all the changes.

This visage is now "history". The entry door is reversed to the south side and provides real access once again.

 If you read about this house before or if you saw it when it was previously listed, you may remember that the previous owners used the front room as the bedroom. While the original entry door stayed in place on the left side of the front porch, the actual entry to the house was located on the south side of the house. A fair amount of real estate was used to create a stairway to a second level loft that was very cramped and that had no practical utility. It was claustrophobic!  Seriously, detective Monk would have flipped out over the cramped space.  The current owner removed the loft sleeping area and stairway. The entry was taken back to the front porch but reversed to the south side.

The above photo shows the front entry door on the left. The single bedroom is on the right. There is a new kitchen, updated interiors, new bath, and a totally new aura to this 680 sq ft one bedroom cigar maker cottage.

The Conch Grove Compound is an assemblage of twelve homes many of which were original cigar maker cottages that were updated by different owners over the years. James Kirkwood (co-author of A Chorus Line) and the late David Kaufelt were among the original compound owners.  All homes share the large and sunny pool and park-like common areas.  The monthly association fee is $200 which covers common area and pool maintenance. 

CLICK HERE to view the Key West Association of Realtors mls datasheet and listing photos of 1117 Watson Street.  This one bedroom one bath cigar maker's cottage is offered at $675,000.  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 Coastal Realty, Inc.  Instead of meeting with architects, builders, and decorators, spend this summer by the big sunny pool getting the tan of your life.

1117 Watson Street - Old Town - Key West

Just listed, but not by me, 1117 Watson Street in Key West. This really cute single family home is located in the Conch Grove Compound.  The Conch Grove Compound consists of several cottages and single family homes that share a large sunny pool, gardens, and parking. The owner of each cottage or house owns the ground under the structure in fee simple. But all property owners share ownership of all of the common areas. Each cottage or house is unique. Writer James Kirkwood, co-author of "A Chorus Line", was one of the first homeowners in the Conch Grove Compound. Local author David Kaufelt used to live there as well.

The listing Realtor describes this property as:

"Charming 1 bedroom cottage located in the Conch Grove Compound in Old Town Key West. Bright and airy floor plan with loft, vaulted ceilings and a lush, private 3227 square foot lot. Nicely renovated with beautiful kitchen and hardwood floors. Loft square footage is a bonus and not included in the unit square footage listed in MLS. Lovely landscaped garden leads to the shared heated pool and wonderful space to catch the sun's rays. Shared off-street parking for one vehicle. A Unique Hidden Tropical Oasis in Old Town Key West." 

 You enter the cigar maker's cottage from a door on the south side, not the front door in the photo. Inside you move to the right and enter the shared kitchen and living area with vaulted ceiling. French doors open from the living room onto the privately owned and very cloistered rear yard.hat area is surrounded by tall and lush trees and vegetation. It is just too sweet. There is a little path that leads over to the pool. The separation is very marked. You would never know the pool exists unless you wanted to go to it. Likewise, the neighbors can't see what you are doing in your own private outdoor space.

The cottage has just one official bedroom which is located at the front. There is a loft that can be used as a second (unofficial) sleeping area. The loft space might be a bit tight for full time use, however. The front porch is used as a place to people watch off the bedroom as opposed to being the main entry to this unique cottage home.   

The home owner association maintains the pool and common areas. The monthly hoa fee is just $200. Each home owner is responsible for normal home maintenance, insurance, etc.  The association permits pets, but dogs must be on a leash.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West Association of Realtors mls datasheet on 1117 Watson Street is offered at $499,000.  If you would like to see this home before somebody snatches it up (and that will surely happen) please consider calling me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a showing. I am a buyers agent and a full time  Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.  If you have been searching for an affordable home in the Old Town area, you already know there are very few properties available.