Throwback Thursday No. 15 - Atlantic Shores Resort

from June 7, 2015

Atlantic Shores, Key West - Seems Like Only Yesterday

 

 

The Key West of 2015 is much different today than it was on my first visit in 1984. Back then most of the Conch Houses in Old Town had not been renovated and most of the cars on the streets were old and rusty - they were called Conch Cruisers.Thirty-one years later I would estimate that more than half of the houses in Old Town have been renovated to some degree. Some of the best blocks in town like the 600 block of William Street still have a couple of straggler properties that will someday be renovated. Their lingering dereliction probably pains the neighbors who have spend a couple of million dollars on their homes. But I am confident that greed will out and either the current owner or more probably an heir will end up with a big booty of money for the unkempt houses. There are few Conch cruisers remaining, especially in Old Town. You are more than likely to see late model European import than a rusty cruiser.  I ended up moving here twenty-two years ago. I've seen a lot changes since I got here. Some are good. Some are not so good. I miss a lot of the way Key West used to be. I mourn the passing of what was an institution - Atlantic Shores.  

Vintage post card before the Shores went gay

The 1950s vintage motel before it became a world famous "gay" resort.

This building was once Papillion a late night bar which later became a drive-thru liquor store.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I stayed at Colours Guesthouse (now called Marerro's Guesthouse) for the first week of my initial visit to Key West. The houseboy at Colours told me to go to La Te Da on Sunday afternoon to attend Tea Dance and later to go to Tea By The Sea. The next week I moved over to La Te Da for the second week of my vacation. That is when I attended my first Tea Dance. The place filled up with a couple of hundred locals and tourists just after 5:00 PM. They left en-mass promptly at 8:00. Everybody left.  I had never seen a bar shut down so quickly. Waiters emerged from out of nowhere and set up the restaurant within minutes. I thought that was the end of the night. Little did I know that I was supposed to follow the crowd a couple of blocks south to Atlantic Shores for Tea By The Sea.

A few days later I walked over to Atlantic Shores which was located at 510 South Street. I walked past the 1950s era motel towards the ocean side pool. I could hear the constant beat of music blaring all the way from South Street beckoning would-be sun bathers and drinkers. The original motel was a combination of three long buildings, a restaurant, and check-in office. The buildings stretched toward the ocean where there was a very large pool surrounded by wood deck. An even longer walking pier extended further out to the ocean. I reckon I got there sometime just after noon because all lounge chairs were still facing south. The specter was overwhelming. There must have been a couple of hundred people hanging around the pool in various locations. Some were standing or sitting in the covered bar area. Others were laying on chaise lounge chairs on the deck or on the pier or swimming in the pool. Atlantic Shores was clothing optional. Most people wore bathing suits, but clothing was optional. For some it ought to be required. I had heard the place was a gay hangout, but on that day there were a lot of college kids and maybe an equal number of locals hanging out and partying. A lot of the college girls were topless but the boys had more modesty. There were a lot of tanned locals, many of whom were nude. I felt uncomfortable and left. (But I did return many times in the future.)

It wasn't until a later visit to Key West that I actually attended Tea By the Sea. Tea started at 8:00 PM every Sunday and lasted until 11:00 PM. You could hear the music for blocks around even though Key West has a noise ordinance that is supposed to forbid such noise. Locals and tourists would follow the beat as if summoned to the pier by the Pied Piper. All of the lounge chairs were removed from the deck to create a large dance. Most people got liquored up a bit before they started to dance. Once the music was just right the deck got crowded with dancers. The boards would bounce up and down to the beat of the music. Sometimes the beat was so intense I was sure the deck would collapse into the ocean below. It didn't. Dancing under the stars and on top of the water. Wow!

Some people would stand out on the pier and watch the little boats bobbing up and down on the horizon with lights reflecting off the water.  Stars illuminated the sky. If you looked toward the east I swear the lights from Miami seemed to light the sky. If you looked south or west the horizon was almost pitch black.

The tiki hut bar was pretty small, maybe 15' X 15' or so which was open on all four side. There were normally two or three bare chested bartenders who moved at a furious pace opening beer bottles and mixing cocktails. Locals grabbed bar stools early. Others would cram the remaining space where people talked or tried to buy a drink. As the night progressed the noise level got so loud that you would have to shout to speak to the person next to you. And you could not help but get nearly intimate with just about every person there.There was no such thing as 'personal space'.  Maybe that was part of the attraction. I remember a couple of times when a sudden cloudburst would occur and the normally crammed tiki hut bar became a sardine can filled with men.

Every Sunday night just a couple minutes before eleven o'clock Last Dance was played. Donna Summers slowly and softly at first then faster and with ferocity would entreat the dancers with her lament:

Last dance

"Last chance for love

Yes, it's my last chance

For romance tonight"...

After which the lights went up, the music turned off, and lucky ones went home for some romance and or maybe to another bar for another chance to get lucky or more likely home - alone.

More than any other bar in Key West, this was the great equalizer. Drinks were as cheap as some of the people that hung out at the Shores in the daytime. I'll give you a couple of examples. During season the place was always jammed during the daytime. But when season was over locals had the place pretty much to themselves a lot of the time. I remember one cloudy Sunday afternoon when there were few people there. After all, it was cloudy.  There was this smallish guy who was so pale he looked as if he might have been albino. I distinctly remember that he wore a very dark lipstick - totally odd, even for Key West. He had been doing hand stands in the shallow end of the pool. His head was in the water and his legs extended up to the sky. His tiny frame was exposed for all to see. He was not wearing a swimsuit. He had a petite pecker that was at full attention - or maybe I should say he was seeking attention. He got out of the pool and headed toward the bar - his small manhood preceded him by three inches at most. He walked with his right hand outstretched as he headed towards a group of gay boys standing near the south end of the pool. I remember this one guy jumping into the pool to avoid physical contact with the white one. That did not deter the little guy. He got close enough to one guy to give him a kiss. The guy tried to back away but was too slow. He got a slider from the little lipstick man. It was hilarious.

I remember another occasion late one sunny afternoon. I remember this because all lounge chairs had been rotated toward the west. There was a smattering of locals and a few tourists still hanging by the pool. A very good looking older man (in his fifties or early sixties) was accompanied by a very handsome and extremely well built young guy in his early twenties. The older guy had been buying the younger guy cocktails throughout the afternoon. The young guy asked the older man if he could go talk to a girl at sitting nearby me. Permission was granted. The guy walked past me to the cement block wall to my rear where the girl was seated. I remember him asking her something like "Are you working here today?" It clicked. They were both professionals. He was a Rent Boy. They talked for quite a while. And then I remember the guy took off his swim shorts and dove into the water. He reemerged and climbed up the metal steps and stood there. It was like something out of a porn movie - the guy stood there with water trickling down  his backside for all to see. He pivoted and flexed for everyone. Unlike the smallish Albino, this guy was fully equipped. The old guy must have paid a lot for him. I surveyed the crowd at the bar and around the deck. Everybody there was drooling over this kid.


It was either on Wednesday or Thursday night that the parking lot at Atlantic Shores became the Key West Drive-In Theater. Lounge chairs were moved to the parking lot. Locals could bring their own chairs. Cocktails and popcorn were served. There would usually be a little raffle. I won such a raffle and yelled "Bingo". I got a $25 or $50 gift certificate for food or alcohol at Diner Shores (the restaurant at the front) or the cook shack on the deck which by the way was a daily treat for all that dined there. The drive-in movie showed movies that you couldn't see at the Regal Cinema out in Searstown. That place ran mainstream movies. Our drive-in had more independent type movies. Today the Tropic Cinema on Eaton Street fills that cultural void. But back in the day, there was nothing quite like watching a movie under the stars in Key West. 

I witnessed a lot of unforgettable spectacles there. I have so many fond memories such as laying out at Atlantic Shores almost all day on Christmas Day in 1999. The temperature was near 80 as I remember. And the weather up north was frightful but the weather here was so delightful.

I took my sister to Atlantic Shores when she visited me in 1994. She was seventeen years older than me. She lived in Broomfield, Colorado. She was a big liberal and a voracious reader. She could not get enough of this place. There was nothing like this in her little town. Nor was there a place like this pretty much anywhere else. Besides being a place to sun and drink, it was a meeting place where social events and charity events were held. Locals felt at home here. As I wrote this blog I searched for photos and found the YouTube Video below. It was shot at the Last Tea Dance at Atlantic Shores. Take a look. If you're a local, leave a comment.  I mourn the loss of this once very special place in Key West. It seems like only yesterday. 

Atlantic Shores during demolition of an era

The corner of South at Simonton Streets. The drive-thru liquor store once stood here. Progress to some.

1307 Truman Avenue, Key West's Grand Dame

 Just Listed by Preferred Properties Key West, that is where I work but this is not my listing, 1307 Truman Avenue, Key West. The listing Realtor describes the property this way:

"A notable Historic Grand Key West Home in the heart Of Old Town with 5 bedrooms and 5.5 baths. Entering you are greeted by 12 ft. ceilings on both the first and second floors. A project spanning 3 years earned the owner a ceramic star for historic renovation. You can easily see the original details of the crown molding, stained glass, and Dade pine wood flooring. Off the foyer there is a front parlor with an adjoining living room and a formal dining room, which are adjacent to a dream Kitchen with Carrera marble countertops, and top of the line appliances. 4 sets of French doors and transom windows reveal a wrap around porch leading to a large pool and expansive yard. New HVAC throughout X Zone. Off Street Parking on Albury St."

Wikipedia describes Grand Dame as "In popular culture, the grande dame is usually portrayed as a slightly flamboyant woman, prone to extravagant and eccentric fashion, such as feather boas, large hats, and excessive costume jewelry. She may be overly pre-occupied with the concept of 'acting ladylike" and expect all those around her to conform to her own high standards of etiquette." This home has a prominence that cannot be denied. The wrap around verandas are her boa; the towering height is her large hat; and the gardens are her costume jewelry. As you look thru the photos below you will understand me referencing this home as a lady. It is dignified, elegant, and properly attired.

I dug down into my old shoebox and found the black and white photo taken half a century ago that photo shows the house before the rear addition was added. You can't see the addition in present day photos as it is hidden behind the white picket fence and privacy foliage. The most notable change was the creation of the third floor open balcony that overlooks Bayview Park across the street. Let's step inside and look around.

Voila - You open the door to another era. This Victorian era home was built in 1906 by cigar factory owner from Cuba. This home has all the character and formality as it did when it was built. There is a grand three story entry hall. The living room is located at the front of the house.  A Victorian era divider provides a bit of separation which allows for two distinct living areas. A similar divider provides a separation from the formal dining room.

For all of its old school formality, the new school of thought is to get a drop dead envy Key West tan laying on a raft in your private pool or sipping pina coladas under the wrap-around veranda. Your friends will hate you when they see the kewl pool views.

Each of the rooms on all three levels of the house (including the third floor) have very tall ceilings, crown molding, and exude a sense of formality we don't see in current architecture. For readers who have been in dozens of Key West Conch houses, this isn't one. This house probably more than any I have seen in Key West imparts the feel of the Victorian Era.

I bet a princess lives in this room. 

 

 

The house sits on two lots which span from Truman Avenue to Albury Street ( 161' X 46.08' or 7418 sq ft). According to the Monroe County  Property Appraiser this home has 3352 sq ft of interior living space plus 1500 sq ft of porches. Bedrooms have 12 ft ceilings. There is a second floor maid's quarters (or guest suite) with a private porch and a view of the stunning pool below.

I found the above postcard from 1900. I noted the location of 1307 Truman Avenue and also show where the Mid-Town suburbs would be built decades later. US 1 (North Roosevelt Blvd) would be created by filling in that body of water at the upper left of the photo. I took the photo below showing the view across Truman Avenue (Division Street in the old photo). This house and this view are so special. 

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and more listing photos of 1307 Truman Avenue Key West offered for sale at $4,239,000 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. 

Key West Real Estate Throwback Thursday No. 6

From: 11/19/2014

Key West is the Opposite of Ohio

While speaking at the Key West Literary Seminar poet Mark Doty said that although “he was never actually here,” Hart Crane “loved Key West.” Crane loved Key West because by all reports it was the opposite of Ohio.*

Hart Crane

A while back I watched HGTV's Urban Oasis giveaway of a sleek high rise condo at Miami's Paramount Bay.  I mused about winning the $900,000 condo and then thought to myself "Self, if you win, you will have to pay income tax on that thing. Do you really want to own a condo in Miami where people get shot and killed daily for no reason? Do you want to live in a place where most people don't speak English and have a culture that is alien to you? Do you really want to live up in the sky?" I must confess that I filled out the online registration. I figured if I won I could sell the condo and make a few bucks because I really, truly, would never want to live in Miami just as much as I would not want to live in Ohio.  

If you live in Ohio, please don't be offended. I'm sure that a lot of nice people live there. I sold houses to two different Ohio couples in the past.  They area really nice people who really didn't like living in Ohio in the winter when it was so cold and miserable. And they didn't like Ohio much more in the summer when it is so muggy. No, they dreamed of owning a little house in Key West where they could live a much more comfortable climate and a lead a less harried pace of life. One young couple bought a house I wrote about in my blog. I saw the mom and the two girls in their stroller one Sunday morning as I was taking photos for my blog. I asked how things were going, and she responded "I'll never leave Key West!" The other couple is older and don't have children. They bought a house a quintessential Key West cottage. I saw them driving their Key West convertible with the top down.  They were in the turn lane at White and Truman. I asked how they were doing and they said something like "loving life".  

Another couple from the northeast decided to buy a big lot in the Casa Marina area where they  built their dream home from scratch.  They hired a noted Key West architect, an accomplished landscape architect, and a very competent builder to turn their vision into reality.  The photos above show the view from their master bedroom and the new pool and gardens.  The pool view is a dramatic alternative to the view from the high rise Miami condo. Which place do you think Hart Crane would have preferred?

If you are thinking about buying a place in Key West, please contact 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. 

*CLICK HERE to read this most interesting account about Hart Crane written by Key West's Mark Howell in ABOUT THE BEATS.

 

Firing Fact Checkers

The following story is real. I was a part of it. But not the part that counts.

 During summer recess in 1996 I shared an apartment in Denver with a guy from my college. I will call him Hal. I worked as a civil clerk at the Jefferson County Court in Golden, Colorado. Hal worked at Lowry Air Force Base as a painter. Hal came from a privileged background. He was tall, blond, and very good looking. He drove a brand new Pontiac Convertible. His major was industrial construction management - I hadn't a clue what that was. He revealed he a younger sister who was a patient at Ridge Home in Arvada, Colorado. For all the positives in his life, he had some demons as well. I remember coming home after work one day seeing him in the bathroom vomiting.  I saw a suicide note on the kitchen table. I did not all the police. He did not die. He was being a dramatic queen. We did not see each other after we returned to school although I called him once. He preferred to hang out with his fraternity friends.

I remember seeing him 13 years of  so later at a Christmas Gala Historic Denver in the old Union Station. We talked a bit. He wore  tux. Me a suit. I remember him sitting on the floor - drunk. I learned that he was in upper management at the mortgage company of the bank holding company where I also worked. Good for him. I met his wife. Wife? Yes. (I later learned she was from Denver society and liked nice things and that she pushed Hal into Denver Society. ) As soon as I heard Hal was married, I knew whatever he was involved in was fake. Real fake.

It was maybe a year of two later that I learned Hal had been arrested for embezzlement of  $589,823 from his employer and that a substantial portion of those embezzled funds had been used to construct and furnish the family residence. In his position as vice president of construction lending of the mortgage company, he was able to write checks without obtaining the approval of any other employee. Because he wrote checks on two accounts of which he was responsible, the embezzlement went on for more than a year. The court later determined that $190,000 was used to construct the family home. $40,000 was spent on furnishings, $13,000 on a Jaguar (move-up from Pontiac), and $3,200 to repay a private loan from a friend.

A guy I worked with in the bank loss prevention department told me that my Hal's wife came home early one afternoon and found Hal having sex with another man in the marital bed. She immediately filed for a divorce. Lots of money was spent by Hal, his ex-wife, and the mortgage company for years that followed.

The loss prevention guy told me the embezzlement went on for more than a year because Hal would re-assign or fire subordinates who raised questions. Then a new woman employee suspected something was fishy and went outside company protocol to report her suspicions. The embezzlement was revealed just as the divorce was rocking Hal's world.

Rules are established to keep honest people honest. Most obey. Some stray. Some, like Hal, devise ingenious plans to get away with things. Which leads me to my point. Trump fired four Inspectors General. They were fact checkers. I have more faith in rules than I do people. Nuff said.

907 Frances Street, Key West

The above is Ronny Bailey's folk art depiction of how 900 Frances Street used to look like back in the day. I took a photo of the current building yesterday which is located just below along with a photo taken outside the gate of 907 Frances Street Key West about which you are to read further. (That building has been renovated. It looks decrepit on purpose.)  Living in and among Key West's historic structures is what makes our little town out in the middle of the ocean so different than all the rest of Florida. It's hard to get here and even harder to leave.

I rummaged thru my old shoebox and found a photo dated 1965 of 907 Frances Street. Compare it to the current day color photo. This lovely Conch Cottage was built around 1884. I found it on the 1889 Sanborn Fire Map when it was then identified as 106 Frances Street. Many of our historic houses have had house numbers changed. Many of the other smaller cigar maker cottages located on Frances Street, Havana Lane, Pohlalski Lane, and Jerome Lane remain. The old Pohalski Cigar Factory is gone. Each house is different today but much of the character remains.

This house has two bedrooms and two baths one of which is in the separate guest cottage shown later. The building sketch shows the main house. The livingroom photos dhow the Dade County Pine walls and ceiling. Two of the windows face the south side yard whch allow light to flow into the room.

The main bedroom is located just off the kitchen and the bath is located on the opposite side of the kitchen. If that configuration bothers you, Key West may not be the place for you. Out old houses have been updated to give them amenities never intended. This house has all the style of a Ralph Lauren cottage going on. It is perfectly imperfect.

While the guest bedroom looks reminiscent of a cabin in the woods, locals and returning visitors know Key West has great local theater, music, arts, plus lots of bars, gyms, restaurants, and water sports of all types. We can compete with almost any destination resort. Hotels and real estate developers can make new buildings look old, but, like COKE, the real thing is best.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and more photos of 907 Frances Street, Key West offered for sale at $835,000. 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 Key West.