Merry Christmas from Key West 2019

Sunday OPEN HOUSES in Key West - Find Your Future At Last

If you have been searching for your Key West dream home for too long, drop by the two Open Houses I am hosting today between 12:00 to 2:00 PM in Old Town. Conveniently located one block apart.

409 Grinnell Street is an lovingly restored four bedroom Grand Conch House which was awarded a Ceramic Star for historic preservation in 2014. Offered FULLY FURNISHED at $1,275,000.  CLICK HERE for all the details.

11 Nassau Lane is a sweet two bedroom two bath cottage located on one of Key West's slow lanes.  Offered FULLY FURNISHED at $849,000. CLICK HERE for the details.  Better yet see it in person.

Both homes will be Open

12:00 to 2:00 PM

409 Grinnell Street, Key West - Just Listed

Just Listed - 409 Grinnell Street, Key West, Florida. This lovingly restored four bedroom historic two story Conch Home was awarded the Historic Florida Keys Ceramic Star for 2014.  

The current owners then tweaked the place ever-so-kindly with the aid of architect Rob Delaune who redesigned the kitchen, added a new Ipe deck, coral stone patio, pool with water feature, and a seductive outdoor shower.

The house first appeared in the 1889 Sanborn Fire Maps for Key West. I was surprised to learn that the adjacent Elgin Lane was named "Hidalgo Alley" in 1889. The renovated house now has four bedrooms including one of the first floor where there is also a full bath. Step out of the master bedroom onto the second floor covered porch and watch the world pass by below.

CLICK HERE to view more photos of 409 Grinnell Street, Key West. The attic provides additional storage. It is accessed via pull down staircase. There is a wood floor and the area is lighted.

You cannot beat the convenient location near the Old Town Bakery and 24 Hour Fitness. One place will put the pounds on and the other will take it off. Both can be fun. Duval Street and all that means is a quick five to seven minute walk. The Historic Seaport is two blocks to the north. Your family, friends, and guests won't want to go back home.  CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and listing photos of 409 Grinnell Street, Key West, Florida. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a private showing. I am the Exclusive Listing Realtor of this beautifully restored Old Town treasure offered TURN KEY at $1,275,000. Preferred Properties Key West.

Merry Christmas 2018 from Key West

Merry Christmas Everybody!  Thank you for reading my ramblings, nostalgic looks backwards, my prognostications about the future, and my buyer alerts for those true bargain properties that still pop up from time to time in Key West. I know it's difficult to accept that a "several" thousands of dollars can be a 'bargain" but who ever thought a movie actor would have become a President of that half of Americans could believe the Russians are our friends.  Key West is a tiny little island out in the middle of the ocean. Once you are here, what goes on up north in America doesn't matter all that much.  Getting to own your first home in Key West is only the beginning to the rest of your life. Believe!

710 Baker Lane, Key West - Renovation Project in Prime Location

JUST LISTED, but not by me, 710 Bakers Lane, Key West. The historic house (pictured above) appears on the 1899 Sanborn Fire Map. However, the Monroe County Property Appraiser records show official construction date as 1901. Same difference. The lot measures 50.3' wide and 100' deep. Bakers Lane is located near the peak of Solares Hill, the highest point on the island of Key West.

I searched my old shoebox and found two photos attached above that show the location (aerial photo above taken in 1979) and the black and white pic taken in 1965 showing the front porch with entrance on the right. The porch now extend to the left where the entrance is now located adjacent off street parking for two cars.

Many changes occurred to the property over the years and they are not all pretty. This is a fixer property. The photos will scare some buyers but will enthrall others because of the prime location situated amid many multi-million dollar homes at the highest point on the island. The lot is very large and basically free of trees giving a developer many renovation options. By this I mean some lots have giant old trees which are protected and may not be taken down. The existing trees on this lot are small and may be cut down.

710 Bakers Lane as viewed about 2/3 way in the lot. The listing Realtor describes the house as a one bedroom one bath home with 1056 sq ft of living space. See the photos below for a glimpse of what is. I would assume any new owner would totally gut the interior, remove the applied rock facade on rear, and rebuild the entire structure. The point is what you see is not the mess pictured but the opportunity to create something new in a great location.

There is an existing very large pool in the center of the lot with a stand alone building at the rear. That building is located about seven or eight feet from the rear setback which means it could be renovated in place and not have to comply with current and more stringent setback requirements. Perhaps a new owner might add a second story or simply capture some of land under the current canopy on the left.

There is a gate at the rear of 626 William Street which gives that owner a secret access to Bakers Lane. That house sold in October 2018 for $3,75,000. It was rebuilt by Broadway impresario Jerry Herman a couple of decades ago. James Leo Herlihy (author of Midnight Cowboy) lived across the lane at 709 Bakers Lane about the same time period. I sold that house about ten years ago to another author. Bakers Lane is located half-way between Southard Street to the north and Windsor Lane to the south. The lane dead ends about 200 feet from its beginning. This house and an adjacent property are the two houses which have not been renovated. The others are utterly charming.

(As I write this I recalled that several other notable literary figures lived within a few hundred feet of this location including James Merrill,John Ciardi, Phillip Burton. See the group photo below.)

From top left: James Merrill, Evan Rhodes, Edward Hower, Alison Lurie, Shel Silverstein, Bill Manville, Joseph Lash, Arnold Sundgaard, John Williams, Richard Wilbur, Jim Boatwright. From bottom left: Susan Nadler, Thomas McGuane, William Wright, John Ciardi, David Kaufelt, Philip Caputo, Philip Burton, John Malcolm Brinnin.
 I borrowed the above photo from the Key West Literary Seminar. Of this photo Arlo Haskle wrote:

"How many words is a picture worth if its subjects have penned more than many thousands of bestselling words apiece, already read by tens of thousands of readers? If in their beach bags are five Pulitzer Prizes, a few National Book Awards, two Bollingen Prizes, and office stationery from the U.S. Poet Laureate?"

 Buyers with an interest in the past may find this literary connection interesting, others probably will not. The reason I point out connection is these men and women all chose this location as their place of solace. I often refer to life on our little lanes as "life on the slow lanes of Key West".  There are o speed bumps on this Bakers Lane. You couldn't get a car or even a bike up to more than a couple of miles per hour. That's a good thing. The rest of the world spins around like crazy all the time. It's good to have a place where nothing hardly ever happens.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet on 710 Bakers Lane offered at $995,000. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to set up an appointment to see this property. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.  Even though the asking price is pretty high, I think this place will sell fairly quickly. This is a great location with many development possibilities. If you wait too long, someone else will beat you.

618 Catholic Lane, Key West - Hidden Gem

618 Catholic Lane is located on one of those slow lanes of Key West of which I am so fond. This lane is tucked away just to the north of the Key West cemetery where Angela Street is a one-way street for the three block stretch between Frances Street to the east and Margaret Street on the west. Angela Street is so narrow those dang fangled Conch Trains and Trolley Cars can't go down the street. The result is this little piece of Paradise is not burdened by traffic or much of anything. One might see a tourist with a guidebook nosing around, however. Author Evan Rhodes (The Prince of Central Park among others) used to live two doors to the south.

Long time readers of my blog know that I like to root through my old shoebox looking for photos of houses I write about and also search the Historic Sanborn Fire Maps to determine when houses may have been built. I did both here and came up empty handed except that remembered looking up a couple of other houses last year on adjacent Roberts Lane which extends west about 150 feet or so off Frances Street. When I searched the 1899 map I saw several cottages on Roberts which is now only a walking lane. As I stood on the Catholic Lane property I remember looking through the trees towards the east. I saw the backside of 1020 Southard Street (the Gingerbreadman House) I wrote about last week. I also saw the rear of the house at 1022 Roberts Lane I wrote about two years ago. My thesis is Roberts Lane and Catholic Lane sort of converged but did not exactly meet. It makes sense to me that the black and white photo above which has the notation 610 Roberts Lane may in fact be the current day 618 Catholic Lane because there is no 610 Roberts Lane anymore.

The Sanborn Map shows Catholic Lane abruptly ending just at the front gate of 618 Catholic Lane. My theory makes sense to me. It may or may not be correct.  But story got my readers inside this property that they might not have ever seen or considered.

When you pass through the double wooden gates and enter the property you will likely be awed by the size of this hidden garden. It is so unexpected. Residents and frequent visitors know that most houses in Old Town have limited outdoor spaces. This home is the opposite. The lot is huge and roughly measures 90' X 29'.  The house abuts the west property line boundary so the open space seems immense.

When you step up onto the front porch you should immediately "get" the house. The porch runs the length of the house and provides lounging and dining spaces for outdoor living. I love the fall and winter nights when we can dine outside under the moon (or a porch) while others up north in America huddle around a pot belly stove or other heat producing device. The bright white clapboards  are set off by the black wood shutters that encase the five sets of doors that bring sunshine (albeit filtered by the palm trees and tropical foliage) into the home. Windows and doors on the three other sides bring more light into the space where drapes and blinds are for the most part not necessary. The result is a bright and open living environment. 

The master bedroom has a two sets of French doors which open out to the pool with fountain. I could hear the water flowing as I walked around the bedroom and master bath. I thought how marvelous it would be to hear that soothing sound late at night or early morning. The bathroom is enormous and also has a door that opens out to the deck area. By the way there is an outdoor shower located on the far side of the pool waterfall.

The second bedroom is located down the hall from the kitchen and past the guest bathroom (with laundry) and the master bedroom. This bedroom is currently configured for an occasional guest and has a loft for the grand children and really unexpected guests. This house sparkles from top to bottom.  I looked for but did not find anything left undone. This house is in move-in condition.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and more listing photos of 618 Catholic Lane. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a private tour of this very private and beautiful home which was once the guest house of the larger home at 1014 Southard Street which was the cover story home in Architectural Digest in the mid 2000s. This was never an ordinary house. It is extraordinary. It is a hidden gem.