4 Pinder Lane, Key West - Old Town Treasure

Just Listed by Preferred Properties Key West, that's where I work but this is not my listing, 4 Pinder Lane. This home is a blend of an historic Key West home which was updated with mid-20th Century additions. The original house was built in 1859 and is on the National Registry of Historic Places. The current home has both large and sophisticated public spaces for entertaining and small intimate spaces for normal living. The current owner purchased the home a couple of years ago and tweaked the propertyy in all the right places. Things that went bump in the night don't do that anymore. The house has all new windows, doors, and other essentials. The house has 2657 sq ft of living space situated on an irregular 9887 sq ft lot located at the end of a lane surrounded by some very pricey homes.

The two photos above visually demonstrate the centuries-apart construction. The historic home is on the right. It's as cute and as charming as any dreamer seeking an old historic home could want. There are plenty of small spaces and interesting angles to keep a reader or writer of books occupied. Rockers on the front porch provide a perfect perch for watching the occasional bird that may pass by, but there's little other activity on this lane which dead ends here. The photo immediately above shows the mid-century addition which includes an enclosed breezeway entry into the home. The large structure to the left is the grand living room with huge vaulted ceiling. 

You enter this home through the double glass doors in the first photo above. The living area has an 18' vaulted ceiling with a glass wall of windows and doors that frame the entire room. The design is so comfortable and informal that you immediately feel welcome in this wonderful living space. The newly added doors retract to provide a totally unobstructed view of the pool and gardens. The grounds are totally (but subtly) lit at night.

If you saw this home a couple of years ago, you'll be surprised to see the kitchen has been moved to the front of the house where the old dining room used to be located. The new dining area is now just a couple of steps away on the main living level. The new kitchen has Wolf cooking appliances and a big SubZero refrigerator. There is a nifty counter height informal dining area built in as well. The ground floor guest bedroom is located just off the dining area. Two additional guest bedrooms are located upstairs.

A door at the rear of the guest bedroom opens directly into the first floor bathroom which has a second entrance off the hallway next to the stairway.

The upper level is so inviting that your guests may never leave. Who wouldn't want to curl up and take a nap in such inviting spaces? Nobody that I know. Both the mini-living area and bath are shared on this level. There is even a rooftop sundeck for sun worshipers. CLICK HERE to view more photos of this important property.

The new master suite is located at the rear of the original house. That space was expanded to provide a second vaulted ceiling. You might think the space is too big to be intimate, but you'd be wrong. The space is warm and cozy. When the rear drapes are drawn back you can see into a separate rear yard (not the same yard where the pool is located). A winding brick path leads through the grounds past a little babbling fountain and that ends at a small cottage currently used for storage. There is an immense walk-in closet located off the hallway that leads into the bedroom. The master bath is totally private.

The 43' X 18' pool was resurfaced and the former brick pavers were replaced with new contemporary tiles. The effect almost goes unnoticed because everything so easily blends together. The tiki hut has been outfitted with a new outdoor kitchen. There is even a private poolside bath.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet on 4 Pinder Lane which is offered for sale at $3,295,000. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to set up a private showing on this wonderful Key West home. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

324 Whitehead Street, Key West - Historic Truman Annex Residence

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. The home at 324 Whitehead Street is and exquisite renovation and expansion of what was historically a Naval officer's residence. Today it is a gracious private home offered for sale at $4,495,000.

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. 

The attached guest cottage, pictured above, was added to the north side of the home. The bedroom with en-suite bath sits just inside the covered veranda which evokes a sense of grandeur from long ago. The veranda overlooks 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.

Back door to the parking

324 Whitehead Street is offered for sale at $4,495,000. 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.