713 Eaton Street, Key West - Price Reduced

The asking price on 713 Eaton Street in Old Town Key West was just reduced to $1,300,000. This truly is an historic home based not only on its historic construction also on its renovation by the iconic designer Angelo Donghia who personally resided here at the beginning of the Key West cultural and housing renaissance.   The listing broker describes this home as follow

"The house is a simple one story six room Conch house which was owned and renovated by Angelo Donghia,  I did not see the house before it was renovated, but I have seen so many old homes that I am pretty sure the original house was constructed the same as others which would have included beaver board like panels applied over the original Dade County Pine walls. This material looks similar to a dense cardboard which could be painted. Beaverboard is flexible and can move a bit during a wind storm without cracking like plaster. I believe that Donghia removed the beaverboard to expose the Dade Count Pine walls and ceiling and added a clear coat of polyurethane which gives the current day walls and ceiling a grayish patina. The wood floors have the look of a well worn shoe - comfortable. The last thing one should do is refinish the floors: they are wonderful. They are like the walls, a canvas upon which to create art. In this instance, add a great rug."

 Upon his death in 1985 The New York Times referred to Angelo Donghia as one of America's most influential designers and distinguished two of his personal homes writing "a much-publicized Manhattan town house and a turn-of-the century Victorian house in Key West, Fla. The town house espoused a sophisticated, formal look; the Key West house had a more casual point of view that highlighted renovation and preservation." That home sits today the same way as when he sold it in 1980. It has not been touched. Buyers seeking an historic home may want to consider this property.

The front door opens into the living room and dining area on the right side. This is a big impressive space. Extra large crown molding and baseboards frame this space. The custom milled white trim sets off the windows and door.

This home which first appeared in the 1889 Sanborn Fire Map. At that time a small grocery store was partially located in the right front yard and extended out into where the sidewalk is today. That appendage appeared in each successive map until 1912.

When you enter the kitchen the same wood is employed. But the room is decidedly different. The room is even thous visible from inside the more "formal" living room is less formal by purpose and also by design. There is no crown molding or baseboard. The pine cabinets are the same pine on the walls which are aligned of the same plain. The kitchen shelves dial down the sophistication one more notch. Simplicity of design reflects the intended use of this space - food preparation.  The kitchen door opens out to Peacon Lane, formerly known as Gruntbone Alley where there is a bricked off street parking spot. 

The master bedroom is located at the right front of the house. While I did not see the house as it was being renovated, I am certain Donghia re-built the front wall that now includes closets on either side of a built-in bench  

There are two bedrooms at the rear. The bedroom below is currently used as a den. Both bedrooms have closets. And both have French doors which open out to the pool.

There is an outdoor shower on the west or right side of the house. All bedrooms have access to it as do people using the pool.

One of the real estate agents in my office told me he used to go to parties in the Donghia house back in the day while Donghia still lived there. He talked about the famous (and infamous) people from New York and Key West who attended the parties. He said the house was different then - furnished with designer furniture and art and famous people. The house itself has not changed. In fact, the passage of forty years have given that Donghia design a patina that only comes from age. If you are a fan of Antiques Road Show like I am, you know not to do something stupid by trying to clean or brush away patina. 

Eaton Street at Peacon Lane,  1937

Peacon Lane current
 

 I sat for several minutes on this front porch waiting to go inside for a showing.  Tourists were walking past on their way in both directions looking around at the houses on either side of the street commenting on the architecture and how wonderful it must be to live in such a town as this. I sat back on the cane chair in the cool of the afternoon shade behind the fan palms that made me invisible.

I can see why out of all the old houses for sale forty some years ago Donghia bought 712 Eaton (across the street) and also 713 Eaton Street. He renovated 712 Eaton and sold it to Calvin Klein. He kept 713 Eaton for himself. The simple facade of 713 is the opposite of the octagon house which is way fussy. It's better to look at fussy than to be fussy. People talk about fussy people but they admire the beautiful and unpretentious. That's what 713 Eaton Street is.  And it will stay that way as long as nobody messes with it.

713 Eaton Street is now offered for sale by Preferred Properties Key West at the reduced price of $1,300,000. Please CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet. Then call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to set up a personal showing. Days and times are limited. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

514 Elizabeth Street, Key West

JUST LISTED

Just Listed 514 Elizabeth Street, Key West. I have written about this house a few times over the ten years I have written my blog, not because it has been offered for sale but rather to share with my Dear Readers that this is the first house I sold in Key West.  It has been owned by the same people these many years. As I recall there were three factors that influenced their decision to buy this place. First, the house really is historic - it is one of the very oldest homes in Key West. Second, it has a great location equal distance to Duval Street and the Historic Seaport. And three it had off street parking and a deep back yard with room for a pool. The owners built that pool, the old house charm and the location never changed. Today this home is offered for sale at $1,500,000.

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe famously said, "Less is more."  The simplicity of design and original construction make it stand out among the many homes in Old Town that have been over-renovated. My research shows the house as having been built circa 1855. The photo directly below shows the house in 1965. Below that is a photo I took a about then years ago. The bottom photo was taken in 2013 from 517 Elizabeth shorty after it was remodeled and offered for sale. The present owner is an architectural historian. He told me  that 514 Elizabeth is "is typical of the conch or Bahamian house built in the Bahamas from the 1780s and in Key West prior to the Civil War. The original architectural moldings that survive are typical of the 1835-1860 period."

The facade is so simple. The front porch is meant for setting. The front door opens into a wide hallway with the formal parlor on the right and the ground floor bedroom on the left. There is a main floor bath at the left rear. The stairway to the second floor bedrooms is located on the right. The original Dade County Pine walls and floors are still intact throughout the house. The only noticeable things I saw that has changed is the front scuttle no long is visible inside the second floor bedrooms. The house has central air conditioning and that vitiated the need to use the scuttle for ventilation.

You probably can't tell it from the photos but the wood walls also help us date the house. The wood planks are much wider than typical houses from the 1890s and beyond. That means the Dade County Pine walls were "old growth lumber" which means earlier construction. The floors and walls have settled a bit with age. Purists who want a genuine old house will appreciate this. People who want something is all perfect will not. I remember staying at the Lygon Arms in the Cotswolds many years ago. We stayed in the room that Oliver Cromwell stayed in the night before the Battle of Hastings in 1620. The room tilted a bit. The hotel had a fancy new addition. I preferred the tilt. And that is why I find this house so utterly charming.

 The previous owner added a new kitchen and dining area more than twenty years ago. It is showing its age a bit. A new owner might update the space.

One of the joys of living in Key West is the ability to open the doors in the winter and allow the sunshine inside and merge the inside with the outside at night. Two separate spaces become one environment to share with family and friends. It's meals on heels instead of meals on wheels here.

During the daytime the pool is the perfect place to get than Key West tan that will make your friends from the frozen north green with envy.

A new owner might build a rear cottage on the north side of this L-shaped lot where the current lower level dining area is located. The new structure could be built at the same height as the laundry cottage across the pool on the north. There appears to be enough ground to comply with set back and lot usage requirements. If this were done, the new owner could end of having a four bedroom home in an ideal Old Town location. CLICK HERE to view more photos of this home.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet on 514 Elizabeth Street which is a Pre-Civil War home in Key West offered by Preferred Properties at $1,500,000. Then call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a private showing. This is a great location and a precious home in our community.

823 White Street, Key West

Just Listed by Preferred Properties Key West 823 White Street, Key West.  This house is the oldest house on White Street and likely the oldest house in the Meadows Area as it dates back to circa 1850. It is known as The Cold's Milk Farm.

Paul Cold moved this 1850's farm house to this location just after the civil war.  It is the oldest surviving house on White Street. Originally the Cold family occupied the front of this five bay house. The workers quarters and kitchen were located in a separate detached building to the rear. Both buildings were combined into one larger building in the 1890's. The 1884 Birds Eye View map of Key West clearly shows 883 White Street as the only residential structure in the area. There was a large waterfront building on what is now Eisenhower Drive. The balance of the area was occupied by the military. The farm included the dairy herd and an orchard of sapodilla trees from which the sap was extracted to make chicle, a gum based product that became the main ingredient in chewing gum (hence Chicklets Gum). During this same time period there were five or six other small dairy farms in Key West. There was not cold storage for milk back then like we have today. I  found a post card which shows how milk was delivered by the Key West dairies. Don't laugh: it worked.

The listing broker describes modern day 823 White Street this way:

"An historic treasure built circa 1860 and restored to it's original glory, the owner retained the charm and added all the modern conveniences one expects. This spacious 4 bedroom, 4 & 1/2 bath home won the coveted Florida Keys Preservation Society Ceramic Star Award for Restoration. The craftsmanship and attention to detail is evident throughout the home. A long list of improvements is available. Perfect for entertaining, the living room, dining room, den, and kitchen all open into each other and onto decks on both sides of the home. On one side is a pool and covered porch. On the other side, doors open to a covered dining porch which overlooks a garden. The top of the line kitchen fits perfectly with the home and will serve the needs of any gourmet. With four bedrooms and four and a half baths there is plenty of room for extended family and friends. Off street parking, a wine cellar, extra ROGO units and a great old town location complete the package. A full and very interesting history of the property is available as well as the details of the restoration. This historically significant home is truly an old town treasure."

The second photo from the top shows a ceramic star located adjacent to the front door. This ceramic star was given to the owners of this home by the Historic Florida Keys Foundation for excellence in preservation of this home.

When you view this home from the front you see a substantial home with five bays (openings in a wall for windows or doors) with first and second floor covered porches. The symmetry and economy of design is noteworthy before you enter the front door. The proportions are graceful and utilitarian. The house looks to me like a big salt box rested on its side with openings for doors and windows neatly interspersed. When you enter the house the design turns just a bit. What I imagine may have been the original parlor is located to the left of the front door just under a broad arch. In that room you will see the first of three fireplaces in this home.

The family room is located to the right of the front door. This room, like the parlor, has four windows which bathe the space is muted light. Trees and tropical foliage provide the privacy from the outside world. The above photo doesn't quite work as well as I had planned to demonstrate the attention to detail in the restoration and /or replacement of windows. Windows that could be saved were. And where replacement windows were needed, the factory fresh glass pains were replaced with historic glass which shows the passage of time as the glass molecules rearrange themselves as gravity drags them down like wrinkles on an aging face. The windows are remarkable! You will note the re-appearance of a broad arch in this space. The arch provides passage into the dining room which is located in the space added by the owner in the 1890s who bridged the two buildings into one. The kitchen and a guest bath are seen to the rear.

The kitchen is a hoot! It reaches back in time with the farmer's sink, retro (coal) duel fuel range, dishwasher, and refrigerator.  Clerestory windows were added over the work areas in the kitchen. French doors open out to the covered south deck. The covered deck is a quiet and unpretentious space to dine al fresco among the tropical foliage.

The entry hallway bisects the house. As we move toward the rear we see an open area with a broad door which exits out to the pool area. The there is wood hatch in the floor which leads down to the basement storage area. Yes, basement - one of a few located in Key West. The door at the rear opens into a bedroom and bath which were once part of the original rear workers' quarters. 

The pool and side deck help maintain the historic concept of this old home. Note the rock coping around the lagoon style pool. It almost looks like the pool was a natural occurring feature of this lot and that rocks were placed around the perimeter to provide a bit of balance to the site. It looks as if water springs from the water feature to form this pool in paradise. There is a second floor deck which we will see later.

There are two bedrooms located on the second floor front of the house. The north bedroom is typical of each room in many aspects in that all the walls, ceiling, and floor feature Dade County Pine that has been stripped, sanded, and preserved with  a low luster seal. This room also has a painted ceiling inset probably added by an itinerant artist. There are several grand old houses in Key West with similar artistic ceiling insets.

 This 2748 square foot home has four bedrooms and four and one-half baths. The master bath, above, was designed to include a built-in steam room. The plumbing is all in place and the fixtures were purchased but never installed. This looks like fun space to me.

There is a very private covered rear second floor porch which overlooks the pool below. The front porch provides a ring-side-seat for great people watching as the world passes by each day. There is a gym across the street half a block to the south and there are two small convenience stores to the north. You  can walk to Duval Street in about ten minutes or to nearby Bayview Park in about four minutes. When you leave the front door and head out on your adventure for the day you'll be looking at one of many utterly charming homes that make Key West a place unlike any other. And when you return home at night, you'll know you live in a place that is unique in all the world.

823 White Street is offered at $1,600,000. CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and listing photos. Then please call 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 home in Paradise.