627-629 Eaton Street - Key West Historic Landmark Property For Sale

My friends at Prudential Knight and Gardner Realty in Key West recently listed one of the last untouched Old Town landmarks in Key West. Dear Readers, this property located at 627-629 Eaton Street might just be your dream property. Think I'm a little wacko?  Read on.

I searched the old Sanborn Fire Maps for Key West and found this building on the 1889 map which means it was built some time prior to that date. The Monroe County Property Appraiser's official records show the construction date as being 1929. (I think the Sanborn Map is more correct, but the official record is the official record.)  In any case, the building is ancient and has the crow's feet and wrinkles to prove it.  I dug deep into the old shoe box and found a photo taken back in 1965 shown immediately below. The back of the photo shows the downstairs as being a launderette and dentist's office. The upstairs presumably were apartments. I took a similar photo to compare the old versus current facades. I think the old girl looked a bit better back in the day, but this is one solid building which ought to respond to a keen renovation. 

 The listing Realtor describes 627-629 Eaton Street this way:

"This historic concrete block building consists of two commercial spaces downstairs and two residential units upstairs. One commercial space is empty, the other tenant is a laundromat. Each residential unit has it's own staircase and entrance. One unit is a one bedroom, one bath, the other unit is a two bedroom, one bath."

The listing Realtor shows the building as having 3627 sq ft of interior space divided between the two floors. The building sets on a rectangular lot of 2201 sq ft (55.5' X 39.67') at the corner of Eaton and Elizabeth Streets. The building itself measures 50' X 38' plus the covered ground floor walkway and second floor porch that run 50' X 38' to the east rear. The building is built literally to the rear and side lot lines. There is no room for a pool, hot tub, or parking.

The downstairs east commercial space has been a self-service laundry ever since I moved to Key West in 1993. The writing on the 1965 photo suggests that it has been a laundry for a much longer time period. The adjacent space is not currently rented which creates lots of possibilities for a new owner. There are several small ante-rooms behind both spaces. The vacant space was previously a dentist's office and most recently was rented as a floral shop.  The tropically painted wall shown below is either poured concrete or cinder block.  The listing Realtor told me the wall extends up through the second floor above and provides support for the building. I think it would be possible to merge the ground floor spaces into one larger commercial space or alternatively create a new living space in the former dentist's office. A new owner would need to obtain permission from the City of Key West to do this or merge the ground floor space into the second floor space via the adjacent stairway.

There are two apartments on the second floor. Both are currently rented under market value and both are on a month to month rental agreement.  Both tenants have been in place for some time. The tenant in the east apartment has been in the space for 20 years.  The landlord has not made any substantial improvements to this building over recent years. Below are some photos that provide a basic image of how the properties look today.

The above photos are of the west second floor apartment or the one above the former dentist's office.  One alternative for renovating this space might be to combine the first and second floor west spaces into one two story living unit. I think a new owner could do the same for the east spaces as well, but I will discuss an alternate proposal for that space below.  Part of the allure of this building is the second floor balcony which extends nine feet over the city sidewalk. Construction like this would likely not be permitted today. But since it is in place and since this is such a recognized property that it has achieved 'landmark' status, I seriously doubt anyone would consider allowing the removal of the balcony.

The east second floor apartment is filled with tenant owned pieces that make this space shine. A new owner might move some interior walls to create more modern spaces, replace the kitchen and bath, and so on. I would replace the existing metal louvers with real windows.  As an alternative to keeping this space an apartment, a new owner might consider combining the two upstairs units into one large loft type living space. The interior floor to ceiling cinder block or poured concrete wall will need to be addressed in any renovation. Almost anything is possible if you have a talented engineer, architect, designer, and money. Both the ground floor spaces and the second floor apartments have very tall ceilings. This opens all spaces to imaginative renovation possibilities not available in most existing properties.  I took more photos which you can view if you CLICK HERE. Please do so and consider what kind of new property you could create in these spaces.

627-629 Eaton Street is offered for sale at $775,000.  CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet. But better than looking at photos online, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a private showing of this unique Key West property.  I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. The buyers are returning to Key West in droves. Don't miss the opportunity to create something stunning.

730 Southard Street - Old Town Landmark - Key West

I have written about the landmark home at 730 Southard Street on several occasions and I have actually received both phone calls and emails from potential buyers that were genuinely interested in the property. But none of the contacts has yet resulted into a written offer from my buyers. It is time for someone that has "that vision thing" (a catch phrase used by President George H.W. Bush when he responded to suggestions he refocus objectives away from short term campaign objectives to look to the longer term). My suggestions: bring vision and lots of money.

730 Southard Street is one of the iconic homes of Key West. It has been in the same family since the day it was built. The most recent resident passed away a couple of years ago. She lived in that house for nearly ninety years. Many of her possessions are still located in place throughout the house. The house almost shows like a museum of a life in another distant time. The outside of the house is looking ragged and forlorn. I met there with a noted local architect to size up the house for some buyers. Rather than say what he said I will give you my impression of what needs to be done.

The house has wonderful wraparound porches on the first and second floors and there are rear porches on both levels as well. Those porches provide potentially dramatic openings from the historic French doors that open onto the porches. That includes the rear second floor porch just off the master bedroom. The porches all need replaced. Some of the shutters need replaced.

Any renovation of the house would entail all new electric, plumbing, and air conditioning. The house is large and looks like it is actually three buildings brought together to make one large structure. The third floor attic is gigantic and would provide excellent space for location of HVAC.

The Attic
The existing bathrooms are very old and very dated. I think there is more than enough room for a creative architect to carve out some very useful bathrooms that meet our modern needs and still preserve the dignity the present structure.

The present kitchen is located just off the grand dining room. The dining room is likewise located next to the front parlor. The living room, on the other and, is a giant room located just to the west of the front door. That room has French doors that overlook the rear grounds. The dining room, parlor, and living room each have French doors that open onto the wraparound porches on front and the rear as well. The layout is a bit formal for today but the space is entirely useful. The kitchen is very large and needs yanked into the 21st Century. The kitchen even has a fireplace. Can you imagine what kind of a wonderful kitchen you could create.
The Parlor

The second floor has enough space for two great bedrooms and baths to compliment the huge master bedroom with en suite bath. The space for the master suite is just grand. That doesn't mean the space needs to be treated like something in a Trump hotel. Rather I envision very treating the very simple structure in an understated manner. The classic design elements are already there. It is just coming up with a good and useful design for today.

All of the interior has Dade County Pine walls, ceilings, and wood floors. The building to me seemed very structurally sound with the exception of some of the foundation which needs repair and all of the plumbing and electric which needs replaced. HVAC would be all new as it is non existent.

There is no pool. But there is room for a great pool and garden as well. The fence is dilapidated as is the widows walk on the top. But you should see the view from up there. You can see the Gulf of Mexico and all of the small homes for blocks and blocks. You could have a great sunrise view from the kitchen of dining room each morning. And in the evening you could sit on the upper front porch and watch the world walk by on the way to view the sunset at Mallory Square.


730 Southard Street is a big house with 2838 sq ft of space under roof. It sits on a 6853 sq ft lot (at the corner of William and Southard Streets) right in the smack dab middle of Old Town. CLICK HERE to read the listing Realtor's description of the property and to see some very good interior and exterior photos. This property is offered at $1,490,000 or $525 per sq ft. It's going to take probably a million to renovate the place. Maybe more and maybe a little less. But in the end someone is going to own one of the great beauties of Key West. Chances are pretty good that the house will be re-named for the new owner. The person with that vision thing.

If you would like to see 730 Southard Street please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. in Key West, Florida. Our office is the exclusive lower Florida Keys affiliate of Christie's Great Estates.

730 Southard Street - Old Town - Key West

The asking price on 730 Southard Street was just reduced to $1,490,000 or $525 per sq ft.
The listing Realtor describes the property this way:

"Right in the heart of Old Town Key West sits this jewel of an original Conch home built in the 1800's awaiting your special touch. The history behind this home spans several generations of just one family. The rooms are large, the ceilings are high and everything is original in this two story home including Dade County pine throughout. There's over 2800 square feet of living space including the large master and guest bedrooms upstairs plus the living room, den, study, dining room and kitchen downstairs. The standup attic runs the length of the building with access to the widows walk allowing for a bird's eye view of Old Town. All this plus room for a pool in the back."

This house sits at the corner of William and Southard Streets right smack dab in the middle of Old Town. You could not ask for a better location. The lot measures 100' X 68'.53" or 6853 sq ft. That is huge for Old Town. The house is equally large. The listing Realtor says the house is 2838 sq ft and has 4 bedrooms, 2 baths, a garage, an incredible facade and a widows walk. CLICK HERE to see a photo that shows the rear of the house where there is more than ample room for a good sized pool. CLICK HERE for more detailed information and photos of 730 Southard Street.

When I previously wrote about this house (when it was listed at twice the current asking price), I referred to it as a "virgin" because it has remained in the same family since it was built. There is only one building permit of record in the County Appraiser's records and that was to upgrade the electric service. The house looks pretty much the same today as it did when it was built. Of course, there is another even more expensive virgin on the market located at 616 Eaton Street. I wrote about it on September 3 when it was listed for $5.5 million. The price remains the same on that property. CLICK HERE to see the listing info on 616 Eaton Street so you can do some comparison shopping.

The house at 730 Southard Street is known by everybody in town and by most seasoned tourists as well. And just about everybody says "that would make a really good renovation project" or something to that effect. It would. This property is another Key West treasure. It deserves a new owner with lots of money and a big vision to restore and improve this landmark.

If you are looking for a renovation project in Key West, or just a simple little Conch Cottage, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305.766.2642 or e-mail me at kw1101v@aol.com. Let me help you find your place in Paradise. Prices on most properties are at historic lows so I think now is a great time to buy bargain priced properties. CLICK HERE to search the Key West mls database and then call me.