1316 Villa Mill Alley, Key West - A Private Shangri-La

I often write about the joy of owning a home on one of the slow lanes in Key West. Since most of the Old Town lanes are often sandwiched in between large blocks, the houses on the lanes are often cottages as opposed to larger homes. These homes are ofttimes located on smallish one-way streets that may only one or two blocks long. Some locals probably could not tell you where many of these little lanes are located because they are tucked away from view.  Such is the case for the new listing at 1316 Villa Mill Alley. Villa Mill Alley is located about one half block east of Simonton Street just south off United Street. This is a small enclave of very expensive homes with a location few people know exists situated just on the edge of the Casa Marina Area. 

I found the old aerial photo  pictured above taken of the Casa Marina Area in 1930. I added an arrow to show where the original home at 1316 Villa Mill Alley was later built. Upper Duval Street is located a block and a half to the west. Today the lot measures 110' X 80.26' or 9,775 sq ft. The Monroe County Property Appraiser shows the square footage of the property as 2200 sq ft. The property was just completely renovated and expanded. I think the property appears to be much larger because of the connective walkways between the buildings which make up this incredible Key West home.

There are two entrances to the home both of which are located on Villa Mill Alley and both of which are shown above. The formal entrance is located immediately to the left of the two story bedroom building centered above. The informal entrance is to the right side and adjacent to the double garage.

Instead of walking into the home, you enter a covered walkway that connects the living pavilion on the north and the master and guest bedrooms on the south. No matter which location is your destination, your eyes are immediately diverted to the lush tropical gardens, koi pond, pagoda, and pool.

The great room is designed for very relaxed and informal Key West living, but at the same time exudes a sense of dramatic style. You'll quickly notice architectural and building elements like the wide wood floors, the extra-wide horizontal wall boards, the vaulted ceiling that soars, and the retro-style impact glass windows and doors. These building elements are carried throughout the property. The glass doors retract and open out to the covered deck and the private Shangri-La courtyard.

The third bedroom and bath are tucked away just to the right of the front entry and behind the kitchen. A potential fourth bedroom (or as currently used den) is located on the far side of the great room. The room has doors that open out to garden and the adjacent pagoda.

The master suite is located on the first floor of the bedroom pavilion. Imagine waking up in the morning looking out to the garden and hearing the babbling koi pond and viewing the tropical foliage. While the bath has all the latest high-end bath fixtures, you may be more inclined to use the adjacent outdoor shower.  There is an adjacent guest bathroom. A spiral staircase leads to the second floor guest bedroom.

The guest bedroom really is tucked away and located out of sight up the spiral staircase. There is a morning kitchen located just inside the entry.  Guests won't have to go down the steps for morning coffee or evening cocktails unless they really feel the need to socialize. Otherwise, they can cozy up in their own private luxury suite. The doors open out to the expansive where they can muse about what it must be like to own such a wonderful retreat. CLICK HERE to view more photos I took of this property.

1316 Villa Mill Alley is now offered for sale at $3,495,000. CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a private showing of this one-of-a-kind Key West property. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. Let's go take a look. Perhaps this could be your own private Shangri-La.

809 Eaton Street - Key West - Short Sale of Significant Importance

809 Eaton Street in Key West is now offered as a Short Sale at the asking price of $2,295,000. That's a lotta money! But this is a lotta house!  The listing Realtor describes the property this way:

"Classic 1800's Old Town property which is a combination of the Henry Lowe House and the Samuel Kemp House, built in 1840. This 5 bedroom / 4.5 bath 3 story home with 1 bedroom / 1 bathroom guest cottage has all the amenities you're looking for! This historic home offers a spacious living area with large open kitchen which is great for entertaining. Additional features include large porches throughout, high ceilings, Dade County Pine, hardwood flooring, large covered deck, fantastic pool & Jacuzzi & off-street parking. Converted cistern as wine cellar. There is also a 60,000 watt generator so you're never in the dark. On the National Registry of Historic Places."

I have written about this property before.  809 Eaton Street in Key West dates back to circa 1840 when it was built for Henry Lowe. The house was totally restored and enlarged in 2005 when it was featured in the Old Island Foundation House Tour. Today this home is one of the finest examples of a Bahamian styled home located in the Old Town Historic District.

Many of the Key West's founding fathers were expatriates from the Bahamas. They brought with them the architectural style and construction techniques with which they were familiar.  Bahamian styled houses were placed on piers and had wood frames and had tall ceilings and large windows with Bahama shutters which permitted air to circulate through the house to provide natural cooling. The houses were built with wood clapboard siding. This home has a stunning wrap-around porch on the first and second levels.

I dug deep into the old shoebox and found a photo of the roof of 809 Eaton Street (black and white photo immediately below) that from 1914.  I just love the look of Key West back in the day. You can see that the Historic Seaport is only a couple of blocks away. Note all of the smaller buildings which back then were cook houses or privies.  I found another photo of 809 Eaton Street that was taken in 1965 (black and white photo second below). The house would have been about 125 years old when that pic was taken. The large building in the foreground is the backside of the Island City House.  Nearly half a century later 809 Eaton Street looks as prominent as ever (color photo below).

I recently found a photo of 809 Eaton Street that was taken in the 1960's from the Island City House located across the street. The outline of a man standing on the porch reminds me of Freddy in the Nightmare on Elm Street. I took a photo from the same location just to prove the point that once what was is often still the same on our little island where historic homes are preserved - not destroyed.

This house has 4712 sq ft of living space divided between the main house and the guest cottage. The main house is a very large three story home. The main floor includes a spacious living room, dining room, family room, and extra large kitchen and pantry. The master bedroom with en-suite bath is also located on the main floor at the left rear of the home.  There are multiple sets of French doors that line the back of the house that open out to the loggia that overlooks the long rectangular pool, garden, and guest cottage. Dual entryways from the living area flow into the informal family room and kitchen at the rear. This creates a feeling of less formality than the photos rich with architectural detail might suggest.

The gracious staircase leads to the second floor where there are three bedrooms and baths. Each of these bedrooms open onto the wrap-around second floor porch. A smaller staircase leads to the third floor which has a dormitory style bedroom plus bath which as a view looking toward the Gulf of Mexico in the distance and the pool, garden, and guesthouse in the foreground. If you counted them, there are four bedrooms and baths in the main house plus a fifth bedroom and bath in the guest cottage.

This home would make a great vacation rental. There are just a few homes as large as this in Key West. This home ought to appeal to wedding parties, family reunions, friends travelling together, and business groups that require sophisticated lodging in an understated luxury environment. 

The interior finishes and materials are all of the highest quality. While the house is rich in history and the house itself has several formal living spaces, most of the living areas on the inside and outside are quite relaxed. The family room and kitchen are essentially one large living space with a vaulted ceiling with skylights and multiple sets of French doors that bathe the space in light.

It is the outdoor living area that will probably entice that special buyer to select this home. The rear loggia overlooks the pool and spa which are surrounded by bricked walkways and sunning areas. The guest cottage on the west side was built as part of the 2005 restoration and expansion. The cottage has a separate sitting area in the bedroom, bath, and mini-kitchen each with views of the pool.


The home has two off street parking spots - one adjacent to the front entrance and a second at the rear.  The whole house generator will provide electricity to keep you comfortable and cozy in the event of power failure elsewhere on the island. CLICK HERE to view more photos of this incredible Key West property.

This is a very large house with an extra large guest cottage. You can see it has a great outdoor entertaining area with an extra large sunny pool. The property is located two blocks south of the Historic Key West Seaport and only four blocks from Duval Street.

Nearby Key West Seafood Market

 The mortgage on this Short Sale property is held by a local Key West lender. That suggests to me that a serious offer would get serious and prompt consideration by that lender. I have negotiated a large short sale purchase with this same lender before. 

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and listing photos of this special Key West home which is a Short Sale offered at $2,295,000. If you area qualified buyer and would like to see this special home, please call me, Gary Thomas 305-766-2642 or send me an email at kw1101v@aol.com. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.