1026 Von Phister Street, Key West - Casa Marina Area - Just Listed

Just Listed 1026 Von Phister Street, Key West is described by the listing Realtor this way:

"Stunning one of kind luxury residence with guest cottage on large corner lot in the prestigious Casa Marina neighborhood. Complete renovation in 2016 combined privacy with open spaces to create a truly captivating island experience. Beautiful features include marble-finish porcelain tile and brushed-oak flooring, high-hat LED custom lighting, and a chef's kitchen with top of the line appliances, stone counter-tops and custom-built cabinetry. Windows and doors are all hurricane-proof glass, many with remote roll-up shades. There is an enormous master suite featuring a luxuriously appointed Jacuzzi tub and private sitting-room/den. All three bedrooms and cottage open to private patios. The enchanting exterior is highlighted with lush tropical foliage and large pool with sunning platform. The over-sized lot offers off-street parking for two covered cars plus two uncovered."

This house sits on a large corner lot hidden from view behind tall stands of swaying palm trees and a six foot privacy fence. While the Old Town Area of Key West is noted for its historic small cigar maker cottages which often sit on postage stamp size lots, most of the homes in the Casa Marina Area were built after World War II, were originally larger in size, and located on lots sized at 5,000 sq ft and larger.

I have lived the Casa Marina Area since 1995 and have watched the area transform as once virgin lots got developed. mid-century homes were either taken down and new houses built, or like this property, totally redone. At the outset of the renovation process the owners id 1026 Von Phister Street called upon landscape architect Craig Reynolds to design the exterior so that the completed gardens would seamlessly integrate the hardscape and softscape, making them look as if they were always there. Craig designed everything from the 'doors out' including overall planting design, including the pool, spa, trellis and arbors, patios and decks, fountains and landscape lighting all of which is set within a framework of native plants and indigenous materials to complete the experience.

The main living areas, the master suite, and guest cottage all open out to the seductive pool. Whether at night or during the daytime, that pool is just magical. Visualize yourself taking a skinny dip just before retiring for the evening or doing a few laps before heading out to the boat.  Or the beach.  Higgs Beach is just four blocks to the south. Louie's Backyard is four blocks west. Or stay home. This is the place so many people dream of owing some day.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet plus listing photographs of 1026 Von Phister Street, Key West, offered for sale at $3,295,000.  Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a private showing of this home. I am a buyers agent at Preferred Properties Key West. I am also the neighbor across the street. I can show this area and give you real first hand knowledge about the home and the area. It is not my listing but it is my chance to welcome the new owner into my neighborhood.

11 Nassau Lane, Key West - OPEN HOUSE

Yes, Avery, take off that silly seersucker and stop by my Open House on Sunday, December 9th from 12:00 to 2:00 PM at 11 Nassau Lane in Key West.  This enchanting home is located on one of  glorious slow lanes in Key West.  We believe the house dates back to the 1860s. It's been updated and expanded. Now it has two bedrooms and two baths and a beautiful rear orchid garden.

The house comes with all furniture, including the rockers on the front porch. You can sit there and watch pretty much of nothing. This house is located near the very end of a dead end lane. There won't be any Conch Trains or Trolley Cars passing by. An occasional tourist may ride a bike on the lane admiring all of the cute little houses. 

Nassau Lane is located midway between Grinnell and Frances Street on Fleming Street. Don't blink.  You'll miss is.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet on 11 Nassau Lane which is offered at $899,000. Better yet drop by the open house today and checkout this little gem for yourself.  I am Gary Thomas, the listing Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. My cell is 305-766-2642.

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.

411 Grinnell Street, Key West - a Classic Old Town Revival Home Reinvented

Just Listed - 411 Grinnell Street in Key West which appears from the street to be a Classic Conch Revival home but which transforms into a sophisticated 21st century contemporary throughout much of the interior. The listing Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West describes this property this way:

"Meticulously restored with the highest level of craftsmanship and materials, this home will please the most discerning buyer. Located in historic old town on a double 8,375 lot, this home features every modern amenity. There are two bedrooms en suite plus a study and bonus finished 3rd floor. The dream kitchen has a Zebra wood island and Wolf, Miele, Thermador and Sub Zero appliances including built-in wine storage. Sun drenches the lap pool, cocktail pool and spa all of which are finished with iridescent blue glass tile and adorned with fire pits on either side of a glass waterfall. Off street parking for 2+ cars behind electric gates. Plans to build an adjoining home on the property are included. This is a rare treasure."

 I searched the Historic Sanborn Fire Maps and learned that 204 Grinnell Street existed as early as 1889. That property was renumbered as 411 Grinnell Street on 1892 Sanborn map. I found photos of 411 and 415 Grinnell Street which were taken in 1965 (see below).

I mentioned 411 Grinnell Street in my July 12, 2012 blog (Son of More Projects of Key West) when I posted these photos just after the property was purchased and plans to renovate were announced.

The original house at 411 Grinnell Street was thoroughly renovated from bottom to top and front to back. A new Great Room and kitchen were added at the rear. Today the property is a two bedroom two or three bath home. When you enter the home you see meticulously restored Dade County Pine walls, ceiling, and floors trimmed with crisp white wood trim, high base boards,and crown molding. But as you look closer you'll notice the old stairs were replaced with a striking glass panel and simple hand rail.  You quickly learn this is not another old house redone.

As I walked past the stairway the Great Room emerged in all its simplicity and grandeur. The rooms are painted white and provide a canvas upon which the owner creates the picture of how he or she lives in this space. Sliding impact doors open out to the covered lanai which provides a shaded sitting area on the otherwise sunny deck and pool surrounds. The pools (plural) are unlike any you've probably seen elsewhere in Key West. There is an extra long lap  pool, a cocktail pool, a spa, and  waterfall situated between twin fire pits.

Another adjacent had told me about the pool at this property several times. I sold the house next doo to the north and the house across the street. I had never been able to see the pool area from the street. So while you can see the other houses from the pool, passersby cannot see inside this area. A new owner could plant some trees for more privacy, but it is not necessary.

The guest room with en-suite bath is located on the first floor front. There is a nice little study located across from the master suite on the second floor. They didn't miss a trick in creating a sumptuous master bath. Posh would be an understatement to describe this pad. I would love to see how the former residents of this home would react to the new place. I am sure they would be amazed.

24 Hour Fitness on Caroline Street

411 Grinnell Street sits on an extra large 83.64' X 100.5' lot much of which is hidden from view from the street. There are currently three off street gated parking spaces. There are plans to construct a new 2500 square foot primary residence on the south side of the lot which convey with purchase. The current home would them become guest quaters. These plans were created by local architect Matthew Stratton. He is among the best in Key West and South Florida. If and until the new house is built, the owner of 411 Grinnell Street will enjoy the great location near the best bakery in town (the Old Town Bakery). Azur Restaurant is located upon on the corner at Fleming Street. The Eaton Street Seafood Market is a couple of blocks away where the best lobster roll in Key West is available daily. The soon to open 24 Hour Fitness is  a couple of blocks away on Caroline Street. There are numerous restaurants at the Historic Key West Seaport also located nearby.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and to view more photos of this beautiful home. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a personal visit to this incredible home. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.