1307 Petronia Street - The Meadows Area - Key West, Florida

1307 Petronia Street is a sophisticated update of a house that was built a century ago. The house was built sometime between the 1899 and 1912 edition of the Sanborn Fire Maps. The Sanborn Maps help us date the construction dates of older Key West homes because county records were destroyed by fire.  (The maps actually served their purpose in this regard.)  I found a black and white photo taken of the house in 1965 (below). I took a similar photo that shows the same house five decades later. This home looks so much nicer today, don't you think?

The simple architecture has not varied much, and that is the way it is supposed to be. The inside has pretty much the same original flow, however, the entire house has been updated from top to bottom and front to back.  Every part of this home is crisp and clean and ready for a new owner.

The white picket fence and demure front porch provide the perfect perch for people watching on Petronia Street which is a not-so-busy one-way street.  1307 Petronia Street does not have an off street parking space but that is not a problem as this is a block of single family homes with no nearby commercial or multi-family properties.

Sometimes old houses get newfangled layouts which move living spaces and bedrooms to odd places. This house is not one of those. Instead, 1307 Petronia Street still has the formal foyer followed by a long entry hall that leads from front to rear. The living room is located to the right just off the entry. The living room includes a new media center and built in bookcase. New floors were added throughout the house. Many of the rooms have recessed lighting.

The traditional room layout continues with the polished stairway.  The dining room is located just to the rear of the hall. The dining area flows into the kitchen. One of three bedrooms is located to the right rear of the house on the main floor. The other bedrooms are located on the second floor.

The two guest bedrooms share a spacious bath. The rear bedroom has the added advantage of having  a sitting area and immediate access to the rooftop sundeck and spiral staircase that leads down to the swimming pool.

1307 Petronia Street is offered by Terry Garcia at SBX Realty at $1,395,000. CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet.  I'd appreciate it if you would contact me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a tour of this beautiful Meadows area home.  I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

1411 Olivia Street - Key West, Florida

The listing Broker at Preferred Properties Key West (that's where I work but this is not my listing) says of 1411 Olivia Street that is located in the Meadows Area:

"This charming Key West home is located in the Meadows area of old town. A vintage iron gate and a wide, sunny front porch offers a welcome entry to the house. Inside are beautiful wood floors, high ceilings and bright rooms. In addition to the two bedrooms and two baths, there are two loft bedrooms not included in the square footage. The Florida room opens through a wall of glass doors to the bricked patio and garden which includes an outdoor shower. The patio area is fenced and gated and very private. This is a must see for those wanting historic charm in a lovely setting."

 White Street is the dividing line between Old Town and the Meadows Area. Many of the houses in both areas are the same style and were built around the same time periods.  For the most part the only difference between the two areas is a higher price per square foot if you buy on the Old Town side of White Street. Read on if you want to save a buck (or many thousands of them).

I found this old photo of 1411 Olivia Street with a notation that it was built circa 1926 which differs from what the Monroe County Property Appraiser's records show which is the source for our mls database. (In this instance I think I'd go along with the photo notation. Not much of anything was being built in Key West in 1933 because we were in a big ole Depression.) Then compare the way the house looked back in the olden days with the way it looks today.

The house has 1334 sq ft of living space on one floor. As the listing broker notes the house has even more living space not shown in the public record as it is loft bedroom space which is not counted in actual living area.  There are two real bedrooms and two bath plus the spaces aforementioned which don't count unless you have roommates, children, or brothers-in-law.  CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls database and listing photos.

This home is located just a couple of blocks north of Bayview Park, the main city park in Key West. Bayview Park is a real park that has been a vital part of the City of Key West for decades. Lots of annual events are hosted there including the Easter Egg Hunt, the Conchfest Celebration, Relay for Life event, Seafood Festival, Childen's Halloween, and Christmas Town.  The park also has several illuminated tennis courts which seem to be busy even on the hottest of days.

 Look at the black and white photo just above. It shows kids swimming in the water across street from Bayview Park in the 1940s.  See the park pavilion at the right.  Today that same view would be impossible as Truman Avenue and Eisenhower Driver (the intersection) now have commercial buildings and a four story condo.  It's old pics like this that almost make me sick to see what greed has done to our little town. 

Bayview Park is the historic city park for Key West. Every year it is the place where locals come together to celebrate the rituals of each season. I came from a big city and never experienced anything like life in a small town like Key West. I have grown to love living here more than I could have ever imagined.

1411 Olivia Street is offered at $596,000.  If you would like to see this charming home on a very charming block please give me, Gary Thomas a phone call at 305-766-2642. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. 

Home Buy Christmas -1411 Olivia Street - Key West

Just listed by Preferred Properties, that's where I work but this is not my listing, 1411 Olivia Street which is located in the Meadows Area of Key West.  White Street is the dividing line between Old Town and the Meadows Area. Many of the houses in both areas are the same style and were built around the same time periods.  For the most part the only difference between the two areas is a higher price per square foot if you buy on the Old Town side of White Street. Read on if you want to save a buck (or many thousands of them).

The listing broker describes 1411 Olivia Street this way:

"This charming Key West home is located in the Meadows area of old town. A vintage iron gate and a wide, sunny front porch offers a welcome entry to the house. Inside are beautiful wood floors, high ceilings and bright rooms. In addition to the two bedrooms and two baths, there are two loft bedrooms not included in the square footage. The Florida room opens through a wall of glass doors to the bricked patio and garden which includes an outdoor shower. The patio area is fenced and gated and very private. This is a must see for those wanting historic charm in a lovely setting."

I found this old photo of 1411 Olivia Street with a notation that it was built circa 1926 which differs from what the Monroe County Property Appraiser's records show which is the source for our mls database. (In this instance I think I'd go along with the photo notation. Not much of anything was being built in Key West in 1933 because we were in a big ole Depression.) Then compare the way the house looked back in the olden days with the way it looks today.

The house has 1334 sq ft of living space on one floor. As the listing broker notes the house has even more living space not shown in the public record as it is loft bedroom space which is not counted in actual living area.  There are two real bedrooms and two bath plus the spaces aforementioned which don't count unless you have roommates, children, or brothers-in-law.  CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls database and listing photos.

This home is located just a couple of blocks north of Bayview Park, the main city park in Key West.  I dropped by early this morning to snap some pics of the tiny little Conch Cottages that are all dolled up for Christmas. Santa's sleigh and a very tall Christmas Tree beckon little ones and grown-ups to drop by and suspend disbelief at the magic of Christmas.  If you are in Key West right now you can sense Christmas is coming. Moods are elevated, houses are decorated, cash registers are humming, and Realtors have visions of commissions dancing in their heads.

 Look at the black and white photo just above. It shows kids swimming in the water across street from Bayview Park in the 1940s.  See the park pavilion at the right.  Today that same view would be impossible as Truman Avenue and Eisenhower Driver (the intersection) now have commercial buildings and a four story condo.  It's old pics like this that almost make me sick to see what greed has done to our little town. 

Bayview Park is the historic city park for Key West. Every year it is the place where locals come together to celebrate the rituals of each season. I came from a big city and never experienced anything like life in a small town like Key West. I have grown to love living here more than I could have ever imagined.

1411 Olivia Street is offered at $629,000.  If you would like to see this charming home on a very charming block please give me, Gary Thomas a phone call at 305-766-2642. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. 

1410 Angela Street - New Lower Price - Key West

1410 Angela Street - Key West - circa 1965

1410 Angela Street - Key West - 2011

The listing Realtor describes the wood frame Conch house at 1410 Angela Street this way:

"Ideal location in The Meadows neighborhood of Old Town Key West. This newly improved home features 4 bedrooms, two bathrooms, bonus room for an office in the master bedroom, in ground pool, detached utility room with laundry, two zone central a/c & heat, fenced yard, and off street parking. French doors from the master bedroom and second bedroom open up to the private pool. The original house is a 2/1 Conch Cottage that was expanded in 1998 with a 2/1 CBS addition. This expansion can be setup as a lockout, great for a mother-in-law unit or guest quarters. This home sets back from the street on a large 4,624 sqft lot landscaped with mature tropical trees adding comfort and privacy for your enjoyment in OLD TOWN KEY WEST STYLE."

Living room and kitchen in main part of house

Bedroom in mother in law addition

This house is a Conch style (simple one storey wood frame construction) which was expanded with a large 'mother in law' addition. The mls listing shows the property as having four bedrooms which would be correct if the living room in the mother in law unit were used as a bedroom. An interior doorway still separates (or could reconnect) the main living area from the mother in law unit. The interior of the original house is more typical of homes up north in mid-America than potential second home buyers for Key West cottages expect. The mother in law unit has vaulted ceiling that adds space and volume but also takes away a bit of privacy.


The the three big selling features of this property are the size of the home, the lovely yard, and the beautiful pool. I think a new owner might want to remove the current stucco exterior and replace it with a more correct wood siding. There aren't many houses in the Old Town or Meadows area with four bedrooms, especially nice homes with a pool and off street parking that are priced as affordably as this one. A new owner might redo the rear deck and pool by converting an existing shed into a pool bar. It's not that the place as it exists is 'wrong'. It just isn't as good as it could be.


CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls data sheet on 1410 Angela Street which is offered at just $599,000 or $372 per sq ft for this 1610 sq ft home located on a 4624 sq ft lot. You may also want to CLICK HERE to view a slide show of photos I took of the property. Please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to arrange a showing for you. I am a buyer's agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. in Key West.