Price Reduction - Key West Beach Club Unit #413

The lure of the sea, that is what it is. It is the ever changing views of sky and water; the birds and boats and man that make the reflections seen in the mirror at the new Preferred Properties listing at Key West Beach Club Condominiums so captivating.  No matter which unit I have gone to at the Beach Club, my eyes are always immediately drawn through the unit and out to the direct water view. You see, only at Key West Beach Club does each unit come with a direct water view.

The listing Realtor describes Unit No. 413 this way:

" Located on the Ocean, in one of Key Wests most outstanding gated communities, is this recently renovated two story penthouse with 3 bathrooms and 3 bedrooms, marble and wood floors with soaring ceilings and breathtaking water views. As you enter the long foyer, to the left are French doors leading to the breakfast/office area and kitchen. To the right is a wonderful guest room with floor to ceiling built-ins for storage. The Living/dining area are accented by a Cherry Wood built-in floor to ceiling entertainment center. On the top level is a bright and cheerful bedroom/bath/living area. One of the most outstanding features of this unit is the massive balcony for outdoor living. 2 heated community pools, tennis court and covered parking."

Guest Bedroom

Master Suite

If you venture up the spiral staircase you might just fall in love with this place. I'd definitely make this my master suite. I'm not fond of spiral stairs, but I'd make an extra special exception in this case. The space is just wonderful.

Penthouse Loft

I think I must have been a seaman in a former life. But I get seasick, so I probably wasn't.  Still, I love to just stare at the horizon and watch the sky and ocean change colors. When storms head our way the sky turns gray and ominous.  The wind blows and the palm trees sway.  The ocean churns and spits up seaweed. The afternoon I took these photos a bunch of turtle sponges had washed ashore (see the second photo from the top). At night you may see the tiny lights on boats out in deeper water. Whatever time of day you look out at the water, the view will always be a bit different. CLICK HERE to view a slideshow of photos I took of this waterfront property.

Key West Beach Club Condominiums have two swimming pools, a tennis court, a small gym, covered parking plus storage, beautifully landscaped private gardens, and 24 hour security. The monthly condo association fees are $1033 per month.  to CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and some great listing photos.

Unit No. 413 at 1500 Atlantic Boulevard in the Beach Club Condominium has 2156 sq ft of living space on two floors. This special Key West property is now offered at $1,649,000.  If you would like to see this unit, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

1617 White Street - Key West

1617 White Street - Key West, Florida

 I recently had the opportunity to show 1617 White Street and decided to share some photos I took and offer my impressions of this incredible tropical estate that is located one block from Higg's Beach and the Atlantic Ocean.

The listing Realtor at Preferred Properties describes this property thus:

"This splendid tropical estate rests on 25013 square feet of land and extends from White Street right through to Sirugo Avenue. The completely renovated elevated residence has ocean views from the cupola and rooftop deck and a dramatic vista across the pool and lawn to the spectacular waterfall. In addition to the luxurious poolside master suite and two guest bedrooms with en suite baths, there is a charming study in the tower and a very efficient office overlooking the pool. This home was featured in the Oct. '01 issue of Architectural Digest. There is a whole-house generator and a hurricane protection system. For additional money, an adjoining property of two units having a total of 3 bedrooms,3 baths and a pool may also be purchased."

The present owner purchased the main house in 1997 and engaged local architect Tom Pope and brought in designer Thomas Achilles (who had designed other projects for the owner). The trio collaborated to transform the orignal house into something truly unique. The most prominent feature visible from the street is the widow's walk. Historically, widow's walks were places where sailors' wives would climb to look out to the sea to search for the returning ships.  Wireless radio made those roof top perches needless. Since the original house was only built in 1983,  the widows' walk was more a follie than a necessity when built. Yet it was this novel feature that attracted many an eye a block away at nearby Higg's Beach or at the city park across the street. The new owner and his design team expanded the widows' walk by adding a rooftop sundeck.
 The palms at the front of the residence now obscure much of the front facade and widows' walk from public view. But the widows' walk is still the most prominent feature when viewed from the rear.

The owner was quoted in the Architectural Digest piece "Key West has Cuban sensuality and a Caribbean irreverence. At the same time, the island has a distinctly American individualism and a clear-stated preference for charm and history that can only be European. We tried to make sure our home blended all of these elements."
I guess I would describe the house as British Colonial Revival. The front veranda features an elaborate front door, decorative crown pediments, and double sets of windows on either side of the front entry. The interiors are rich in design and color. The designer used used a color pallet of tans, caramels, creams, and magenta that were set off by crisp white trim. 
 The home has 3259 sq ft of living space under air that includes formal entry, elegant living area and views to the front and rear,  three bedrooms, 3 1/2 baths, and the roof top widows' walk with its 360 degree views of the Island of Key West. The entire property is fenced and lighted. There is bricked off street parking for several vehicles.
Although the main entry is Key West casual, you know upon entry this is not s typical Key West property. The front door opens into the entry which then expands to the right where the living room is located. That space is quite large and has multiple sitting areas. The fireplace, one of three in this home, is the focal point of this area.

The rear wall of the living room and adjacent formal dining room is actually multiple sets of French doors that open out onto the covered veranda that wraps around the rear of the home. Note the bay window effect of the French doors.

Bay window off the dining room

Fireplace on south end of the veranda

The master suite (below) has multiple sets of French doors that open out to the veranda as well.  The suite as presently configured includes a large office area which might easily become a media room, the bedroom chamber with fireplace, luxurious master bath, and an adjacent mini kitchen. 

View from office

View from the master bedroom

There are two bedrooms on the second floor each of which has an en-suite bath.  And finally there is the widows' walk and sundeck which offer amazing views of the south end of the island, the nearby ocean, and the beautiful park-like garden to the rear.  Guests here will truly never want to go home.

 After completing the renovation and expansion of the main house, the owner purchased abutting properties to the rear. Existing houses were razed to expand the rear of the property where a park-like botanical garden was created complete with massive waterfall plus an nearby bandstand for large gatherings. The resulting property is an irregular rectangle that roughly measures 100 feet x 225 feet.
When you enter the home your eyes are immediately drawn through the house, past the pool and the garden to the sputtering waterfall literally located a block away. You don't see sights like that in Key West nor most places. The effect is quite dramatic.

The waterfall demands attention. It commands first time visitors to walk through the garden to the foot of pond where the water collects. While wandering toward the pool I passed a myriad varieties of fruit and citrus trees, flowering trees, and palm trees of all kinds. The garden is amazing.

Ten foot tall waterfall at the rear of the palm grove

Of course there is a huge swimming pool with its own waterfall, a Jacuzzi, an outdoor shower, a pool kitchen and pool laundry (for pool towels, of course). A sunny deck  surrounds the pool. An expansive loggia provides ample entertaining areas for many guests.  Hilary Clinton was a guest of honor at a campaign event held here a few years ago. I heard there were about five hundred supporters present.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West Association of Realtors mls data sheet on this wonderful Key West property.  And CLICK HERE to view the photos I took. I can't take much pride in these pics. It was my first time with a new Nikon and I didn't do as well as I planned.

405 South Street - Ocean View Property - Key West

405 South Street was a Wedding Present in 1913

Judge JV Harris (father of the bride front right) Marion Harris (bride to be) left rear photographed in 1900 at the Southernmost House across the street

405 South Street as it appeared in 1965

I actually do receive emails from perspective buyers who often describe features they want in their Key West dream home. One of the most elusive features is having a water view. The new listing, not mine, at 405 South Street actually has water views in multiple locations. And it has wonderFUL ocean breezes to cool the house down during the hot Key West summers.


The listing Realtor describes 405 South Street thus:

"Elegant & historic, this meticulously renovated home at the Southernmost Point achieved the highest honor of the Ceramic Star for renovation. Water views from 2nd floor. Lovely porch & balcony. Main house is 4 bed/3 bath. Brazilian hardwood floors, original moulding & doors. First floor has double parlors one of which is a home theatre, a formal dining room, den & casual dining, full bath & laundry/storage. Kitchen has granite counters and stainless steel appliances. 2nd floor has 3 bedrooms/1 bath. 3rd floor is sleeping loft with full bath. Central Vac and Security system. Rental unit above garage w/sep elec meter. Off street parking for multiple cars."

I remember a showing several years ago when the listing agent said that his listing was "historic" and I asked an honest question - what historic thing happened here or who lived here. He looked shocked and rebuked me for questioning his authority. He said all houses in the historic district are historic (by virtue of being there). In the instance of 405 South Street the historic nature may be more about how the house was built, by whom, and what later owners did to improve the place than about any specific historic event. But that's just fine by me.

The listing agent describes that Judge J.V. Harris (who owned the Southernmost House) bought the ground on South Street and later built 405 South Street as a wedding present for his daughter in 1910. Somebody remarked the house is so delicate that it looks like a wedding cake. I guess that is appropriate. But if you look closely, you will see that the house is actually a big strong house made of Indian Stone. Indian Stone is a man made material fabricated in Key West which was used to build several residences and commercial buildings around the turn of the 20th century. When an addition was around the year 2000, local craftsmen actually replicated the original Indian Stone so the new addition (shown below) made a seamless transition from the original house.

405 South Street is a total "Un-Conch House". It is a big (2852 sq ft) house by Key West standards with living space on three levels. It is devoid of the Greek Revival style so visible in most of the larger Old Town homes. The exterior is virtually all stone or man made material as opposed to wood so prevalent in Old Town. The interior has no Dade County Pine. I would describe the interior as being more Victorian in nature than most houses built during the same time period. It's almost as if the owner imported some fancy architect from up north to bring culture to the Keys. (I'm making this stuff up as I type. But it sounds good to me.)

The front entry

Front parlor and rear parlor

Partial ocean view from the west and east windows

The front entry is very impressive. The ornate iron stair case (added by a later owner who was a mayor of Key West) provides access to the second floor. That stair case instantly puts a guest on notice that they are someplace very special. The down stairs has two very formal living areas and a formal dining room. There is a bay window in the front parlor. You can see the Southernmost Point out of the west window and you can get a glimpse of the Atlantic Ocean from the east window. The revamped kitchen is at the left rear and the newly added family room is at the right rear. A set of French doors leads down to the rear yard. The recent addition earned the home the the star mentioned above.

Second floor landing has a view of the Southernmost Point

The Southernmost Point viewed from second floor wrap around balcony

The second floor landing is very impressive. It provides access to the three bedrooms on that floor. The master bedroom is at the front. You can sit in bed and view the upper reaches of the Southernmost Point from bed. These three bedrooms share a single bath. A recently added staircase leads to an fourth bedroom on the third floor. This space is just magical. The lighting is subdued, the two beds are built into tight spaces. (Adrian Monk would not feel comfortable here. The space is balanced and proportioned. Little kids and adults who like intimate and charming spaces will fall madly in love with this area.) And this space has its own complete bathroom. CLICK HERE to view a slide show of photos I took of this property.

Innovative staircase to third floor bedroom area

One of two sleeping nooks in the third floor bedroom - this space is just wonderful!

Both the first and second floors have access to wrap around terraces on each level. The second floor has a great view of the Southernmost Point. If you owned this house you would have people walking past the house or riding bikes, motor scooters or motor cycles, automobiles, pedicabs, and buses from early morning until around sunset. You could sit on your porch and watch humanity go past your home. You ought not consider this house if you cannot accept this fact.

I took exterior photos on a Saturday morning. I imagined owning the house and walking the dog over to South Beach to watch the sun rise. And then walking the area and grabbing a coffee at the Banana Cafe. There a few soles up when I took the pics. They were ogling the sunrise with me; others were jogging down South Street and walking down Duval Street. Key West gradually wakes up each morning the streets come alive. The front of 405 South Street is quite at night but it can be pretty busy most days.

Imagine walking your dog with a cup of coffee in hand to watch sunrise

There is a two story carriage house which is a legal unit. Downstairs there is space for the family car. Upstairs there is really nice space for a live-in. Even the living area in this unit has a partial view of the ocean.

405 South Street is offered at $2,250,000. CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls data sheet and to view the professional shot listing photos. If you would like to see 405 South Street, please consider taking a look with me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. I am a buyer's agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. in Key West.