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916 Von Phister Street is located in the tony
Casa Marina Area of
Key West.
This bedroom community is a stone's throw from the nearby Atlantic
Ocean. The Casa Marina Resort is a short two block walk to the west. Two
great ocean front restaurants (Salute on the Beach and Louie's
Backyard) are located within a five minute walk. The madness of Old
Town is within easy biking distance for those times you want to break
bread with tourists or attend a play at the Waterfront Playhouse or the
Red Barn Theater. Otherwise, you'll enjoy the serenity of this little enclave.
The area is not without its ties to old Key West.
Tennessee Williams' sister owned the house across the street at 915 Von
Phister; Thomas McGuane lived half a block away also on Von Phister
Street; for a brief time Ernest Hemingway lived two blocks away at the
corner of South and Whalton Streets; Phil Caputo lived on Casa Marina
Court; and today Judy Blume lives very near. Houses in the Casa Marina
are typically located on larger lots than Old Town. Many of the homes
have a semi-rural flare because most of the streets do not have sidewalks. Instead the public rights of way are often planted with grass or pea rock with all sorts of palm trees and other tropical plantings. And unlike
much of Old Town where many of the homes have become vacation rental
money machines, most of the houses in the Casa Marina are primary
residences or second homes. And one last thing: the Atlantic Ocean and beaches are just a couple of blocks away. You can be wiggling your toes in the water in minutes.
The listing Realtor describes 916 Von Phister Street this way:
"One of a kind, newly renovated, single family home. Oozing with the wow factor
of midcentury and modern living all on one level. Stacking doors allow ample
marriage of the outside and inside surrounded by two large patios and a glass
tiled pool. Superior bright rooms flood the interiors with warm sunlight.
Notable features are the telescope sky lights, oversized tiled porcelain
floors,custom cabinetry, Bosch 800 series appliances, including double wall
ovens, microwave drawer, dual beverage center and large Thermador refrigerator.
Three en suite bedrooms with premium appointed bathrooms, den or fourth bedroom,
private patios and ample closet space. All surrounded by a privacy wall with
covered and uncovered parking enough for 3 cars."
Readers
of my blog may recall I followed the renovation of this home
for many months. I found a genuine throwback photo of this house taken
from the Von Phister Street side in 1965. Other photos are recent. They
show the transformation of the plain 1960s ranch into the sophisticated
home it is today. The interior was totally gutted. External building
changes included a new roof, installation of new impact windows and
doors, and the construction of a new six foot privacy wall that envelops
large corner lot. Landscape architect Craig Reynolds designed the pool
and gardens.
The
interiors are new throughout. Once you pass the threshold you behold a
huge new space that is both subtle but demanding in the same instance.
How can that be, you ask. The color pallet used in the flooring and
walls is very soft and unobtrusive so when you enter the house your eyes
are automatically drawn first to the far end of the house which opens
out to the pool. As you pass into the house you can't help noticing the
contrasting colors of the pool, tropical gardens, and sky which depth
and dimension to the interior spaces. The gardens are newly planted. As
they grow the depth of color from the trees and tropical foliage will
become even more vibrant.
The
public living spaces are bright and open into each other. The sleek
porcelain floors and monochromatic color scheme tie the rooms together.
Design elements such as light fixtures, tiles, mirrors, and so on catch
the eye of the beholder.
A
guest bath is located off the hallway leading to the bedrooms. This
home has two master bedrooms each en-suite. Each with private outdoor
garden space.
The
west master bedroom suite is a bit larger. Dual doors at the far end of
the room open into the bath which is a darker than the other master
bath which seems almost opulent compared to the almost understated
simplicity employed in this bathroom. When you look closer you quickly
appreciate the richness of the minimalism which includes dual sinks with
tilting mirrors and a huge glass enclosed shower. A set of dual doors
open into one of two walk-in closets in this second master suite.
A
third guest bedroom provides generous sleeping accommodations and
equally dramatic en-suite bath. Like the two master suites, the guest
bedroom has access to a small private garden on the other side of the
impact doors. A large privacy wall insulates the house and garden from
the street. Light flows in to the rooms but privacy prevails.
As
I took photos of the baths I had to touch the tiles. They so totally
different from the run of the mill tiles you see see repeated in house
after house in Key West. The tiles in the master bath almost have an art
deco feel to me. They aren't, but they give off that aura. And it is
the aura of being different that separates this house from so many
others.
CLICK HERE to view
more photos I took of this property.
Doors
from the kitchen and living room open wide and seem to disappear into
the walls. The outdoors and indoors become one as living and
entertaining spaces merge. In the winter when your friends up north in
New Jersey or Michigan are freezing their behinds around dinner time,
you and your Key West friends will be having cocktails and canapes under
the stars either by your pool or you can walk over to Louie's Backyard or any number of other places.
CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet on
916 Von Pisterl Street which is offered at
$2,195,000.
Besides the refined public spaces there are two master suites, one
large guest bedroom, a fourth potential bedroom which could
alternatively be used as a den/study, office, media room, or home gym.
There are three full
baths and one half bath, two off street parking places (one covered),
pool and lanai, and laundry. Please call me,
Gary Thomas,
305-766-2642 to schedule a private showing of this freshly renovated home. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at
Preferred Properties Key West. I live in the Casa Marina Area and love it. Let me show you this house and this wonderful neighborhood.
