820 Windsor Lane - Old Town - Key West
Today I am once again writing about the really cute little house at 820 Windsor Lane in Old Town Key West. This property is listed by Preferred Properties. That's where I work, but this is not my listing. The asking price was just reduced to $398,000 or $324 per sq ft. The listing Realtor describes the property this way:
"Location & Charm. Two-story conch home on a corner lot in a great old town neighborhood, this property offers original historic details with an attractive floor plan: guest bedroom and bath are downstairs while the master bedroom and half-bath occupy the entire upstairs. Features include high ceilings, Dade Co. Pine walls & floors, spacious rooms and an open kitchen with breakfast bar. Front porch, a private deck and a bricked patio provide outdoor living. House is owner-occupied and all systems function, but it's rough around the edges and is a good candidate for a major renovation."
In his book The Streets of Key West: a History through Street Names J. Willis Burke says Poorhouse Lane got its name because "a poorhouse was once tucked away there". I found another of those old photos that show how this property looked like in 1965. Poorhouse Lane is denoted by the unpainted vertical fence on the opposite side of the house. See the photo below. Now look at a similar photo I took in December 2010 looking in the same basic direction. With the overgrown trees and cars it is hard telling it is the same place. But it is.
820 Windsor Lane circa 1965 - Poorhouse Lane is denoted by the vertical unpainted fence
820 Windsor Lane as it appears in 2010 hidden behind the foliage
820 Windsor Lane is a two bedroom two bath home that sits on a good sized 40' x 50' lot just across the street from the Key West cemetery. Click GOOGLE MAP for an aerial perspective of the location. The street view is inaccurate as it shows only the fence on Poorhouse Lane. St. Mary's Catholic Church is located two blocks to the south at the corner of Windsor Lane and Truman Avenue (that's where James Bond parachuted to the church to be best man at his friend's wedding). Bill Butler Park is a short one block walk at the west end Poorhouse Lane. I must confess the City of Key West ought to spend more time and more money to maintain this potential gem.
Poorhouse Lane ends is one block long and ends at Bill Butler Park
Bill Butler Park
You can walk to Duval Street in about five minutes. The fact is you can be just about any place in Key West within ten minutes by car. You can be most places in Old Town by foot or bike in about the same time. And it is that convenience that makes a location like 820 Windsor Lane so appealing.
Front room used as an office or second bedroom
Open living, dining and kitchen
Master bedroom and open bath
This home has a very Old Key West feel. All rooms are natural (unpainted) Dade County Pine walls, ceilings, and floors with all windows and doors painted white. The window panes are old and the glass has 'stretch marks' that show their age. There front room downstairs does double duty as an office/den and second bedroom. There is a full bath on main floor. The living room, dining area, and kitchen are one big open space with lots of windows. The master bedroom and an open bath occupy the entire second floor. There front porch has view of the Key West cemetery. The side and back yards are private and spacious. But there is not room for a pool.
CLICK HERE to checkout the current Key West mls datasheet on this property and to view more listing photos. Or you can CLICK HERE for a slide show of more photos I took of this property. Better yet please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a showing of this cute Conch Cottage. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. in Key West, Florida.
