The listing broker describes 1400 Virginia Street in Key West as an:
"Unique one story home located in quiet Old Town Key West neighborhood just
blocks from the Tennessee Williams home. Two Historic homes have been connected
to form a private lushly landscaped mini-compound with all the amenities one
could imagine. Each home has its own full bath and French doors throughout lead
to a large heated pool and courtyard oasis. The home features a modern open-air
chef's kitchen with retractable windows, an on-line 3-day capacity generator,
irrigation and landscape lighting systems and mature landscaping. This charming
home is considered by many to be one of the most distinctive in Key West and is
a must see property to fully appreciate all that it offers."
Before
I visited the house I went through my old shoebox and found photos of
both houses that date back fifty years. The first photo below shows 1400
Virginia Street as it appeared then and obviously before it was
renovated and expanded. The color photo shows the house as it exists
today. The next black and white photo shows the rear cottage (known then
as 1310 Florida Street) as it appeared in 1965. The color photo shows
it in 2015. Both places have been thoroughly renovated from top to
bottom, inside and outside. All new electric, plumbing, HVAC, roofs, and
pool and gardens were added. Today the two houses offer first class
amenities in an utterly charming setting.
The
current owners created a "bridge" which connects the two cottages which they
use as the main entry to the property. The front porch on Virginia Street now exists a a place to people watch. Today's blog will, however, work our way through the property using the Virginia Street as our starting point.
Let me point out from the start that the rustic appearance of the exterior siding looks like it has not been painted in years. Well, that is partially true, but the appearance is entirely intentional and the siding is maintained every two years to preserve the patina.
The
front porch provides the perfect perch for people watching. The corner
location is across the street from the Bayview Park, the largest city park in Key West. The cottage has a
shotgun style front hallway that leads from front to the rear. Just off to the left
of the front entrace is a guest bedroom with French doors which open out to the pool. This bedroom and adjacent bath are located far from the master suite. This gives the occasional guest or long term resident plenty of separation from the master suite.
The
entry hall terminates in the new living room with vaulted ceiling. A
set of doors open out to the covered outdoor dining area and then on to
the pool, deck, and compact garden. A small bar sink at the edge of the
living room perks our interest and draws us in to see the comfy kitchen. The
space comes alive when we see two sets of windows which open at the corner. The impact rated windows retract back to make the entire area open to the pool and garden area. A portion of the kitchen counter is
counter-levered to the outside and creates a breakfast bar. The owner
told me the windows and doors remain open much of January through May
when our temperatures are at their best while temperatures up north are
often horrendous.
CLICK HERE to view more photos I took of the entire property.
The rear cottage comes into view as we see the doors from the master
bedroom welcome us into that space. It was cloudy on the day I took
photos of the house. The weather was a bit cool for this time of year -
it was wonderful! The owners' two dogs guarded the bedroom space (or
more appropriately "lounged intently") as I snapped some photos. The
bedroom space takes up about fifty per cent of this building. There is a
third bedroom with private entry from Florida Street if desired. This owner
uses that space for an office. There is a large walk-in closet plus two additional closets and a wall of bookshelves to provide lots of storage. This
place has it all!
The
owner advised me that everything that you see except the dogs and a
couple of pieces of art can be purchased separately from the home.
CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and to view all listing photos (some of which I copied). Then please call me,
Gary Thomas,
305-766-2642 to
schedule a private showing of this truly pretty home. I am a buyers
agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. It won't
last long at the asking price of just
$989,000. Remember this home has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool, and parking.This is one of the most charming homes in all of Key West and it is priced to sell.
