721 Chapman Lane, Key West - Something Special!

Yesterday, during Realtor caravan, I finally got a chance to see the recently listed home at 721 Chapman Lane in Key West. I had been there years earlier and sort of remembered it. It looks totally different now than it looked a few years ago. As I made my way from the living room to the kitchen at the rear I could hear different agents going "Ooh!" and "Aah!" and "This is really nice". That normally does not happen. This place was something special.

This house is one of several cigar maker style homes on this block. The Monroe County Property Appraiser says this house was built circa 1906. The public records I saw did not show when the rear addition was added, but it looks to me like it was in the late 1990s. That addition expanded the living area toward the rear and increased the total living area to 1900 sq ft. The current owner replaced much of the siding and redid all of the interiors. The place looks, feels, and smells brand new through out.

The listing Realtor describes this home this way:

"The minute you enter 721 Chapman Lane you know you've found a special property! Located on one of the quaintest streets in the Village, one block from restaurant row! This 3 bedroom, 3 bath home has been tastefully renovated with an elegant Caribbean feel including beautiful Brazilian Mahogany floors and Amish made solid Cherry cabinets. The open concept kitchen, dining and living area lead out to the beautiful covered lanai and heated, salt water pool. There is also a formal living room in the front of the home. Two master bedrooms both boast gorgeous en suite baths, one with a private covered porch overlooking the pool. Don't miss this one!"

The covered rear lanai merges with the interior when the glass doors are opened. You will be able to leave the doors open and walk back and forth between inside and outside from October through most of  May while other parts of the country deal with snow and blowing winds from Canada. The net effect is your living space is much larger and far more enjoyable than you can imagine until you experience in real life.

The entire house feels and looks new. The layout works for modern living. If you grew up in a post World War II ranch, you will understand the difference of modern open living concept as opposed to single purpose rooms. The second floor has two large bedrooms. The rear bedroom has a living area and a balcony which overlooks the pool below. I'm pretty sure back in the 1960s and 1970s only the rich had rear second story balconies overlooking a sweet pool. You can have it all today.

The master bedroom suite is just that: sweet. This is a place where you are walled off from the rest of the world (or at least whoever is in the other master suite at the front of the house). The bedroom has a big vaulted ceiling which in many houses makes one feel lost. But intimacy prevails here because the space is humanized by the furnishings and the opened balcony doors. The balcony provides another place to chill and bask in knowing this is your home - your inner sanctum. 

The second floor front bedroom and bath are equally as nice as the master at the rear, but not quite as large. Every room in this house is special. I doubt you will find anything like it in Key West today. And that is why  people like you want to own a place here - it's not located up north in America where everything is the same.

Opposite to the stairway to the second floor you will find a room currently used as a study and a guest bath. If the desk and chair were removed, that room could be used as a third bedroom. Also, there is a good sized pantry located under the stairway.

Nearby 221 Petronia Street - 2010

2015

2016

 721 Chapman Lane is home is located in the Bahama Village section of Key West, just two blocks west of Duval Street. This area is now changing at a much quicker pace than before. The City of Key West is finally working on the Truman Annex Waterfront Park. This week the waterfront is packed with attendees at the boat races.  I have long believed that when the park is completed, buyers will appreciate the undervalued homes in the Bahama Village area which has not risen in price equal to the houses in the Old Town area. I really think this is finally going to happen. One by one, the straggler properties like the one pictured above at 221 Petronia Street are getting bought up and redone. The house across the street is nearing expansion and completion of its renovation. Nearby hot eateries include the iconic Blue Heaven, Santiago's Bodega, and Firefly. 721 Chapman Lane is 200 feet away. Ft Zachary Taylor beach is a ten minute walk or a few minute bike ride. This area is gonna get hot and it's gonna go up in price.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet on 721 Chapman Lane which is offered at $1,399,000. This same house would cost about $1.8 million on the other side of Duval Street. Please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a private showing of this very lovely home. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties in Key West Florida.

618 Whitehead Street, Key West - Just Listed!

Just Listed 618 Whitehead Street, Key West, Florida. This 2354 square foot home sits close to the street.  Half the house is obscured by a giant Royal Poinciana tree. If you look carefully you will see pediments over the windows and doors.  These pediments often are clarions of gracious interiors - often, but not always. I searched thru my old shoebox and found a photo of this property and the house at 620 Whitehead Street taken half a century ago. The picture of 618 Whitehead shows the architectural features in greater detail including the pediments over the windows and doors and the ornate railing on the first and second floor porches.  A small fence existed then but the tree had not been planted. The two story home located at 620 Whitehead Street was razed in 1972. Today that space is a parking lot.

618 Whitehead Street in the mid 1960s

618 Whitehead Street first appeared in the 1889 Sanborn Fire Map as 328 Whitehead Street. The street number was changed to 618 Whitehead Street on the 1892 Sanborn map. This property is located one-half block to the south of the Monroe County Courthouse. I found an aerial photo taken in the 1920s. I marked the location of 618 Whitehead with an arrow. You can click the photo to enlarge it. If you look at the image you will see that this house appears to be an amalgamation of three buildings combined into one larger building.  Moreover, today there is a fourth addition at the rear.  Most of the buildings in this block, whether originally built as houses or commercial, are now commercial enterprises. The Green Parrot Bar is at the corner of Southard Street.  There are a couple of small guest houses, a few law firms, a legitimate massage studio, and a snack shop. This building was previously the "home" to a title company, a real estate office, and an apartment. Today 618 Whitehead Street is a a gracious single family home which was renovated to be used as a monthly vacation rental. 

No matter how many additions and uses this property had in the past, the present home is gracious and inviting. The home has been updated to meet the demands for modern day living with style and panache.

Like many recent renovations, this home has been re-oriented by moving the prime living and social areas to the rear. Bedrooms are located at the first floor front and on the second floor. This gives the homeowner the opportunity to incorporate the large pool and deck into everyday life.

The house sits on a 32.76' X 100' lot which is fairly large for Old Town. The lot looks and feels much larger because the front of the house at the property line. The result is the backyard seems immense. Swimming and tanning enthusiasts will love this place. There is a nice covered space just off the living room and kitchen which the current owners use for outdoor grilling and dining.

There are two bedrooms located at the first floor front both of which have en-suite baths. You will notice an abundance of original Dade County Pine walls and ceilings in this home. Each bedroom has been designed with large closets as well. Central air was added to the property. Each bedroom has a ceiling fan as well.

The stairway leads to the second floor landing which provides support to my proposition that three buildings were combined into one house The two photos above show the entry door into the master bedroom located on the rear side of the second floor. This is a large and spacious room with a huge walk-in closet, large en-suite bath, and a door that exits the rear sundeck which overlooks the pool below.

The second floor rear deck provides a nice place to read a book, take a nap, or plan what you or your guests will do to complete the day.

Both second floor front bedrooms have private en-suite baths and ample closets. They share immediate access to the covered front porch which spans the breadth of the house. This is a perfect perch for watching tourists and locals making their way each day as they walk to or from the end of Whitehead Street to take photos of the Southernmost Point and Hemingway House or to walk west on Southard Street toward  Fort Zachary Taylor State Park and Beach. Duval Street is just one block to the east. This is the perfect location for an active owner or vacation guest to be located to take advantage of all that Key West has to offer. CLICK HERE to view more photos I took of this home.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet on 618 Whitehead Street which is offered for sale at $2,200,000. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to arrange a private showing. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.