Key West Real Estate Throwback Thursday No. 8

From: April 7, 2015

1010 - 1012 Olivia Street, Key West -The Beginning of the End

Local folk artist Ronny Bailey stopped by my office last week to show me (and my Dear Readers) his latest work a special commission of the two houses at 1010 and 1012 Olivia Street in Key West.  The owner of these houses wanted to capture the essence of these houses as they now exist because like much of old Key West, they are about to get renovated. I took a lot of photos of Ronny's art which you can see if you CLICK HERE.

If you look carefully you will seethe word "peace" printed on the wood floor in the photo above.  Ronny always includes the words love, peace, and joy in each piece he creates. He is a religious and loving person. This is how he sees life and how he relates to others. You meet this man and you immediately understand his ethos.

Ronny told me he salvaged wood from the actual houses to create these miniatures. The "metal" roofs are actually wood that he has painted to resemble metal. He carved the chickens on the front porch. Ronnie ripped a larger piece of wood to create the "plywood" floors on the front porches. The front door at 1012 Olivia Street has a screen door. Ronny had a piece of wire screen he had saved from another house from years before. He added a coat of paint to it to reduce the size of the screen to fit into the tiny door. It looked amazingly correct.Look closely at the second floor window on 1010 Olivia (three above). There you will see a hole in the window.  These are all little details that make up the story of old house like this. Ronny Bailey's art can be seen at local shows in Key West. He does prints of various pieces for folks that are not prepared to pay the cost of a major installation. No matter what you buy, you will always love it and cherish it for it shows the true beauty of our old homes.

CLICK HERE to see more photos of the two real houses. These will appear in at least one future blog as the renovation of these two iconic cottages take place.  Several years ago the owner of prior owner of the abutting property on Watson  Street told me that 1012 Olivia Street used to be a house of ill repute. He called it something else that's more descriptive.

I checked the historic Sanborn Fire Maps to see if I could determine when these houses were built. This area was entirely omitted in the earliest map which dates back to 1889. I did find both houses on the 1892 map but at that time they were identified as 922 and 924 Olivia Street. The addresses were respectfully changed to 1010 and 1012 Olivia in the 1889 map. The 1889 map showed a vacant lot next to 1012  Olivia. That vacant spot still exists. But the street does not show on that map. It wasn't until the 1912 map that Peerless Court (later named Watson Street) appeared on the map. In fact the street did not exist at all until that time. There were houses interspersed on the extra large block bounded by Frances on the east, Grinnell on the west, Olivia to the north, and Division Street (Truman Avenue) to the south.

I talked with Ronny about the coming renovation of these two old decrepit houses. I guess you can't blame an owner for wanting to fix up an old house and make it look nice - maybe even to sell it. The thing is if we keep fixing all the old houses there won't be any of the character left in our town except the derelicts that sit on Duval Street performing tricks or outright begging for money. This is the beginning of the end.

Update November 5, 2020  Nothing has happened yet. 

1231 Flagler Avenue, Key West

I showed 1231 Flager Avenue in Key West a few days ago. As soon as I walked inside this 1,524 Sq Ft 1950s ranch style home I was taken by the gleaming restored terrazzo floors which put to shame so many of the new flooring we see today. These floors are both durable and stylish. The entire house
shows like gem.The home is located a little more than one block east of the tony Casa Marina Area where houses of similar size and age may sell for a million dollars more, this home is affordably priced at $895,000. Let's take look.

The house has just been been completely renovated including new roof, wiring, air conditioning, new kitchen and updated bathrooms, and triple pane impact windows and glass panel doors. The house is bright, shiny, and super clean. It is in perfect move-in condition.

The open concept living/kitchen/dining area is located at the front of the house. A door a the side leads out to the newly created covered outdoor living area while the hallway leads to the two guest bedrooms and later to the master suite at the rear.

What you see when you enter the master bedroom are glass doors on two sides opening out to the pool on one side and the covered outdoor living area on the other. The ceiling is vaulted adding a genuine feeling of height and spaciousness. The herringbone pattern wood floors are a counter-point to the terrazzo floors in the original portion of the house. What at first glance appears to be a fixed wall behind the bed is instead the backside of a floating closet. I loved this design. It made the room more user friendly. Well done!

When the curtains are pulled and glass doors shut, the master suite is totally private from the rest of the house. Another set of doors open out to the pool where moonlight madness awaits - or not.

The mechanical equipment is located on the east side yard so that the pool guy can come and go without disturbing the house or covered outdoor living area. The patch of grass is artificial, but the orchids in the trees and freshly planted foliage are real - as in real pretty. The pool is as clear as can be. This owner did a bang-up job. This house is worthy of looking at.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and listing photos of 1231 Flagler Avenue, Key West offered for sale at $895,000 or $587 per sq ft.  Please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a private showing. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. Higgs s Beach is a couple of minute bike ride to the south. What a way to start the day for everyday of the rest of your life.

1408 Petronia Street, Key West, Florida

I got a chance to see the newly renovated home at 1408 Petronia Street yesterday morning during Realtor caravan.  I had a sense of deja 'vu all over again as I walked inside but I couldn't figure out what had happened to the house. The listing Realtor asked me to blog about this property which I gladly agreed to do.

The Key West Association of Realtors changed our MLS or IDX provider a short few years ago and with that decision lost a host of old MLS listings, statistics, and photos. I did check the more recent listings of this house which brought back memories of the house.  It has been changed so much that the old house is barely recognizable. And that dear readers is a good thing. A friend of mine used to live directly across the street. He told me the former woman owner would sit on her front porch and stare at him. She's gone. He's gone as well. The aerial photo below shows the location of 1408 Petronia to which I have added an X.

1408 Petronia Street is located on a one-way street accessed off  Eisenhower Drive.  Bayview Park is located about four blocks to the south. Duval Street is located ten blocks to the west. This is a nice quiet neighborhood where most to the historic homes have been renovated. This one is special.

This home is offered "turn key" at $1,850,000, so take note of all the little things that make this house so aesthetically appealing. In prior times the living room was located at the front of the house. Now it and the kitchen and dining areas are combined in a sweet open concept living area under the two sawtooth additions at the back of the house. The back of the house was opened up to the pool and back yard where there is a small cottage.

The outdoor dining area is covered. You don't know how many "smart" people fail to provide a covered area to sit or dine when they are renovating or building a house. Our sun can be intense. Our rains sometimes happen on a moment's notice. Having a place in the shade is necessary - I don't care how much the house costs. The owners added new Trex decking and additional landscaping. There is also a small guest bath to with entrances from the kitchen or off the pool.

The first floor master suite is located at the front of the house where the living room used to be located. This is an absolutely smart reconfiguration of the former space. Sets of closets provide sophisticated and stylish storage just off the bedroom. The bathroom is just plain sexy. You must click thru the MLS photos so see all the attention to detail in this space.

 There are two guest bedrooms on the second floor where they share a bath.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and listing photos of 1408 Petronia Street, Key West. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a private showing. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. I think you will really like this place.