701 Elizabeth Street - Key West - Pied-à-Terre

Fresh on the Market: pied-à-terre located at the iconic 701 Elizabeth Street at the tippy top of Solares Hill in Old Town Key West. This three story apartment has designer genes, is fully furnished, and is ready for immediate occupancy. Annual lease required.

701 Elizabeth Street is located at the intersection of Elizabeth Street at Windsor Lane. This is two blocks east of Duval Street and within easy walking distance to all of Old Town.

Private deck for outdoor entertaining.

The living space here is like none other in Key West. The living space soars three stories to the vaulted ceiling on the third level where the bedroom is located.

The kitchen, dining area, and living space are located on the first floor. French doors open out to the front porch for al fresco dining. The indoor space is contemporary chic.

The second floor is home to the quite large bath, laundry and closet.

Access between the floors is via the spiral staircase.  The stairs and movable exterior louvers are an integral part of the design of this apartment. People from the street cannot see inside. The louvers are adjustable from the inside and give you control over the light at any time of the day.

CLICK HERE to view more photos of this one of a kind Key West residence. Annual Lease $2,000 per month. Landlord pays water and sewer. Tenant pays electric, cable, and phone.  First, last, and security required. No pets and no smokers.  Contact Gary Thomas, Preferred Properties Key West, 305-766-2642 to view.

609 Angela Street - Solares Hill Eyebrow House - Key West

 Just listed, but not by me, a beautiful eyebrow house located at 609 Angela Street near the tippy top of Solares Hill in Old Town Key West.  I dug deep into the old shoe box and found a photo taken in 1965 with a note stating this house was built in 1889. 

 Eyebrow houses are unique to Key West. They sort of look like  tall salt boxes with a roof that extends over the front porch.  The second floor front wall is shorter than the rear because of the steep roof angle. From the street the second floor windows appear rather short as the roof overhang protects an open window from rain or wind.  This projection of protection shields the windows from rain or wind.

Almost all (but not absolutely all) eyebrow houses were laid out pretty much the same.  The main entry is located in the center of the house with a hallway that led straight to the rear. On the main level the primary living area was located on either side of the entry hall. Upstairs you would find two bedrooms.  In many instances in old days a cook house would have been located in a detached building at the rear.  Some eyebrow houses in their original form were smaller and less ornate than others. And, you guessed it, some are quite large and very ornate. 

It is the additions and renovations that have occurred over the decades that now distinguish these special Key West homes even more.  Some eyebrow houses have dormers added to the rear or a shed roof added to the rear that extended the second floor bedrooms and provided room for a bath. This house got a second floor balcony off the west side which provides a shady spot for the family auto and a place to get a great Key West tan. A main floor addition added a new main level bath, kitchen, and dining room plus an extra large main level porch on the east side of the home. A later addition added the new master suite at the rear which has French doors that open out to a covered porch and the swimming pool.

Window looks out to the swimming pool!

 609 Angels Street has 2181 sq ft of living space which includes four bedrooms and two baths. The lot is extra large, especially for this part of Old Town. There is even off street parking for three vehicles. The obligatory white picket fence and stately street appeal make this a home serious buyers ought to see. This home is offered at $1,395,000.  CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet on 609 Angela Street and to view listing photos.  I took more photos which you can see if you CLICK HERE.

I gotta tell you the view from the front door is pretty impressive as well. The former home of  Philip Burton (actor Richard Burton's adoptive father) is located across the street. Other houses on this one way street are a mix of Cigar Maker cottages, a smattering of recently constructed homes near the corner at Simonton Street, and a couple of impressive Conch houses. The Phillip Burton house is the doozy.

If you would like to see this home or any other property in Key West, please contact me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 or send me an email at kw1101v@aol.com. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc.  Let me help you find your place in Paradise.

618 Petronia Steet - Atop Solares Hill - Key West

 618 Petronia Street - Old Town - Key West

The house at 618 Petronia Street is worth looking at if you are a reasonably priced house in Old Town Key West that is in livable condition but which could be upgraded and improved upon as well.

The house is located near the highest point on Solares Hill - the highest point on the Island of Key West. I searched the Monroe County Property Appraiser records and old photos and learned the houses in the immediate area were built right after the end of World War II. Records show 616 and 618 Petronia was built in 1948. This is important in that the two historic photos I found of both houses show how much different 618 Petronia appeared a few years later after the front masonry addition was added and stucco added to cover the original wood siding.

616 Petronia - 1965

616 Petronia - 2012

 The original house (and current configuration) is a wood frame house that is more typical bungalow style house than cigar maker's cottage. The gable roof is not as high or as pitched. Note the house has a wood frame "addition" on the right front. Other houses on this block appear quite similar but all have been modified a bit differently.

618 Petronia - 1965

 

618 Petronia - 2012

 It looks to me as though the original house at 618 Petronia Street was expanded by the masonry addition at the front. This addition includes the front porch on the left and the third bedroom on the right. I believe a second addition was added at the rear where the kitchen is now located. A rear covered patio at the rear has been enclosed and seems to now function as a family room. The original house is still intact and consists of the living room, two bedrooms and two bathrooms. The house has several floor elevations and floor surface materials. Some interior walls are 1950's wood panel (the kind you see in rec rooms and trailers) while other spaces are plaster over masonry.

 Front porch

The kitchen

Family room

It looked to me as though much of the original house got a stucco exterior when the front addition was added many years ago. The house next door at 616 Petronia Street is almost identical and it has "novelty siding". (Manley deBoer Lumber in Key West still sells novelty siding.)  I think the houses are the same and I expect 618 Petronia would have had the same siding were it not for the stucco. I'm a believer in wood and I think this house would benefit immensely from the removal of the entire masonry and the rear additions. I would replace the front with a period correct front porch. I'd restore the wood siding all over the the house. I would remove the clam shell awnings and replace with shutters that are more in keeping with the way Key West cottages look today. Finally, I would replace the kitchen and add a new rear porch.  I think you could come up with a mighty charming home to keep to yourself or that you could easily rent as a vacation rental. There are several homes in the immediate area that are used that way.

The rear yard is immense. (The Monroe County Property Appraiser's map shows the lot as being 32 feet wide by 189.33 feet in depth.) There is room for a huge pool. There is even room for an accessory unit (a mother-in-law cottage).  This space is just incredible. 

 I spotted huge an avocado tree, a lime tree, a key lime tree, and a sour orange tree in the rear yard. This lot is just incredible. It offers so much for future development.

CLICK HERE to  view the Key West Association of Realtors mls datasheet on this property. A new owner doesn't have to do any of the remodeling I suggested. The place works just fine the way it is. But it could be so much better. And at the asking price of $459,900 it is worth looking at.

If you would like to look at this property or any other house in Key West please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. Let me help you find your place in Paradise.