It's time for a new update so that my blog followers who have not been to Key
West for several months can track the progress (or slowness) of some of
the more interesting projects of Key West.
618 Grinnell Street
looks quite attractive with its new yellowish color and the new
addition at the rear. A pool has been installed, but it is not
finished. A couple of out buildings were added at the rear, but they
are no where near complete either.
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| 618 Grinnell St built 1889, photographed 1965 |
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| June 2011 |
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| September 2012 |
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| September 2012 |
618 Grinnell Street is being substantially rebuilt.
The house was elevated and the old peers removed and replaced by new
peers that were drilled and placed at cap rock. The back one-third of
the house was removed and was rebuilt. New side porches were added to
replace the porches that previously existed. The interiors are being
re-purposed as well. A structural wall in the original home was removed
by a prior owner. The current owner is putting that wall back where it
originally was. The work is supposed to be finished by late November.
Perhaps I will be able to share some final interior photos with my
readers at that time.
911 Watson Street is
probably a place you have never driven by because it is off the beaten
path. Its notable neighbor to the north is the Key West Cemetery on
Olivia Street. Bare Assets is its most famous neighbor to the south on
Truman Avenue. Few locals and fewer tourists drive down this one block
street unless they are there for a specific reason. The original house
at 911 Watson had several additions and out buildings most of which were
demolished after the property was purchased a couple of years ago. The
main cottage was saved and is the focal point for the redevelopment of
this incredible 10,000 sq ft lot. Local architect Matthew Stratton
designed this project.
I
have not discussed the project with the architect or builder. I think
we are seeing three different parts of the new house emerge which will
have the old house be the focal point where guests arrive. The formal
living area and kitchen and dining will likely be at ground level on one
side. Perhaps the family or guest bedrooms will be on the upper level. I
suspect the master suite will be in the opposite building. Perhaps
there will be a stairway from the master suite that leads down to the
pool at the rear.
I
think the "weathered" look of the front facade is intentional as the
boards are crisp and clean. The sides are crisply painted. I like the
juxtaposition if that is the fate of this front porch.
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| 909 Flagler Avenue circa 1965 |
The former church at
909 Flagler Avenue in the Casa Marina area was destroyed during Hurricane Wilma. That building and two
smaller wood frame buildings were demolished to create a 10,381 sq ft
building lot (98' x 106'). The property is located adjacent to the truly
historic Reynolds property next door to the left.
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| July 3rd - notice the firecracker Royal Poinciana Tree at the rear |
909
Flagler Avenue is another project designed by Matthew Stratton. I think
the building on the far right will be the master suite as it is
separated by what I think is the main living area in the center. I'll
bet family or guest bedrooms will be located to the rear of the garage.
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| 924 Flagler Avenue circa 1965 |
The house across the street at
924 Flagler Avenue is
a restoration of a beautiful Casa Marina home that was owned by one
family until the current owner purchased the property a couple of years
ago. The house recently had a new
roof installed which is being complemented by new copper gutters and
copper trim. The original wood sash windows are being replaced with
custom manufactured mahogany windows with hurricane wind resistant
glass. These new windows will qualify this home for maximum windstorm
insurance mitigation credits but will still retain the charm of this
elegant home.
You
probably can't see it, but the original jalousie windows in the upper
photograph are now replaced by custom made French doors made of mahogany
with newly crafted paladin windows above. It's my theory, but only my
theory, that the original paladin windows were meant to compliment the
design of the Casa Marina hotel just one half a block away to the west. I
found the photo below of the old dining room.
Slowly,
but surely, the windows and doors are being replaced. The original
roof has also been replaced by new age materials that replicate the look
of the old roof but that provide windstorm insurance credits the former
roof was unable to do. Even the double garage got a new roof and copper
gutters that will last this Casa Marina beauty well into the next
century.
Another Casa Marina area home located at
817 Waddell Avenue has
just been completed and is awaiting clean-up of building materials.
This beautiful home was designed by Tom Pope. It is located at the
corner of Reynolds Street and Waddell Avenue opposite the grounds of the
Casa Marina Resort. I wrote about the vacant lot when it was for sale a
couple of years ago. Construction has taken about one year if my
recollection serves me well. I live a couple of blocks away and have
taken progressive photos of the space from vacant lot through the stages
of development. Landscaping was recently installed. I assume the
interiors are complete as plantation shutters protect the interior from
prying eyes and there is a nice chair on the second floor front porch
for people watching.
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| December 2010 from Reynolds Street |
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Changed colors more than twice  |
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| 817 Waddell Avenue - Key West |
The one thing that puzzles me about the
property above is why the side yard has not been fenced in. You can see
a new fence being installed about five feet from the pool house at the
right rear. The adjacent side yard is probably too small to sell off to
some other buyer. It will be interesting to see how the vacant space is
used once the construction has totally ended.
Another new house is the property being built at
615 Thomas Street in
Bahama Village, just opposite to the parking entrance to the Shipyard
Condominiums in Truman Annex. An old relic of a falling down house used
to sit at this location. Today a substantial new two story home is
being constructed where the former cottage once stood. Instead of old
school carpentry, this new house is using many modern day building
features that will make this home a notable addition to the area.
Frequent readers will recall my former listing at
630 Elizabeth Street (below).
The house sits at the very top of Solares Hill - the highest point on
the Island of Key West. Passers-by could not help notice how badly she
looked. The big old girl is getting a major face lift as well as new
dentures, a tummy tuck, hip replacement, intestinal bypass, and breast
augmentation. I kid you not (well just a little).
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| 630 Elizabeth Street built circa 1887, photographed in 1965 |
This
big old building was traditionally a two unit. In the very old days the
downstairs unit was a neighborhood store. Presumably the owner lived on
the second floor. Judging from the interiors when I had this property
listed for sale, I would guess the interiors were updated in the 1970s.
The downstairs was partitioned into several bedrooms with one shared
bath and kitchen in the rear. A separate entrance on the left provided
access to the second floor apartment which had two bedrooms, one bath
and an open living-kitchen area. The front porch on the second level was
unsafe and it was removed. The main level had some noticeable
foundation issues and it was the probably the cost of fixing the
foundation more than any other issue that deterred most of the potential
buyers who looked and lusted after this old house.
The
new owner hired an experienced contractor and work has begun on the
restoration. The ground level floor was removed and new foundation
built in place. The second level floor and some of the super structure
were removed as well. New headers were placed around much of what will
re-emerge as the second floor. I included a couple of photos below that
permit you to see this great example of balloon framing where the
exterior shell is built first. The second floor is then added. And
finally interior framing and part ions are added at the end. In this
instance, the second floor balcony will get replaced and new and the old
columns either replaced or repaired. I am eager to see how this turns
out. Anticipation!
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| Early photo showing balloon framing |
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| Something akin to intestinal bypass |
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| 517 Elizabeth Street half a century ago |
A block to the north the house at
517 Elizabeth Street
is being given a new lease on life. Note the fake brick veneer and clam
shell awnings that were added to modernize the original house decades
ago.
517
Elizabeth Street looked like this in late March 2012 when this house
sold in just a couple of weeks. The new owners engaged architect Tom
Pope who worked with the new owners to develop a plan to update the
house and to provide living spaces that we expect in contemporary Key
West homes.
The
"new" facade is beginning to appear. Specimen palms have been planted
in front. The old garage and part of the rear will be demolished to make
way for improvements at the back side and the addition of a pool.
A couple of years ago I wrote a blog about the then "bank owned" house at
1030 Fleming Street.
There was a flurry of interest in that property because of the size,
location, and relatively cheap price. One buyer got a really good deal
and started the renovation which has taken nearly two years to get to
its present status which appears to be nearly done.
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| 1030 Fleming before it became bank owned |
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| Before it became bank owned |
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| Renovation in progress December 2011 |
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| September 2012 renovation nearly complete |
The
house at 1030 Fleming Street sold for $530,000 in March 2010. I had a
cash buyer who offered just a bit less. My buyer's wife was "iffy" on
the project and wasn't committed to spending that much money on a bank
owned house. My buyer drew a line in the sand and refused to go higher
when presented with a 'best and final' opportunity. I have no idea how
much the new owner will have spent on this property to redo the place,
but I can guarantee you every dollar spent will have been worth it. The
place looks great. This is the kind of place you drive by and remember
that you could have had it if only...
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| 909 Pohalski Lane in late 2010 |
I sold the little doll house shown above on Pohalski
Lane in early 2011. A few months later most of the house was nearly
destroyed by a fire. The owner and I learned the lessons of build back
after damage. HARC and the City of Key West Planning Department have
rules regarding how a house damaged by fire or storm can be rebuilt.
The owner engaged noted local architect Tom Pope who designed a new
house to fit into the space occupied by the former building. The front
facade and part of the front roof were saved. Everything else will be
brand spanking new. I will share more details when this house is
completed. Until then look at the fire damage below (that section of the
house was razed), and look at the front facade and part of the newly
built two story house to the rear.
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Living room
Dry walling in process
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| Nearing completion - September 27, 2012 |
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| 730 Southard St - 1970 |
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| 730 Southard Street - September 27, 2012 |
The original house at 730 Southard Street was lived
in by the same family for decades. After the matriarch passed a few
years ago the property passed to her son who met an untimely demise as
well. His widow sold the house in 2010 for $800,000 far short of the
original $2,990,000 asking price when first listed in October 2008. The
new owners hired Tom Pope as the architect and engaged Todd Kemp as
their point person to coordinate the various professionals, contractors,
and material men in the renovation of one of Key West's true landmark
properties. Maybe someone will write a book about how this house got
rebuilt. It is a story worth telling. I'd tell it, but I don't know the
facts. I've only heard bits and pieces and watched some of the HARC
proceedings on television. The owners deserve a gold medal!
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| 2008 |
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| Rear View |
I believe the above photo dates from the 1970s. Time took its toll on the house at
730
Southard Street. The new owners undertook an ambitious project when
they decided to restore this wonderful part of Key West history from the
ground up. See the photos below which track a bit of the process.
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| Original Kitchen being rebuilt from ground up |
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| First and Second story wrap around porches re-engineered and newly built |
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| Insulation under layment for new roof | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
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The
restoration at 730 Southard Street has been amazing to watch. I
underestimated the time and amount of work that would be necessary to
bring
this old gal back to glory.
The projects of Key West, aren't they something!
