809 Eaton Street in Old Town
Key West dates back to circa 1840 when it was built for Henry
Lowe. The house was totally restored and expanded in 2005 when it was
featured in the Old Island Foundation House Tour. The house is typical
of other Bahamian styled homes of that era located in the immediate
neighborhood.
Many
of the Key West's founding fathers were expatriates from the Bahamas.
They brought with them the architectural style and construction
techniques with which they were familiar. Bahamian styled houses were
placed on piers and had wood frames and had tall ceilings and large windows
with Bahama shutters which permitted air to circulate through the house to provide natural cooling. The houses were built with wood clapboard siding.
I
dug deep into the old shoebox and found a photo of the roof of 809
Eaton Street (black and white photo immediately below) that was taken in
1914. I just love the look of Key West back in the day. You can see
that the Historic Seaport is only a couple of blocks away. Note all of
the smaller buildings which back then were cook houses or privies. I
found another photo of 809 Eaton Street that was taken in 1965 (black
and white photo second below). The house would have been about 125 years
old when that pic was taken. Forty-eight years later 809 Eaton Street
still looks great (color photo below taken February 2013).
Recently I found a photo of 809 Eaton Street that was taken in the 1960's from the Island City House located across the street. That pic reminded me of Freddy in the Nightmare on Elm Street. I took a photo from the same location a few days ago just to prove a point that what was once is often still the same on our little island where historic homes are preserved - not destroyed.
The listing Realtor at Preferred Properties, that's where I work but this is not my listing, describes 809 Eaton Street this way:
"Classic 1800's Old Town property which is a combination of the Henry Lowe House
and the Samuel Kemp House, built in 1840. This 5 bedroom / 4.5 bath 3 story home
with 1 bedroom / 1 bathroom guest cottage has all the amenities you're looking
for! This historic home offers a spacious living area with large open kitchen
which is great for entertaining. Additional features include large porches
throughout, high ceilings, Dade County Pine, hardwood flooring, large covered
deck, fantastic pool and jacuzzi and off-street parking. Converted cistern
as wine cellar. There is also a 60,000 watt generator so you're never in the
dark. On the National Registry of Historic Places."
This
house has 4712 sq ft of living space in the main house and guest
cottage. The lot is an irregular rectangle of of 6079 sq ft
(approximately 57' x 125'). The main level includes a spacious living
room, dining room, family room and extra large kitchen and pantry. The
master bedroom with en-suite bath is also located on the main floor at
the left rear of the home. Multiple sets of French doors line the back
of the house and open onto a rear loggia that overlooks the pool.
A
gracious staircase leads to the second floor where there are two large
bedrooms and baths. These bedrooms open onto the wrap-around second
floor porch. A smaller staircase leads to the third floor which has a
dormitory style bedroom plus a wonderful bath at the rear which as a
view looking toward the Gulf of Mexico. You can see the pool, guest
cottage, and garden.This is the kind of view that people who
accomplished great things get to enjoy.
The
interior finishes and materials are all of the highest quality. While
the house is rich in history and the house itself has several formal
living spaces, most of the living areas on the inside and outside are
quite relaxed. The combined family room and kitchen provide area for
family and friends to enjoy this incredible home.
It
is the outdoor living area that will probably entice that special buyer
to select this home. The covered rear deck overlooks the lengthy pool
and spa which is surrounded by bricked walkways and sunning areas. The
guest cottage on the west side was built as part of the 2005 restoration
and expansion. The cottage has a separate designer kitchen and bath
plus bedroom each of which looks out to the pool. (Your guests will
never leave.)
The property has two off street parking spots: one adjacent to the front
entrance and a second at the rear. The whole house generator will
provide electricity to keep you comfortable and cozy in the event of
power failure elsewhere on the island.
CLICK HERE to view a slide show of photos of this incredible Key West property.
This is a very large house and it has a large guest cottage. You can see it has a great outdoor entertaining area, sexy pool and sunning area. It is located two blocks south of the Historic Key West Seaport and only four blocks from Duval Street. This place would make an incredible
vacation rental. it would stay full all the time to people with big budgets who demand the best.
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| Nearby Key West Seafood Market |
CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and listing photos of this special Key West home which is offered at
$2,699,000. If you area qualified buyer and would like to see this special home, please call me,
Gary Thomas 305-766-2642 or send me an email at kw1101v@aol.com
kw1101v@aol.com. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. This is a home not to be missed.
