712 Love Lane - Key West

  

If you are a hopeless romantic you'll probably fall in love with today's home when you read the address - 712 Love Lane.  But if you're a pragmatist you may actually need to walk to the end of the lane, open the gate, and enter garden before you fall in love with this home. And after that all hope is lost for you will be surely, truly, madly, deeply in love with 712 Love Lane.

Today's home is located at the very end of Love Lane in Old Town Key West. In her book Key West Houses author Leslie Lindsey described 712 Love Lane as "an enchanting environment with a brick-and-stone patio and overhead trellis laden with cascading bougainvillea."

The listing broker describes this wonderful home this way:

"One of the island's best kept secrets. This 4 bedroom, 3 bath all-on-one-level triple saw tooth shotgun proved inspirational to many. Harry Roberts was the model for Harry Morgan in Hemingway's Key West novel To Have and Have Not''. Bill Wright, Russell Baker, and David Halberstram have all been inspired by this gem, secluded behind the library palm garden. Judith Kazantzis immortalized the home in her poem, Love Lane, Key West''. The main home and separate guest cottage with bath open to the private deck and 9 foot deep heated lap pool with outdoor shower. Cypress shutters and cypress cabinets with travertine tops in the kitchen and dining area. Located off Fleming Street at the end of Love Lane with off-street parking."

Let me first tell you why it is so "secret" - it's because there are three separate "Love Lanes" each located near the other but far enough apart to totally confuses just above anyone. If you walk on the north side of Southard Street you will find a Love Lane sign midway between William and Elizabeth Streets.. If you walk down the lane you will find that the lane abruptly ends where a house sits and the lane ends. Bur if you are walk on the south side of Fleming Street between Elizabeth and William Streets you will find an unmarked walking lane that begins at the edge of the Monroe County Public Library (which has been referred to as the Pink Library). This, too, is Love Lane. And if you went back to Southard Street and walked on the south side of the street you would find a tiny little walking lane, a lane also called Love Lane. In his book The Streets of Key West author J. Willis Burke explains the confusion about Love Lane:

"Love can generate some confusion - and Love Lane is no exception. Some maps show to Loves, one coming off Fleming and another off Southard, but not meeting mid-block. Other maps indicate Gwynn Street, named for a former mayor and cigar tycoon E. O. Gwynn, is the lane that runs off Southard. And yet another source cites Johnny Cake Lane as making up the northern half of Love Lane. At one time perhaps it did... As confirmed by the loving couple who lives on the Fleming Street side of the lane, both are now called Love Lane. It seems they don't meet because the bungalow that bisects the lane was built on the sly, and over the decades, has been grandfathered and let stand."

Love Lane adjacent to the Monroe County Library Garden

712 Love Lane is located at the end of the quiet little lane

I searched the old Sanborn Fire Maps and found what I believe to be 712 Love Lane. Love Lane existed and was named the same in the 1889 Sanborn Map, but the houses were not numbered. I checked the maps for later years and the house still stands where as the larger house at the corner at Fleming is gone. Today that space is the library garden. The early cottage was simple. I dug into the old shoebox and found 812 Love Lane is it was photographed in 1965 - below.

Like so many places in Old Town, this home has been added onto over the years. Rooms, multiple decks, a pool, a guest cottage are pieces that slowly became the whole. What was once a small cottage is now a 1309 sq ft home with three bedrooms in the main house plus the guest cottage or pool house. I started to write this blog about the charming spaces, I could not determine a favorite. So instead I'll throw up some photos I took when the home was owner occupied and you can decide which you like most.

When you enter the home you see the dining room on the right. It's a magnificent space with soaring ceiling, a library wall crammed with books and windows that look out to the garden of the Monroe County Library, and the front porch. A quiet little reading nook completes this space.

On the opposite side of the room is the living area with walls that seem to reach to heaven. Cedar shutters line the French doors on the south side which filter the view of the pool. Art has found a home on these walls which themselves become a piece of art. Look through the open door and view the first of three bedrooms in the main house. Notice the pickled wood flooring that is light and practical and in harmony with the house.

Pine walls were whitewashed which allowed the pink tones of the wood to show through. Louvered cedar shutters open out to the pool.

See what I mean? You can't pick a favorite spot because each room or space is so precious in its own right. I love the spartan bedroom with the single bed. It has a window that looks out to library garden. The shutter lined master bedroom made me want to jump on the bed and take a nap. The gauzy front bedroom begged me to peer through the shutters out to the pool. And then there is that insane kitchen with the soaring ceiling and handmade cedar cabinets. You absolutely positively cannot buy that charm from Home Depot or IKEA here. This kitchen was created with LOVE in mind.

The pool is located on the south side of the property. Some facing pools get an hour or so of sun each day. This pool should stay sunny most of the day throughout most of the year. Sometimes buyers miss things like that. It's always nice to have a pool with some sun and some shade. Not all people are bronzed gods and not all gods need to bake all day. The guest cottage or pool house is located at the far end of the pool.

The pool house (guest cottage) is located at the far end of the pool.  I walked inside and looked at the room and my jaw dropped. Who wouldn't love to sleep, or take a nap, or do other stuff in this place? The cottage has a tiny bath so if could function as a bedroom. This space is so restful.

I was nearing the end of taking photos when I snapped the above picture. I told the listing agent that Ralph Lauren must have created this space - it is just perfect!  He didn't, but I think you get what I mean. CLICK HERE to see all of the photos I took of 712 Love Lane.

Kevin N. McCarthy's book The Book Lover's Guide to Florida: Authors, Books and Literary Sites notes that author William Wright lived at 712 Love Lane (for about ten years). The present owners purchased this home from Wright in 1987. They created a masterpiece.  712 Love Lane is now vacant.  All of the furnishings are gone.  The house and garden await the vision of a new owner. The house needs painted and maybe the baths need updated. The house, however, is a little masterpiece that only needs preserved not remade.

This property has been rented during season as a vacation rental at $15,000 per month.  I think a new owner might improve on the monthly rental a bit.  You could not ask for a better location than this home. And I don't think there are many houses that are as picturesque as this.  

 CLICK HERE to view the Key West Association of Realtors mls datasheet and to view listing photos. If you would like to see 712 Love Lane with me, Gary Thomas, please call me a 305-766-2642. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Property Key West. You'll fall in love with this one!

1106 Thompson Street - Key West - Tropical Haven

 I am writing about 1106 Thompson Street for the third time which is remarkable for me since I normally do not write about houses located in the midtown area of Key West. But this place is different. It has the potential to become a Tropical Haven. It needs some TLC but it has so much going for it that I want some buyer looking for a good deal to go take a look at it with me.

The listing Realtor describes the property this way:

"Fantastic Deal And A Great Location! Would Be Perfect For An Investor Or Someone Who Could See The Potential Of This Property. Home Sits On Two Lots. It Is A 3 Bedroom 2 Bathroom 1,000.00 Sq ft. Brick Cottage That Needs TLC. Bring All Offers."

The site is located on the corner of Thompson and Catherine Streets.The property consists of a 999 square foot CBS and stucco home that sits in the middle of two separate lots. The owner had a building permit and plans for the construction of a 428 square foot accessory unit. The city would allow a 600 square foot accessory unit if a new owner still wants to add that addition which could be a guest house. Alternatively, a developer might consider tearing down existing house and building two separate homes on individual lots. Or a developer could tear down the existing house and build a much large single family home. I have shown this house to several buyers. I suggested a buyer renovate the existing house by updating the kitchen and two baths, convert the Florida room into actual living space, and add a pool. By doing my suggestion a buyer would end up with a lot of space with an incredibly beautiful tropical lot in Key West for about the same price as a low priced 680 square foot condo in Truman Annex. Now that, Dear Readers, is a bargain.

According to the Monroe County Property Appraiser the existing house is 999 sq ft in size. That figure does not include the semi-enclosed Florida room that adds another 200 sq ft or more of living space. The house itself has three bedrooms and two baths. The house was built in 1954 (59 years ago). A lot of 59 year olds get face lifts. It's time this house got one. A new owner would likely gut the interior and redo the kitchen and baths. If I bought the house I would add wind impact resistant windows and doors to reduce long term wind storm insurance premiums.

The lot is extra large - 94' x 101' or 9397 sq ft. The house is set back about 20 feet from Thompson and about the same from Catherine which provides lots of privacy. The yard on both sides is densely landscaped with tropical foliage.  In fact I think the foliage needs a good haircut.  Potential buyers need to understand the value that the existing trees adds so this property.  If you hired a landscaper to go up to Homestead to buy, haul, and replant a 9397 sq ft lot you would spend thousands and thousands of dollars in design, purchase, and planting costs.

west side yard

gate to west side yard

west side yard from rear of house looking toward Catherine St.

east or front yard includes a ramp to deck off master bedroom

north side or back yard

The lot is obviously in need of some major clearing and pruning.  I might even add new trees to the back and west sides to add more privacy from the adjacent public school. There is room for a pool on either the north, south or west sides of the property. That's the really neat thing about this lot - it provides so many variable opportunities for development.  

 1106 Thompson Street is offered for sale at the asking price of $424,900.  CLICK HERE to view the Key West Association of Realtors mls datasheet and listing photos.  Please contact me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642  or send me an email at kw1101v@aol.com to schedule a showing or for more information on this unique buying opportunity in Key West. (I have more photos that I can send to you.) I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. I think this could make a wonderful Key West tropical haven for the person who wants a tropical forest and no neighbors.

812 Fleming Street - Seafoam Condo #6 - Key West

One of the most interesting condos in Key West is offered for sale at the asking price of $400,000.  It is Unit #6 located on the top floor at 812 Fleming Street and has a front balcony that overlooks the gayest street in Key West. If you are a gay man or woman, of if you are just hip and love to be part of the action, this pied a tere may be the home of your dream or just the vacation getaway place you have been searching for.

September 2013

The Seafoam condos is a mixed use building with six residential condominiums and two commercial units that are located on the ground level front. Timmy Tuxedo occupies one spot and a doctor's office the other. Every time I go by Timmy Tuxedo I have to pause a moment and take in the windows. I always have a little chuckle when I see that sign. The commercial use are not disruptive to the residential owners.  The building itself was built circa 1906. It was renovated and converted into condominiums in 1980.  The one bedroom units are pretty much the same space-wise, but individual owners have tricked out the interiors to suit their individual needs.  Four units have balconies that overlook Fleming Street, but just two are located on the top floor. Unit #6 is the one that is the subject of today's blog.  And it is a doozy.

1965

During renovation in 1980

 

The listing Realtor, not me, describes unit #6 this way:

"Wonderful Old Town condominium in beautiful condition and ready to move in. 9ft ceilings, Dade County pine walls and floors throughout and a great cathedral ceiling above the 200sf balcony overlooking Fleming Street. This third floor, one bedroom, one bath unit with 618 sf of living space is a true gem with tons of natural light. In the back yard there is a pool and private grounds. Seafoam Condominiums consists of eight condominiums & two commercial units."

This unit is move-in ready.  I have re-imagined what I would do to recreate the space and make the already large unit by Key West standards seem even larger.  If you look at the living room and kitchen you will see two different entrances into this units. All the units have them.  I would eliminate the kitchen door to provide more space in that room.  Likewise, there are two entrances into the bedroom. One is located at the far end of the living room near the entrance to the balcony. The other is off the hallway that leads to the bathroom and the bedroom. I personally think having two entrances is a bit unnecessary, especially since this is just a one bedroom unit.  And I really think that hallway is taking up a lot of very valuable real estate.  If I bought this unit I would do some room reconfigurations. Although neither is necessary, I would update the kitchen and bath and add a laundry. I would add a new split system air conditioner, and then I would have a little penthouse overlooking Fleming Street. None of what I suggest that I would do is necessary to be done.

Seafoam condos has a lovely pool  and small garden area at the rear. There is a shared coin operated laundry near the pool as well.

 812 Fleming Street is located hear everything.  The restaurants and attractions on Duval Street are located within a five minute walk.  Likewise, the Historic Key West Seaport is about a five minute walk as well. There are numerous neighborhood restaurants, two great bakeries, specialty shops and little art galleries withing a few blocks.  The good thing is that you can walk to just about wherever you want to go in Key West.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and to view listing photos. If you would like to see this place before it is gone, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. in Key West.

832 Johnson Lane - Old Town "Fixer" - Key West

I recently showed 832 Johnson Lane to some buyers who had expressed a willingness to buy a fixer and to spend some money and devote some time to turn an older house into one of the dream cottages we've all seen in Old Town Key West. The little cottage on Johnson Lane was a bit more of a challenge than they imagined.  I, however, saw the place differently.  I think it is worth your consideration if you are one of the buyers with some cash, a willingness to work (or hire someone who will), and an imagination as to how you could transform the cottage into some pretty special.

Just below is a photo of 832 Johnson Lane that was taken in 1965.  I took the photo below it to show the same house nearly 50 years later.  Our HARC (Historical Architectural Review Commission) will need to approve changes to the building.  I think a new owner may get permission to enlarge the house which would increase the small and inefficient interior the way it presently exists.  Nothing is a "given", but I see no reason for HARC to not allow some expansion of the house because the rear lot is so large.  The existing house one bedroom/one bath is 527 sq ft and sits on a 2633 sq ft lot or 25' x 116'.  

832 Johnson Lane as it appeared in 1965

 As we walked through the house I knew nothing on the inside was worth saving. The rooms are small and cluttered. That's why there are no interior photos. The cottage will need all new everything - that is a given. It's what you can't see from the street that makes me think a creative individual or couple might turn this place into something much greater than it is. And what you cannot see is the huge backyard.

 This photo was taken from the back step of the house and looks south. There is no back porch.  I have added graphic to show the lot line at the rear.  As you can see there is a lot of open space from the house to the rear lot line. The plumeria tree (some call it a Frangipani) is not protected. It can be removed to provide room for lot development such as adding a pool.

The above photos were taken from the rear lot line looking toward the house.  You will not the small extension at the rear of the house. That is where the bathroom has been added. The original "out house" still sits opposite. The blue chair sits in the middle of it.  Don't laugh.  Your architect may be able to expand that space into a pool cabana. It sits on the property line and current code would not allow any new structure to be built that close to the property line. However, existing buildings can be expanded.

This final photo shows the condition of the rear piers or foundation.  This is typical of many older homes in Key West that have not yet been renovated. Many of the lovely homes you see on the streets and lanes of Old Town used to look something like this. Some were much better to be sure, but others were worse.  Our local contractors are seasoned veterans when it comes to dealing with fixing old foundations which really are essential to any good renovation.  Once the foundation is in place, the interiors are easy.

A house like this would get all new electric, plumbing, windows may need to be replaced depending on condition. Exterior siding may need to be repaired, prepped for painting, and then painted. A smart buyer would take off the existing roof and replace it with a new roof with necessary straps to obtain maximum mitigation credits for windstorm insurance. I would definitely add a pool and rear deck.  I wasn't kidding about using the old out house either. You might be able to convert that into a guest cottage with a bed and bath or a pool bar at minimum.  You don't know what you can do until you ask. 

Johnson Lane is only one block long and runs parallel between Truman Avenue to the south and Olivia Street to the north. Entrances are located on Windsor Lane (that intersects at Truman where Mary's Star of the Sea Basilica) and Margaret Street.  The lane itself is a mix of very pricey town homes and a couple of very nicely updated homes and a few little cottages like 832 Johnson Lane that await a new owner.  Below you can two neighboring houses. 

Next door

Across the lane

832 Johnson Lane is offered for sale at $600,000.  CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet for more information.  I would add the property is owned by an estate with numerous heirs.  I have written about other estates before. My theory is that heirs want to sell and divide the money.  If I were a buyer, I would submit my offer based on what I think the property is worth - what it would appraise for in its current condition. This is especially true if I were going to obtain a new mortgage. A lender will not finance a property for more than its appraised value. Therefore, I would make any offer contingent on the property for appraising not less than the contract price. 

If you would like to see 832 Johnson Lane or any other house 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 Key West.