627-629 Eaton Street - Old Town Key West Landmark For Sale

My friends at Prudential Knight and Gardner Realty in Key West recently listed one of the last untouched Old Town landmarks in Key West. Dear Readers, this property located at 627-629 Eaton Street might just be your dream property. Think I'm a little wacko?  Read on.

I searched the old Sanborn Fire Maps for Key West and found this building on the 1889 map which means it was built some time prior to that date. The Monroe County Property Appraiser's official records show the construction date as being 1929. (I think the Sanborn Map is more correct, but the official record is the official record.)  In any case, the building is ancient and has the crow's feet and wrinkles to prove it.  I dug deep into the old shoe box and found a photo taken back in 1965 shown immediately below. The back of the photo shows the downstairs as being a launderette and dentist's office. The upstairs presumably were apartments. I took a similar photo to compare the old versus current facades. I think the old girl looked a bit better back in the day, but this is one solid building which ought to respond to a keen renovation. 

 The listing Realtor describes 627-629 Eaton Street this way:

"This historic concrete block building consists of two commercial spaces downstairs and two residential units upstairs. One commercial space is empty, the other tenant is a laundromat. Each residential unit has it's own staircase and entrance. One unit is a one bedroom, one bath, the other unit is a two bedroom, one bath."

The listing Realtor shows the building as having 3627 sq ft of interior space divided between the two floors. The building sets on a rectangular lot of 2201 sq ft (55.5' X 39.67') at the corner of Eaton and Elizabeth Streets. The building itself measures 50' X 38' plus the covered ground floor walkway and second floor porch that run 50' X 38' to the east rear. The building is built literally to the rear and side lot lines. There is no room for a pool, hot tub, or parking.

The downstairs east commercial space has been a self-service laundry ever since I moved to Key West in 1993. The writing on the 1965 photo suggests that it has been a laundry for a much longer time period. The adjacent space is not currently rented which opens lots of possibilities for a new owner. There are two second floor one bedroom apartments. The photos below show how they currently look. 

If I bought this property as an end user I would takeover the second floor apartments when the leases expire and undertake a renovation to combine the two units into one single living space of about 1740 sq ft plus the 9' X 50' second floor covered front porch. The interior spaces would be all new except for the historic Dade County Pine a new owner would presumably retain. The old jalousie windows wood probably be replaced with period correct wood windows.  I guess I liken what could be done here with what is done in old loft buildings across America. Except this space is located two blocks from Duval Street and two blocks from the Historic Key West Seaport.

The asking price on this property is $775,000 or just $213 per sq ft. If you have been looking for a residential property in Old Town you will understand the price per sq ft is very low compared to other properties. Moreover, if you are an artist, merchant, or professional the vacant commercial space on the ground floor might work for your business. If not, you could continue to rent the ground floor commercial space for years to come. The income would help defray part of your cost of ownership. And that is what a lot of second home owners want:  income to help pay some portion of the cost of ownership. CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet on this property.

Please contact me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to see this really intriguing Key West property. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. Let me help you find your place in Paradise.

112 Hutchnson Lane ~ Key West, Florida

Just Listed, but not by me, 112 Hutchinson Lane in the Bahama Village area of Key West. As is my new habit, I checked the old Sanborn Fire Maps of Key West to see if I could determine the approximate date this old house was built.  Frequent readers know that our county property records were destroyed in the great fire many years ago. Workers from the WPA during the Depression reconstructed property records and unfortunately gave "construction" dates of when the records were reconstructed.  In the case of 112 Hutchinson Lane I found what I think is the house in the 1892 Sanborn Map.  The problem is the houses are clearly marked in the correct area on the map but the map makes no reference to the then unnamed "lane".  No matter, we can tell by looking at the black and white photo below which was taken in 1965 that the house was ancient then. Compare the way it looked then to the way it looks today. I wish people aged as gracefully.  Really, I do.

According to the property records the house is 720 sq ft and sits on a 43.5' x 66' (2872 sq ft) lot midway down one of the slowest lanes in Key West. Mind you, this lane is only one block long and dead-ends at the end where a small compound of four homes share a pool.  More than half of the homes on this little lane have been updated.

This house has one of the wider lots which would probably allow for the reduction of the current two car off street parking spots into just one. That would then allow for the addition of a new swimming pool running toward the rear of the lot. There is a backyard but the set backs would only permit a dip pool if the pool were built at the rear.

The house itself is a typical cigar maker cottage with the door on the left. A hallway runs from front to rear along the south wall.  The first two rooms are bedrooms. The kitchen and bath are at the rear.  The kitchen is small. The bath was updated in 2012 and 2013. The roof was replaced in 1996 but looks new.  The exterior siding is board and batten and looks great.  I was surprised by how nicely maintained this house looks.

A cottage across the lane appears to have been the victim of a fire. It is in the early stages of a redo. I will be the fire damage house ends up looking wonderful after it is redone.  None of the houses on this block are rundown. 

 Hutchinson Lane is located three blocks west of Duval Street. Truman Avenue is a one way street heading west toward the new Truman Waterfront development.  Olivia Street is a one way street heading east from the waterfront passed Duval and through Old Town. The neighborhood is mostly residential with the exception of several restaurants near the corner of Petronia and Thomas Street. Blue Heaven is probably the most famous restaurant there.  The Ft Zach Taylor State Park and Beach are within walking distance. When the new Truman waterfront is opened access to the water will be maybe five minutes at most. 

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet on 112 Hutchinson Lane which is offered at $415,000 or $591 per sq ft. I took more exterior photos of the house and the block which you can see if  you CLICK HERE. Better than looking at photos, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a showing of this little cigar maker cottage. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. 

2 Fletchers Lane - Old Town - Key West

The good thing about owning a house on a lane that hardly anybody even knows that it exists is that you probably will not have many drop in guests, Fuller Brush salesmen, or other ne'er do-wells knocking on your door. You probably won't be serenaded as the bars close when locals and tourists find their way back to their homes, apartments, guest houses or hotels. You'll miss out on lines like "Babe I love you!" or "I hate you! Get out of my life!".

The newly listed home at 2 Fletchers Lane in Key West is hidden away on just such a little lane that few people even know exists.  If you have a big ego and want everyone to see your big house and talk about how much money or whatever that you may have, this is not the place for you. However, if you want a slice of Old Key West that has been updated and tweaked just ever so nicely, this may be the place you have been looking for.

As frequent readers know the Key West mls is auto-filled with data that comes from the Monroe County Property Appraiser database. Unfortunately, the historic property records were destroyed in the great fire many years ago. Members of the WPA recreated those records but made guesses as to when many of our old homes were built - including 2 Fletchers Lane which the official record says was built in 1924.  I looked at the Sanborn Fire Maps for Key West and found what I believe to be this property which I have marked with an "X" on the map below. That map was made in 1892 which tells us the house and rear cottage existed prior to 1899. You will note that the house appears to be placed on an angle.  That was not uncommon in olden days. Some houses still sit like that. This house has been re situated so that it now sits parallel with the lane.

I dug into the old shoebox and found a photo of 2 Fletchers Lane taken back in 1965. Compare that with the photo which I took yesterday.

The black and white photo shows 'scuttles' located on the roof. Those were vents used in old construction to allow the hot air that reached the second floor to vent out to the world. Those scuttles are always an indication to me of old construction.  The first house I sold in Key West was built around 1824. It had scuttles. I will never forget that house because of its rudimentary but beautiful construction. Also, the front porch still functions as such but the main entrance has been relocated just past the gated side entrance which is barely visible in the above photo. 

The main living area is at the rear of the home.  The kitchen, dining, and living areas form one great room that has sets of French doors on two sides that provide ample daytime light that is filtered by the palms and tropical foliage on this and nearby properties.  The rich cherry floors and warm custom cabinets in the kitchen make the main floor living space extra cozy and comfortable.

The ceiling in the living room soars two stories where you will be amazed to see a glass walkway that extends to the second floor reach deck that looks out to the pool and guest cottage at the rear. What an ingenious mix of old school charm with contemporary design.  I seriously doubt that our current HARC would ever permit something so ingenious to be built today.  

There are two bedrooms on the second floor. The master suite is located at the rear of the house. The space is evenly divided between sleeping area, sitting area, dressing room and bathroom. It's almost like the place is a small luxury hotel.  CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and listing photos. This property is listed at $1,123,000. 

What must have been the original living room in the olden days is now used as an office. The space reminds me of an old house that has been treated with care for generations. The second bedroom is accessed from a stairway from the office area.

The front porch is still a fine place for sitting and watching - pretty much of nothing. Only a couple of other homes share this tiny little lane. There is no off street parking here. You can drive your car up the lane to unload groceries and things. But you will need to park on nearby Eaton or Grinnell Street. The listing Realtor tells me the owners have parked in the same spot on Eaton Street for as long as they have owned this house.

I don't know if the guest cottage is the original cottage shown on the old Sanborn map or if it was built new. But I know it is pure genius. I have never seen any structure like this in Key West. You enter the cottage by stepping down a step from the pool deck level into this small space that is dark and rich and which almost feels like a cabin in the woods except it is located in Key West, Florida!
Windows on two sides open out from the bar to the pool area where you and your guests can lounge in luxury. I exaggerate not: I want this! This is just too cool.

CLICK HERE to view more photos which I took of this really charming Key West property. But better than that, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a showing. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. This is a truly incredible home. Don't miss this.