1020 Grinnell Street - An Affordable and Adorable Conch Cottage - Key West

Just listed by Preferred Properties Key West, that's where I work but this is not my listing, 1020 Grinnell Street in the Old Town North of Truman Area of  Key West.  Bargain hunters and serious buyers better act quickly to snag this terrific cottage home, offered at $499,000, because it will sell quickly. (The last time this house was on the market was 2003 when  it sold in just three days.)  CLICK HERE to view the Key West Association of Realtors mls datasheet and listing photos.  

The listing Realtor describes this home this way:

"This ADORABLE Conch Cottage with two bedrooms and a bath includes high cathedral ceilings and personifies the vision of owning a cottage in Key West. The home boasts a lovely front porch where you can cozy up with a cup of coffee in the morning and end your day in the fenced in privacy of your quaint backyard, relaxing in the dipping pool to unwind. Other highlights include hardwood floors throughout, corian counters, plenty of kitchen cabinets and two loft spaces. The back yard features low maintenance decking, a dipping pool, and storage shed. Come to 1020 Grinnell Street and find your little piece of paradise in Key West."

I searched the Sanborn Fire Maps and found this house was first shown on the 1899 map.  That means the house was built that year or some time prior to then.  The Monroe County Property Appraiser shows construction date as 1938. We know that date is not correct because Key west was in the midst of the Great Depression. The public records were destroyed in the great fire of 1896 and were reconstructed by workers from the WPA during the Great Depression. The WPA created dates that did not necessarily have any relation to reality.  Irregardless, it is interesting to have a closer approximation as to when any Key West property was actually constructed.  I found a black and white photo of this home taken in 1965. Compare the way it looked nearly half a century ago with the way it looks in 2013.  In my opinion, it looks better now than before. Note also the front door has been relocated from the right to the left side of the house. That is just the beginning of changes made to this old house.

I did some further searching and found the really old photo below that shows the historic Key West Fire House that is located two doors to the south.  If you look carefully you will see 1020 Grinnell Street at the far right of the photo.

circa 1914

If you have been a reader of my blog you may recall that the old firehouse at 1026 Grinnell Street is now a museum.  If you buy 1020 Grinnell Street you won't need to fear being awakened by fire bells and sirens. You should be comforted to know that this location is valued by generations of Conchs - locals who grew up in this neighborhood and whose family members served in the fire department. The last photo above shows folk art created by local artist Ronny Bailey to commemorate the old fire station.

While 1020 Grinnell Street looks like a typical cigar maker cottages on the outside, it is not typical on the inside. The relocated front door opens into an expansive living area that runs almost the length of the house. The living room has a vaulted ceiling. Crisp white interior walls and ceiling are juxtaposed against the rich dark real wood floor that give this space real character. Separate ladders lead to little lofts located at either end of the living space. The rear loft (shown below) is the guest sleeping area.  The sense of height and volume in this space is quite dramatic without being pretentious.

A galley kitchen provides lots of storage space with the contemporary cabinets that rise to the ceiling.  It is amazing how much storage and work space this kitchen has to offer.  The door at the rear leads to the rear deck and pool. There is a subtle blend of old and contemporary architectural features throughout this house.

This house has two bedrooms but three sleeping areas.  Remember I mentioned the front entry door was relocated to the left. The original entry hall that ran from the front door to the rear of the house has been re-purposed. The front portion is now a small bedroom with space suitable for a single bed. Or maybe the space could be used as an office. Or maybe both. The loft space at the rear will accommodate a full or queen size mattress. The rear wall is a series of glass panels that permit daytime light to partially illuminate the loft space. The loft will work for a younger crowd and friends and relatives who don't plan to stay too long.

The master bedroom is located at the rear on the main level.  The bedroom is quite spacious.  It has immediate access to the adjacent bath which has a second door for entry off the living room. A set of French doors open out to the rear deck and pool. The walls are Dade County Pine that have been painted a soft pastel green. The crown molding, baseboard, and trim are all painted white. The rich dark floors add punch to make this room so satisfying to the eye.

Old sheds at the rear of the property were given new life. One  shed that now houses the pool equipment looks like a tiny cottage. Another serves as the laundry room.  The deck is quite spacious and should provide good sunning opportunities throughout the year. The pool isn't big, but this house is not made for someone with a huge ego.

CLICK HERE to view all of the photos I took of this really interesting home.  The house is located just a couple of doors north of the old Key West fire department that is now a museum.  Most of the Old Town area gyms and yoga studios are within a brief walk from this location. Fausto's Food Palace is located three blocks to the east. Bayview Park is one block further to the east. Duval Street is about a five minute walk to the west.  I think this charming cottage would make a great second home or even a primary residence for an owner seeking a small home with space for an occasional guest.

If you would like to see 1020 Grinnell Street before someone snaps it up, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642.  I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. 

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.