916 Von Phister St, Key West - Casa Marina Contemporary

916 Von Phister Street is located in the tony Casa Marina Area of Key West. This bedroom community is a stone's throw from the nearby Atlantic Ocean. The Casa Marina Resort is a short two block walk to the west. Two great ocean front restaurants (Salute on the Beach and Louie's Backyard) are located within a five minute walk.  The madness of Old Town is within easy biking distance for those times you want to break bread with tourists or attend a play at the Waterfront Playhouse or the Red Barn Theater. Otherwise, you'll enjoy the serenity of this little enclave.

The area is not without its ties to old Key West. Tennessee Williams' sister owned the house across the street at 915 Von Phister; Thomas McGuane lived half a block away also on Von Phister Street; for a brief time Ernest Hemingway lived two blocks away at the corner of South and Whalton Streets; Phil Caputo lived on Casa Marina Court; and today Judy Blume lives very near. Houses in the Casa Marina are typically located on larger lots than Old Town. Many of the homes have a semi-rural flare because most of the streets do not have sidewalks. Instead the public rights of way are often planted with grass or pea rock  with all sorts of palm trees and other tropical plantings. And unlike much of Old Town where many of the homes have become vacation rental money machines, most of the houses in the Casa Marina are primary residences or second homes. And one last thing: the Atlantic Ocean and beaches are just a couple of blocks away. You can be wiggling your toes in the water in minutes.

 The listing Realtor describes 916 Von Phister Street this way:

"One of a kind, newly renovated, single family home. Oozing with the wow factor of midcentury and modern living all on one level. Stacking doors allow ample marriage of the outside and inside surrounded by two large patios and a glass tiled pool. Superior bright rooms flood the interiors with warm sunlight. Notable features are the telescope sky lights, oversized tiled porcelain floors,custom cabinetry, Bosch 800 series appliances, including double wall ovens, microwave drawer, dual beverage center and large Thermador refrigerator. Three en suite bedrooms with premium appointed bathrooms, den or fourth bedroom, private patios and ample closet space. All surrounded by a privacy wall with covered and uncovered parking enough for 3 cars."

Readers of my blog may recall I followed the renovation of this home for many months. I found a genuine throwback photo of this house taken from the Von Phister Street side in 1965. Other photos are recent. They show the transformation of the plain 1960s ranch into the sophisticated home it is today. The interior was totally gutted. External building changes included a new roof, installation of new impact windows and doors, and the construction of a new six foot privacy wall that envelops large corner lot. Landscape architect Craig Reynolds designed the pool and gardens.

The interiors are new throughout. Once you pass the threshold you behold a huge new space that is both subtle but demanding in the same instance. How can that be, you ask.  The color pallet used in the flooring and walls is very soft and unobtrusive so when you enter the house your eyes are automatically drawn first to the far end of the house which opens out to the pool. As you pass into the house you can't help noticing the contrasting colors of the pool, tropical gardens, and sky which add depth and dimension to the interior spaces. As the recently planted gardens grow and fill-in, the space will become even more lush and vibrant.

The public living spaces are bright and open into each other. The sleek porcelain floors and monochromatic color scheme tie the rooms together. Design elements such as light fixtures, tiles, mirrors, and so on catch the eye of the beholder.  

A guest bath is located off the hallway leading to the bedrooms. This home has two master bedrooms each en-suite. Each with private outdoor garden space.

The west master bedroom suite is a bit larger. Dual doors at the far end of the room open into the bath which is a darker than the other master bath which seems almost opulent compared to the almost understated simplicity employed in this bathroom. When you look closer you quickly appreciate the richness of the minimalism which includes dual sinks with tilting mirrors and a huge glass enclosed shower. A set of dual doors open into one of two walk-in closets in this second master suite.

A third guest bedroom provides generous sleeping accommodations and equally dramatic en-suite bath. Like the two master suites, the guest bedroom has access to a small private garden on the other side of the impact doors. A large privacy wall insulates the house and garden from the street. Light flows in to the rooms but privacy prevails.

As I took photos of the baths I had to touch the tiles. They are unlike the "designer" tiles you see in so many homes. The tiles in the master bath almost have an art deco feel to me. They aren't, but they give off that aura.  And it is the aura of being different that separates this house from so many others. CLICK HERE to view more photos I took of this property.

Doors from the kitchen and living room open wide and seem to disappear into the walls. The outdoors and indoors become one as living and entertaining spaces merge. In the winter when your friends up north in New Jersey or Michigan are freezing their behinds around dinner time, you and your Key West friends will be having cocktails and canapes under the stars either by your pool or you can walk over to Louie's Backyard or any number of other places. 

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet on 916 Von Pister Street which is offered at $2,193,000. Besides the refined public spaces there are two master suites, one large guest bedroom, a fourth potential bedroom which could alternatively be used as a den/study, office, media room, or home gym. There are three full baths and one half bath, two off street parking places (one covered), pool and lanai,  and laundry. Please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a private showing of this freshly renovated home. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. I live in the Casa Marina Area and love it. Let me show you this house and this wonderful neighborhood. 

420 Elizabeth Street, Key West - Simply Elegant

Just Listed by Preferred Properties Key West - 420 Elizabeth Street - a simply elegant home located in the very heart of Old Town. This home was the 2010 recipient of the Historic Florida Keys Foundation Award for Excellence in Preservation and New Construction. The prized Ceramic Star is affixed to the left of the front door.

The street appeal of this old home has not changed over the centuries. It's still a beauty. I checked the Historic Sanborn Fire Maps and learned that this house was shown on the 1889 map as "207 Elizabeth". Three years later the same house was then identified as 420 Elizabeth Street. Then I dug down into my old shoe box and found a photo taken of the home in 1965. I took a somewhat similar photo that shows the house today. You'll quickly see there is a new addition, but the simplicity of the original design remains intact. If you were to sit on the front porch, the house across the street at the corner of Fleming is one of the homes Broadway impresario Jerry Herman renovated in the 1980s. This block has several multi-million dollar homes each of which is a bit different in design, but all of which share this highly desirable location. Snobs who won't consider buying a house on a street where cars actually drive will surely covet a location like this where locals can walk to just about any place in Old Town in a couple of minutes.

The house is pretty simple in its layout. You enter into a center hallway with the living area on the right and a guest bedroom and bath on the left. The kitchen is located at the left rear while the dining area is on the right. If you use the black and white photo as a point of reference, the rear sawtooth addition is where the kitchen and dining areas are now located.

The home sits near the sidewalk. The lot if 50 feet wide and 100 feet deep. From the street, you'd have no idea what might sit beyond the street view. There is a spacious graveled driveway on the right with space enough to park at least two cars. The new addition looks "new" and does not pretend to be a part of the original house.

The interiors have been meticulously updated. The original Dade County Pine walls, ceilings, and floors look perfect. There's a richness and warmth that fills the rooms which is set off by the crisp white trim. Instead of using replica light fixtures to copy things from the past, contemporary lighting light fixtures were use to make the point that this home is  au courant.  The custom kitchen cabinets seamlessly blend in with the Dade County Pine. 

A small hallway just off the dining area leads the recent addition where there is bath. The brushed steel spiral staircase ascends to the second floor where you will find an efficient guest bedroom. I know it is only a guest bedroom because the "closet" is the most unique apparatus for hanging a few clothes that I have ever seen.

The closet is the three pronged assembly with two hangers.

There are two guest bedrooms on the second floor of the main portion of the house as well. They are utilitarian in design. What more could a guest want than a comfy bed in such a beautiful home?  If it were furnished any grander, the guest would never go home.

When you pass through the French doors out to the rear deck, you feel like you have entered into a movie set. The view is intimate and seductive.

The zero entry pool appears be even with the deck and gradually slopes from the deck into the water, becoming deeper with each step, in the manner of a natural beach. The "steps" in this pool are wide and shallow. When you walk into the pool it's as if you are walking in the manner of a natural beach. The mosaic walls seem to extend the water upward. You'd never know that there is a huge mansion next door to the south and another to the north. The tropical physical separation of the properties and the creative use of tropical landscaping creates a private Garden of Eden.

 The first photo above shows the second recent addition to this historic home. This addition includes the covered deck but more importantly the master suite. I had no idea what to expect in this space. But I got a big surprise when I opened the nano doors. The all wood bedroom is uber masculine. It's so simple and utilitarian. The glass doors look out to the pool.This is the art for this room. Nothing else is needed. This bath, like the others, uses marble and ultra-contemporary fixtures to create alluring places to attend to the basic needs.

CLICK HERE to view the professionally photographed home. You really must look at these photos. Then if you are in the market for a home offered at $1,895,000 please call me right away. There were several of Key West's top agents at this house on Thursday taking look-sees for their buyers. I am your buyer's agent and I want to help you buy this very beautiful home. Please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.  Don't wait. You will be sorry.

13 Bougainvillea Avenue, Key West - Bank Owned Property

The new Bank Owned property located at 13 Bougainvillea Avenue in Key Haven, our suburb to the north, is something for bargain seekers to cheer about. CLICK HERE to read the Key West mls datasheet on the property. But there's more to this home than the datasheet suggests. When a Realtor creates a new listing in our mls, he or she uploads data from the  Monroe County Property Appraiser's website. That data auto-fills the mls with information from historic county records. The mls is correct as to what is shown on the Property Appraiser's site. However, it appears that a former owner converted the original garage into additional living space. The net effect is that instead of being a 1613 sq ft home, the actual home now has 1908 sq ft of living space with three bedrooms and three baths.

This home is a modified ranch built new in 1965. The door seen to the rear of the carport enters into a hall that leads to two doors. The door on the right enters into the main part of the house - the space shown on the Property Appraiser's site. There's another door on the left which enters into what I call a mother-in-law apartment. We will look at the main house first.

When you enter the main house you walk into the great room which is bright and clean. There's a relatively new kitchen to the right. Double glass panel doors open out to the semi-covered rear deck. Another door opens out to the east side yard which is enclosed for privacy.

The master bedroom with large en-suite bath is located at the front of the house. There is large walk-in closet located between the bedroom and bath. There is a second bedroom plus hall bath. The entire home was updated not too long ago. New additions include all new windows and doors, light fixtures, fans, interior doors and trim, and tile floors throughout the house. You can see the pride of ownership the former owners had in this home. It was well cared for.

When you walk through the double glass doors and out to the rear area of this home, you know exactly why so many families, fishermen, and sun enthusiasts opt to live in a location like this as opposed to Old Town - the sun, the sky, the water. This home is located on a wide canal that provides easy access to the nearby deep ocean waters. The rear lot line measures 62.5' - which is more than adequate to accommodate a really nice pleasure boat or fishing craft. (The lot is 100 ft deep or 6250 sq ft total.)
The wood decks need some repair or replacement. And some of the tropical foliage is looking a bit puny. Those are cheap fixes. CLICK HERE to view all the photos I took of this property. You will get a much better sense of how much house and grounds this listing has to offer.

I really think this home is something to cheer about. This home is offered at $624,900 or $387 per sq ft based on the Property Appraiser records showing 1613 sq ft. But it you include the apartment, the effective asking price would get adjusted down to just $327 per sq ft. CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet on this property. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a private showing. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. This is really worth looking at!

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