618 Catholic Lane, Key West - Hidden Gem

618 Catholic Lane is located on one of those slow lanes of Key West of which I am so fond. This lane is tucked away just to the north of the Key West cemetery where Angela Street is a one-way street for the three block stretch between Frances Street to the east and Margaret Street on the west. Angela Street is so narrow those dang fangled Conch Trains and Trolley Cars can't go down the street. The result is this little piece of Paradise is not burdened by traffic or much of anything. One might see a tourist with a guidebook nosing around, however. Author Evan Rhodes (The Prince of Central Park among others) used to live two doors to the south.

Long time readers of my blog know that I like to root through my old shoebox looking for photos of houses I write about and also search the Historic Sanborn Fire Maps to determine when houses may have been built. I did both here and came up empty handed except that remembered looking up a couple of other houses last year on adjacent Roberts Lane which extends west about 150 feet or so off Frances Street. When I searched the 1899 map I saw several cottages on Roberts which is now only a walking lane. As I stood on the Catholic Lane property I remember looking through the trees towards the east. I saw the backside of 1020 Southard Street (the Gingerbreadman House) I wrote about last week. I also saw the rear of the house at 1022 Roberts Lane I wrote about two years ago. My thesis is Roberts Lane and Catholic Lane sort of converged but did not exactly meet. It makes sense to me that the black and white photo above which has the notation 610 Roberts Lane may in fact be the current day 618 Catholic Lane because there is no 610 Roberts Lane anymore.

The Sanborn Map shows Catholic Lane abruptly ending just at the front gate of 618 Catholic Lane. My theory makes sense to me. It may or may not be correct.  But story got my readers inside this property that they might not have ever seen or considered.

When you pass through the double wooden gates and enter the property you will likely be awed by the size of this hidden garden. It is so unexpected. Residents and frequent visitors know that most houses in Old Town have limited outdoor spaces. This home is the opposite. The lot is huge and roughly measures 90' X 29'.  The house abuts the west property line boundary so the open space seems immense.

When you step up onto the front porch you should immediately "get" the house. The porch runs the length of the house and provides lounging and dining spaces for outdoor living. I love the fall and winter nights when we can dine outside under the moon (or a porch) while others up north in America huddle around a pot belly stove or other heat producing device. The bright white clapboards  are set off by the black wood shutters that encase the five sets of doors that bring sunshine (albeit filtered by the palm trees and tropical foliage) into the home. Windows and doors on the three other sides bring more light into the space where drapes and blinds are for the most part not necessary. The result is a bright and open living environment. 

The master bedroom has a two sets of French doors which open out to the pool with fountain. I could hear the water flowing as I walked around the bedroom and master bath. I thought how marvelous it would be to hear that soothing sound late at night or early morning. The bathroom is enormous and also has a door that opens out to the deck area. By the way there is an outdoor shower located on the far side of the pool waterfall.

The second bedroom is located down the hall from the kitchen and past the guest bathroom (with laundry) and the master bedroom. This bedroom is currently configured for an occasional guest and has a loft for the grand children and really unexpected guests. This house sparkles from top to bottom.  I looked for but did not find anything left undone. This house is in move-in condition.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and more listing photos of 618 Catholic Lane. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a private tour of this very private and beautiful home which was once the guest house of the larger home at 1014 Southard Street which was the cover story home in Architectural Digest in the mid 2000s. This was never an ordinary house. It is extraordinary. It is a hidden gem.

912 Truman Avenue, Key West Florida

Just Listed 912 Truman Avenue, Key West, Florida. If you have had a yen to own an historic house in Old Town Key West, but missed the opportunity to buy because of rising prices, take note and consider what is offered and the price that should tempt you to take a look. I wrote about this house a few years ago before the current owners purchased the house.

Longtime readers know that I like to look back to see how houses looked in years gone by and compare to the way they now appear.  912 Truman Avenue reflects the growth and popularity of Key West.  The original house was photographed in 1965 and depicts the condition of the building then. Historically, the house sat on a larger corner lot located at the corner of Division Street (later renamed Truman Avenue) and Packer Street. The black and white photo shows a stand alone structure that was a part of this property. A large rear yard extended to the south. In the early 2000s the entire lot and adjacent land was redeveloped into an assemblage of new single family homes situated on the grounds of this once former larger lot. The small building to the right was made into a separate home that is a part of that larger assemblage that is officially a land based condominium. Each home is owned in fee simple and each owner is responsible for all aspects of his property.

912 Truman Avenue has 3494 square feet of living space divided among the three floors - yes, three floors. This is one very large house and that helps us appreciate the way this house flows on the inside and how it has changed on the outside. If you study the above black and white photo taken in 1965 you will see an galvanized chain link fence that surrounds the corner lot. Also, note the extra long posts that support the roof overhang and the 'missing' second floor porch floor. Today this house has a full porches on the first and second floors. Note the high pitched roof with gables facing north, east, and west which is an integral part of the living space of the house today.

The house now has very formal porches on the first and second floors. The porches symmetrically frame either side of the home. Each of the windows have pediments flanked by shutters. Sconces light the first floor entry.

Brick pavers lead from the gated white picket fence up to the front porch. The yard has several mature large palms and other tropical foliage which give the space a "finished look" as opposed to some houses in Key West where landscaping is more native. The result is an impressive and refined front entry which delivers guests to the front door of an elegant Key West property.

 As you enter the front entry you are greeted by an historic staircase and central hallway that divides the house in half so to speak. On the right side you will find the living room with its formal parlor in front and rear space currently configured as an office. A door at the rear opens out to the new pool. On the left side you will see the formal dining room at the front and the country kitchen at the rear, There is Dade County Pine walls just about everywhere in this house including the ceilings. Take a look at the floorboards. Note the width of the floorboards. This is a house of substance and long lasting durable building materials. The dollhouse photo above shows two staircases. The rear staircase ends at the back hallway where there is a first floor powder room. The Kitchen (not shown in the dollhouse photo) is located opposite the rear staircase.

The dollhouse view shows the master suite located on the west side of the house. The rich Dade County Pine wall and ceiling provide a comfortable place to nestle. The master bath is quite large and contains a large soaking tub plus shower and extra large vanity and closet. There are two large bedrooms on the east side of the second floor. They share the bath at the rear of the second floor. Not shown in the dollhouse view is the second floor front porch which runs the breadth of this impressive home. When you see this house in person you will surely be impressed by the pediments over the windows. The historic glass windows ripple with age. I have ripples, and not in my stomach. Mine are called wrinkles, however.

Each o the homes in this complex has a private pool. Some of the neighboring landscaping was lost during the recent storm. It will grow back within a few months. I include an older photo to prove my point. This house has full access on all four sides to maintain the property. There is a rear gate that leads out to the large side yard and the two designated parking spaces. The condo fee is $600 per year.

The third floor offers so many different uses to a new owner. The photo two above shows about 2/3 of the floor. Not visible is a bed alcove located in the front dormer to the right. There's a mini kitchen for Gram or the brother-in-law who won't go back home to use or maybe use as a writer's loft, an artist's lair, or playroom for the grandchildren. CLICK HERE to see more photos of this home taken over the past few years. The photos in today's blog reflect the current condition of this fine home.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet on 912 Truman Avenue. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to set up a private showing of this grand home offered at $1,270,000. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West, the listing brokerage of this property.

1409 Duncan Street, Key West - An Eyebrow House

The listing Realtor describes the eyebrow house located at 1409 Duncan Street in the Midtown area of Key West like this:

"Classic ''Eyebrow''-style house is unique to Key West. Original 2-story structure built in 1890; 2 cigar-makers' cottages attached at a later date. The blend of historic architectural styles and additions needs refining, and price reflects the potential renovation project. Roughly 2000-square foot open-floor plan on ground level includes large vestibule or music room, vaulted ceilings in dining area, a glass-walled living room and 2 bedrooms, plus bonus office wing. The master suite is the only room on the second floor. Off-street parking for 2+vehicles, and room for pool in L-shape lot."

I got to see the inside of this home for the very first time during Realtor caravan yesterday. I had, however,  seen the house from the outside many times over the years including when I blogged about the house across the street a few years ago and again when I wrote about the famed Rose Tattoo house a half block away to the east.

 1410 Duncan Street, Key West is located directly opposite from today's featured home.

The former gate to 1421 Duncan Street in Key West.This is the famed Rose Tattoo house. Tennessee William's personal residence is next door to the east.

I dug into my old shoebox and found two photos which show the home back in the 1960s.

The Monroe County Property Appraiser shows this house as having been built in 1889. The listing agent cites construction at 1890.  It's of no matter which date is correct. I could immediately tell this house was old when I looked at the extra wide Dade County Pine walls. Those wider boards distinguish older houses from the "newer" construction (in the early 1900s) where the Dade County Pine boars are a bit more narrow.

Today's blog is a bit of a departure from others about houses like this because it is atypical of other eyebrow houses.  These houses get the name "eyebrow" because of the second floor windows sheltered by the front roof eave which extends out over the house supported by columns or posts.  In the olden days, before electric fans and later air conditioning, shade and air flow cooled homes. The second floor windows could be left open during rain storms which allows air to flow.

I have sold a couple of eyebrow homes and been inside many. This is the very first eyebrow house I have been in where the stairway to the second floor is located on adjacent to an exterior wall. My experience has been that stairs are located in the center of the house and most often land at the front where a small hallway leads to a bedroom on either side. Not all eyebrow houses are the same size. Some are fairly small while others are quite large. The common theme among even the larger eyebrows is that they have two bedrooms and usually share a bath located at the rear of the stairway landing on the second floor.

This house, however, has one bedroom which spans the width of the second floor. The stairway has a fairly high pitch which makes me wonder it is original to the house or whether it replaced a center hallway staircase.  There is a second bedroom located at the first floor front adjacent to the entry hall.

The top photo above shows the entry hall and the doorway to the first floor bedroom. The kitchen appears to the right. The lower photo shows the living area followed by a glassed in room akin to a Florida room. There is a third bedroom to the rear plus additional rooms. The living areas and Florida room are atypical of an eyebrow house. The listing agent suggests there is a "blend" of architectural styles. I think a good architect could re-work the house to develop a theme that combines the 19th century eyebrow with the more modern living areas at the rear.

According to the MLS this home has 2506 sq ft of living space situated on a 5016 sq ft lot. The L-shaped lot measures 45.5' on Duncan Street that runs 88' to the rear and which extends on  the rear side of the eastward 23 additional feet.  If you look at what I call the Florida room (bricked floors with sliding glass doors) you may wonder as I did - why was this done?  The Monroe County Property Appraiser shows the gross square footage as 3776 sq ft and I believe it is the Florida room which accounts for this.  As soon as I walked into this space I thought I would demolish this space and open up the back and side yard to be redeveloped into a tropical garden and pool area. The confined space, no matter how much glass there is, makes no sense for contemporary living in my opinion. 

The black and white photos from the 1960s teach us this home has had a carport since then and that the front yard was defined by a white picket fence. The sundeck is located atop the Florida room. I doubt that would be allowed A part of the fence is now gone, The exterior staircase on the west side of the house is no longer functional.  I searched the Key West Historic Resources Survey 2011 to determine if this house is considered a contributing resource and learned it was not evaluated as a part of the official survey and was determined not to be eligible for the National Registry of Historic Properties. That suggests to me a new owner can clean up the facade and not be confined to preserving the carport, sundeck, or current fencing.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet on 1409 Duncan Street which is offered at $999,999. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to set up a personal look. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

Key West - Not a Knock Knock Joke

I am going back into my memory closet more than twenty years to relate this story. Soon after I got my real estate license in 1996 I was working with a gay couple who wanted to relocate to Key West to own and operate a guest house.  There were a few properties listed for sale.  I set up showings for my customers and casually mentioned to a woman agent in my office that I would be showing Newton Street Station, an all gay male guest house. 

The woman agent had first hand knowledge about the place because she lived nearby and was familiar with its mode of operation which was a bit odd even for Key West. She suggested that I warn my customers to expect to see the manager open the door in the nude. She said the manager would actually show the guest house as the owner would not be present. I thought she was joking, but she was not. She had experienced first hand when she had shown it. And she had seen the nude dude open the door to greet guests for years. So I told my customers. They were gay and took it in stride. I can recall missing things in the property because I was avoiding looking at the obvious. Over the following months I showed the guest house several more times to both gay and straight buyers. The manager always opened the door in the buff and always conducted the showings.

During that same time period I had a listing on a different guest house. I remember showing it when a buyers' agent mentioned he was going to show Newton Street Station right after leaving my property. I warned to expect the Newton Street Station manger to greet him and his customers in the nude. He was shocked but appreciated the warning. A few days later he saw me and thanked me again. He said had warned his straight couple from the Midwest and they took it is stride.