Just Listed - 1307 Petronia Street, Key West

Longtime readers of my blog may recall that I have written about this Meadows Area beauty a couple of times during the ten years (soon to be eleven years) I have been doing this blog. It was thirty-three years ago that I first came to Key West and that is when I discovered this little island in middle of the ocean with so many old time houses that were stuck in time. Unlike north up in America, the houses here looked pretty much the same in 1984 as they probably did when they were built in the late 1800s or early 1900s. As more and more people discovered the beauty of what is now my island home, the old houses have been bought by new people who have updated them.  The home above is located at 1307 Petronia Street. It is one of the prettier houses about which I have written. 

I checked the Historic Sanborn Fire Maps to try to determine when this home was built. The earliest date it appeared was 1912. A smattering of homes appeared in earlier additions of the maps, but this entire block and two blocks were basically barren. Readers may recall that this area was called The Meadows for good reason - this is where the dairy cows lived back in the days before Key West had refrigerated milk. Dairymen would drive carts through town to deliver milk. The modernization of Key West the conversion for dairy land to residential housing. The black and white photo above shows this house as it appeared in 1965. The color photo immediately above was taken in 2013. The photo at the top of today's post is current.

The listing Realtor describes the home this way:

Located in the highly sought after Meadows, sits this 3-bedroom, 3 bath that has been recently modernized. A traditional entry foyer leads to the first floor living room with 5 large double hung windows and an elegant crafted wall of bookcases. There is den/bedroom with French doors that open to the pool area. The dining area is adjacent to the chef’s kitchen with massive granite counter top, and gas stove, wine cooler and stainless steel appliances. French doors lead to an outside eating area and nice size pool surrounded by decking and lush tropical landscaping. Upstairs there are 2 en suite bedrooms with walk a large master walk-in closet. The master has a very large sunning deck with a spiral staircase to the pool.

I'm pretty certain the original house didn't look or function quite as perfect when it was built as it does today. The formal entry offers guests a more formal entrance into the living area and at the same time allows the owners direct access to the kitchen at the rear or the stairway in between. The living room photos show off the Dade County Pine ceiling. The living room includes a new media center and built in bookcase. Modern touches include new wood floors, crown molding, and new HVAC. Two photos immediately above show readers the location of the first floor bedroom which is being used by the current owner as a den. There is an adjacent full bath on the first floor. French doors open out to the pool from both the kitchen and the den/bedroom.

Both second floor bedrooms are en-suite. The master bedroom shown above has French doors which open out to the sundeck. A spiral staircase leads down to the pool for a late night dip.

1307 Petronia Street even has a bricked parking space for your car. A lot of homes in Old Town and the environs don't. 

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and more photos. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a private showing of this pretty special home offered at $1,400,000. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

1211 Grinnell Street, No. F - Key West, Florida

Just Listed  by Preferred Properties Key West, 1211 Grinnell Street, No. F. Key West, Florida. I have written about this home a couple of years ago when it was offered as a short sale and later as a bank owned property. The property was sold and has been updated and transformed into a three bedroom two and one-half bath home. CLICK HERE to view more photos.

This home is located in Grinnell Gardens, a unique compound consisting of seven distinctive units which share a large and sunny pool. Each home has one designated off street parking space. These homes were built new in 1994 and replicate the Greek Revival architectural style found in many houses in our Old Town area. This particular home has 1360 square feet of interior living space plus covered first and second floor front porches for private outdoor entertaining. The homeowner association fee is just $200 per month.

As soon as I opened the front door I could see how radically different this house had improved. The former darkly painted Venetian Plaster Walls and Ceiling are now a creamy white. There is new air conditioning, new lighting, and bathrooms. The darkness that hung over that house is now gone. It is light and airy.

The main level great room opens out to the private rear garden which is perfect for outdoor dining almost every day of the year.  It is totally secluded.  The kitchen has been updated with all new stainless steel appliances. Not shown is the first floor guest bath and large closet area which provides real storage space.

The master suite is located at the front of the second floor. The vaulted ceiling soars high and gives the interior a very spacious feeling. The original owner had special features built into this house including extra insulation between the connecting unit to the west and additional insulation between the first and second floors. Noise is contained and coolness is maintained. The current owner removed glass block half-walls in the nook that extends over the front balcony. The result is a much cleaner look.The bathroom cabinet and fixtures were replaced as well.  The front and rear exteriors were painted as well. Since this is  town home, the owner is responsible for exterior maintenance. That will not be a issue for a decade or so down the line. In the meantime, the new owner can sit on the balcony ponder the joys of owning a place in Key West. The view is so special. Remember there are only seven homes that share the pool and the view. By the way, two of the homes here have private pools.

The original home had a second master bedroom at the rear of the second floor. That space was reconfigured into two separate bedrooms both of which share the adjacent full bath. The laundry closet is located at the of the stairs.  The third bedroom is large enough to accommodate a bunk bed set for the grand kids or which could be used as an office.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet on 1211 Grinnell Street No F which is offered at $945,000. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule an appointment to see your new Key West home for the very first time. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West, the listing brokerage. If you act quick enough, this could be your home by Christmas.

Happy Thanksgiving from a Time Not Too Long Ago

I was eight years old in 1955. I watched the Thanksgiving Day Parade and like a lot of boys my age, I watched Hopalong Cassidy and Mighty Mouse. A couple of years earlier my grandmother took me to the Denver Post to get my picture taken. The Post published photos of  little guys like me decked out for the National Western Stock Show. I was wearing my Hopalong Cassidy chaps, vest, hat, and six shooters. I would post that photo but can't because I messed up my office computer and can't do that today. But I would to prove the point that I admired that man in black because he was good and did good. Always.

Readers of my blog may recall and earlier blog in June of this year when I wrote "My generation grew up watching shows like The Lone Ranger, Roy Rogers, and SUPERMAN where the principal characters fought and defeated evil each week... We grew up believing America was great and Americans could do no wrong." Most of the buyers and sellers I have worked with in the past twenty two years are or were people my age. (Now they are getting to be younger.)  I am confident we all shared those same experiences and the same values.

Earlier today I thought about how immature I was at age 14. I was and still am a nerd. I lived my own little life - probably afraid of just about everything. A couple of years later when I got my driver's license I drove downtown to the Center Theater to apply for a job as an usher. I didn't get the job. I remember it was early summer and probably near sundown. As I walked back to my car I stopped at the May D&F to watch people playing Putt Putt golf. (The green rectangle in the plaza.) An older man in a suit came up to me and said "I bet I can beat you!"  I knew very little about homosexuals, but immediately suspected he was one. I got the hell out of there immediately. Older men are not supposed to be involved with teenage boys. It's wrong! I have never told anyone about this experience. That was fifty years ago. People who are undecided or who are very opinionated on the Roy Moore controversy should think back to how they processed events in their lives when they were fourteen years old.

I don't know how or why our country has gotten so divisive, but it has. My Thanksgiving prayer would be to bring us back to our common values where no American would consider electing anyone accused of being a child predator to the United States Senate.

Happy Thanksgiving to all that read my blog. I appreciate it. May God Bless our Country and help us get through all that is going on. 

Near Key West on Thanksgiving Eve: 2004

Like many of you I can remember specific holidays from my youth, particularly Christmas Eves and Christmas Days as well as notable holidays later in life. I especially remember the Thanksgiving Eve in 2004 when I drove from Key West with my then real estate broker to look at trailers on Big Coppitt Key.  

I picked her up at her condo shortly around 5:00 PM.  It was still daylight, but I recall the skies were gray and sad. That's unusual for Key West because our skies are normally sunny until near sunset when they explode with color. But on that day they were gray. As we drove up the Overseas Highway she told me about this man from her church who owned several business in Key West and several trailers which he rented out on Big Coppitt Key which is located about five miles east of Key West. He was thinking about selling his trailers and wanted an opinion of value. She wanted his business. I have no real idea why she wanted me to go along, but I did.

We drove up US 1 to a bar where the owner was waiting for us. I recall we followed him down various roads looking at four or five trailers. They were all immobile mobile homes - the wheels were removed. Each place probably dated back to the 1960s of 1970s. There was no measurable difference between them except age and the size of the lot upon which they sat. The lots were the only thing of value. And he owned the lots.

The last trailer is etched in my memory. It was dark when we got to the final trailer. He knocked on the metal door. The woman tenant opened it. She had a cigarette in hand. He explained who we were and why we were there. She waived us inside as she moved to the far side of the kitchen where she grabbed her drink. She didn't care why we were there. She didn't care about anything as far as I could tell. Her oldest son was frying hamburgers. A little one minute movie played out in my mind as I walked quickly from room to room. I remember the smells of the frying meat competing with the lingering odor of mama's cigarettes and the noise created by the meat as it was being destroyed in that too hot skillet while the TV blared and mama spewed out nonsense from her drunken mouth. I moved as quickly as I could to get out of this place. 

The last room I looked in was occupied by a younger boy, perhaps thirteen or fourteen years old. He was laying on top of his bed trying to read a book or magazine. There was a small lamp on the night stand or table next to him. I remember the light was so dim. I felt I had invaded this kid's space and left. God, I felt so sorry for that kid who had to live in that hell hole with his cigarette smoking and rum guzzling mother who was too lazy to cook a meal for her kids. I couldn't imagine what their Thanksgiving Day would be like. I was as down as down could get when I walked out of that place.

Eleven months later Hurricane Wilma caused catastrophic damage to Big Coppitt Key where most of the mobile homes became uninhabitable due to severe wind and water damage.

Key West was damaged by Wilma as well. I don't recall when it was that I thought about that boy. In that room. In that hell hole. I am sure he didn't drown or anything like that. But I thought what another indignity for him to have to live through. That trailer must have been destroyed.

Thirteen years have passed since that Thanksgiving Eve. I hope that boy made it out of that living situation okay. I understand why some people end up as criminals and why others end up as successes.  I wonder which he became.

 P.S.  She did not get any listing from the old investor. He listed with someone else. Figures!

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.