The "Cobbled Together" One-Time Key West Compound of Nancy Friday

I recently received an email from a friend who used to live near Nancy Friday's house in Key West. The email included a link to a Wall Street Journal piece entitled Author Nancy Friday's "Central Park West Compound Asks $22.5 Million". CLICK HERE to read the piece. The first line reads: "Over two decades, author Nancy Friday cobbled together an unusual compound of three adjacent apartments atop a New York City apartment building that overlooks Central Park".

I read the article and responded to my friend telling him that is exactly what Nancy Friday did in Key West three decades ago when she bought one, then two. and finally three houses located next to each other between Southard Street and Pinder Lane. She purchased 6 Pinder Lane pictured above from from Duane Dick and his partner Richard Thixton.** She also purchased 815 Southard and 821 Southard Street.

After Nancy Friday left Key West all three properties were purchased by a single party.   A few years later I was selected to list 6 Pinder Lane. The new property owner retained and renovated 815 Southard Street, below.

 821 Southard Street, which Nancy Friday used as her guest house, was purchased by my buyer who  renovated the interior and enhanced the garden. He found a couple of Nancy's personal items left in the attic.  Both houses sit pretty on one of the best streets in Key West, but Nancy Friday's secret garden and house is still hidden away from public view. 

Nancy Friday renovated the 6 Pinder Lane house with the architectural assistance of local architect Tom Pope. This was Nancy's Key West home. The original cottage was expanded at the rear.  A second floor was added to create the master bedroom and tree-top bath. Multiple sets of French doors were added on the main level which opened out to the magnificent deck. I showed this house many times over the years, both when Nancy still owned the property, and later. I would sit in the living room with French doors opened and let the buyers walk about taking in the simplicity and charm of this place. The French doors were always been open matter who was living there at the time. The shade of the trees and porch cooled the house and warmed the spirit.

This was no ordinary "quintessential" Key West home. Nor was the lot an ordinary lot. No, not by a long shot. Pinder Lane is one of those slow lanes in Key West of which I am so fond of. The lane is perhaps 200 feet long where it abruptly ends. It runs perpendicular to William Street midway between Southard Street to the south and Fleming Street to the north. 6 Pinder Lane is tucked in a corner behind the house at the very end of the lane. When Nancy owned the property a bricked path meandered thru some palm trees to a tall gate where what looked like an ancient cow bell once hung. You needed to pull the clanger to announce your presence at the gate. Guests needed to lift the wrought iron lever, push the gate forward, and walk into Nancy's the secret garden known as 6 Pinder Lane. It was magical!

The master bedroom was like a Hollywood movie set. Nancy created the perfect little love nest up in the sky. The wood walls and floor were painted white. Three sets of windows looked out to the towering trees and gardens below. The space was ever so comfy! You just wanted to curl up and read a book, take a nap, or have a little afternoon romance. When I wrote about this house when I listed it, I begged that "whoever buys this house please don't mess with this! The bathroom is one-of-a-kind. The white porcelain bath fixtures standout against the dark green tiles. When you stand in the shower you can see smidgens of the tin roof on a neighboring house, but mostly you see the tree tops and patches of blue sky." 

The new owners of Nancy Friday's house followed their dreams rather than mine and did a stylish update to the house and  garden. The tall gate and cowbell are gone. I have seen photos of the house which pay respect to what once was. It is still very special.

In the last three decades of the twentieth century Nancy Friday and her friends purchased simple houses in Key West to which they made modest improvements and created a community that inspired a generation of dreamers who want to move to Key West. While Nancy Friday's Key West cobbled together compound has been separated, but three new owners get to live out their dreams in one of Nancy's homes..

**  I wrote about 4 Pinder Lane a couple of times over the years. Mary Thixton told me stories about the celebrities who frequented her uncle's home including Cary Grant, Anne Jackson,Tallulah Bankhead, Burt Reynolds and local members of the Key West literary community including James Leo Herlihy (author of Midnight Cowboy) and, of course, Nancy Friday.

Bank Owned - 813 Shavers Lane, Key West, Florida

Ten years ago there were a lot of bank owned properties for sale in Key West. In 2018 the number of bank owned properties has reduced to a trickle including the newly listed property located at 813 Shavers Lane, Key West. Shavers Lane is located one-half block west of Duval Street just south of Petronia Street.  The Hemingway House is located one-half block west and one block south. Several of the single family homes on this block have become very successful monthly vacation rentals. This property when updated just a bit could become a monthly vacation rental as well or just be a nice house on one of the slow lanes of Key West.

The Monroe County Property Appraiser shows the original house was built in the 1890s. The Property Appraiser website show substantial renovations were made in 1996 including replacing foundation, new roof, construction of a new addition at rear, and so on. It further tells us the finished area is 1680 sq ft. I think it is larger - quite larger and that does not include any deck or porch. Read on.

This home theoretically has three entrances including the original front door, an entrance recessed a bit to the rear on the north side, and a third entrance recessed a bit to the rear on the south side. Let's look inside the original front door.

The 'original house' is now a one bedroom with living room, kitchen, bath and laundry on first floor and bedroom on second floor. The hall adjacent to the kitchen leads to a shared hallway with a separate unit in the back. Operative word is 'shared'. This is still a single family home if spaces are shared and not walled off, or that's the way I understand code is enforced. I am not giving legal opinion or stating a fact. I am just relating what I understand the way the code is enforced. I assume a new owner would make this a single family home and the current configuration would go away.

The recessed north entrance enters into a hall which passes into the kitchen of the rear apartment. There is a bath just off the kitchen and laundry hook-ups opposite the staircase. The living room is next. The second photo in this series indicates "first floor bedroom" which refers to the room located on the opposite side of the window. There are three bedrooms and two baths in this apartment.

French doors in the south bedroom open out to a sunny rooftop deck. The entire building appeared to me to have been built all new during the 1996 renovation and expansion project.  I am not a home inspector but I did not observe any striking structural problems. A new owner would probably clean up the incorporate the apartment into the house and create new room layouts. The good thing for a buyer is that most new money would be doing fun projects and not fixing old problems. I believe there is room for a pool on the south where there is now a driveway. CLICK HERE to view more photos I took of this property.

The listing Realtor describes 813 Shavers Lane this way:
"Located in the heart of Old Town, between Duval and Whitehead Street. Property is a half of mile from the Southernmost point. This Conch style home has 3 bedrooms and 2.5 baths. All bedrooms are located on the 2nd floor each bedrooms have their own set of staircases. Hardwood floors, large balcony / deck with exterior staircase. Property is equipped with 2 parking spaces on each side of the home."

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet on 813 Shavers Lane, then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to discuss. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. 

724 Eaton Street, Key West - Historic Home Available for the First Time

In his book, The Houses of Key West, author Alex Caemmerer tells us the Freeman-Curry House located as it is now known was built in 1865 and remained in the same family until the 1920s when it was purchased by T. Jenkins Curry. The Curry's completely remodeled the house located at 724 Eaton Street and moved it back from the street forty feet where it still sits today. He tells us the outdoor kitchen and outhouse were replaced with modern additions to the building available to the rich in the 1920s. 

I searched through my shoebox and found the above black and white photo which was taken in 1965. Look to the left of the photo and notice what I believe was a pergola that is not shown in 2018 color photo immediately above. Note also there is no fence as also shown in the 2018 photo. This house sits on a huge lot that runs 176 feet from Eaton Street to the end of the lot and 65.5 feet wide. A two story garage was built at the back of the lot which most of which has been converted into apartments. More on that later.

 

The house is built throughout with Dade County Pine - walls, ceiling, and floors. However, pine was not in fashion during the 1920s remodel. Beaver board covered the walls to give the affect of plaster which was then painted. As soon as you enter this imposing home you know it belonged to someone important. Indeed, it did - the county sheriff.

The listing Realtor told me the parquet floors in the ballroom (located to the left of the main entry hall) are a newer addition to the house but he did not know when they were added. All of the house is painted boldly including the ballroom which has trompe l'oeil walls which include wainscoting and panels. Look carefully at the middle photo above and see two delicate French doors which open into an office at the left side of the home. There you will the safe. I used to own a different mansion in the 500 block of Eaton Street. It had a massive safe as well. Years ago I was reminded that back before the Great Depression people did not trust banks and kept their cash in homes.

The formal living area is located to the right side of the entry foyer.  Delicate glass paneled French doors set it off from the entry when privacy is needed. Note the crown molding and extra-high base boards that surround the walls in each room. I assume the colonnade dividing the living area from the dining was a new addition during the 1920s remodel. I don't know this to be a fact with regard to this house, but these colonnades were sold by SEARS in its catalog homes. It's impressive none the less even if that is the case.

The kitchen has wood cabinets made on the site. They are still in perfect condition but may not appeal to modern buyers who can afford nothing but the best. The current owners added a covered rear porch in the 1990s which is accessed through the kitchen.

The arches on the columns replicate the arches at the front of the house. I found this outdoor lounge to be absolutely gracious and inviting. Even though this addition is new, it fits well in this old house that has such a rich history. The architectural drawing of 724 Eaton Street was made by Milo Smith and Associates in the 1970s. It shows the details in this home and proves my point about the rear arches.

The grand staircase delivers us to the second floor. But notice a doorway a few steps below the second floor level. There is a bathroom located in that space.  There is an access panel to the full attic above which has wood floors and is air conditioned.

The master bedroom with huge en-suite bath takes up the entire left side of the second floor. A door a the end of the hall opens out to the second floor balcony.  The house sits tall on the lot - taller than any I have been inside.

The black and white photo above shows the rear of a property located at 808 Eaton Street in 1914. Now the photo elevation is higher that the second floor of that property, but it suggests that one might have had a view of the old seaport located two blocks to the north. Today that background area is the home of the Hyatt Hotel, a big condo, and numerous restaurants.

There are two guest bedrooms located on the west side of the second floor hallway which share the Jack-and-Jill bath. The rear bedroom is used as an office by the current owner. Remember there is a full guest bath mid-way on the stairs for the can't wait moment.

The garage at the rear has been renovated and expanded and now includes legal residential apartments. I suspect a new owner may not want to rent apartments and might want a pool. I think the CBS apartment building could easily be converted into a stylish guest cottage by affixing Hardiboard siding to the walls and replacing the metal windows with period correct wood window giving the cottage look many people want. Part of the first level could be opened and re-purposed as a pool cabana with bar and bathroom. I would add an outdoor shower and add a pool in the middle.  I might also remove the entire rear of the front house and add a new two level porch which would open up the rear to superb views of the pool and rear building. This is a very expensive home and whoever buys it will surely re-invent the space to their liking. I think this will remain an historic property but will likely be bought into the 21st century in new and exciting ways.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and 44 photos of the house, apartments, and ground of 724 Eaton Street, Key West. This is the very first time this historic home has been placed on the MLS. Please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to set up a private showing. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

Key West Horror Story No. 11

 The ten days after Hurricane Irma were about the most difficult days of my life. I had a little damage to the roof of my house  I lost parts of my fence after not-all-that-tall trees fell upon it. And I was without power and potable water for more than a week. I stayed with friends and we made the best of it. I stayed in Key West for the storm and was lucky enough to learn my house was okay in spite of the minor damage.

During the next two days I went by many of the houses I had sold to inspect for damage. There were trees down in many places including in front of one particular buyer's property. A couple of guys were already on the spot cutting tree limbs. I spoke to one of the men to see if he could help cut and remove the trees that damaged my fence. He said yes. We talked some more when he told me he is also a licensed electrician. Since we did not have electricity, he was doing tree trimming and removal. We set a time for him to come to my house.

Two days passed before he showed up. He explained that generator at one of the local mortuaries had gone kaput. The owner knew the tree cutter was also an electrician and told him that the bodies were starting to thaw. The tree cutter was able to bring the generator back to life so to speak.

The tree cutter came to my house removed for trees from my property in about an hour's time The price was $500. That was okay with me. I would have ended up in the mortuary if I had tried to remove those trees by myself.