618 Free School Lane, Key West - Old Town

Key West is as much a state of mind as it is a state of grace.  First time visitors either love it or leave it. Many of those who love it dream of moving here someday, perhaps retiring here. Some of the left over hippies and gays who moved here in the 1970's and 1980's and started businesses or invested in real estate have prospered beyond their wildest dreams. Others have achieved personal fulfillment simply by living on this little island out in the middle of the ocean where pace, not race, is the way lives are lived. I'm not sure if the manana attitude is caused by the year around warmth or the realization that just about anything can wait for another day - or thirty. 

I first came to Key West in March 1984 and fell in love with the architecture and the potential of this quaint and laid back little town. What once was is no longer. Town has changed. Block by block, house by house, the once seemingly neglected cottages and houses have been restored and made into the best version of themselves. The rusted old Conch Cruisers have been replaced by fancy imports from foreign lands. Small cigar maker cottages that once sold for a $100,000 now sell for around one million dollars.

The Sears School (as photographed circa 1890) was located at the end of Free School Lane.  The school was built in 1874 and was Key West's first school. It was torn down in 1909 when it was replaced by the Harris School on Southard Street. Locals and returning visitors will recognize the location as being the former entrance to Nancy Forrester's Secret Garden.

I made my pilgrimage to see the secret garden three decades ago. I was taken by the natural beauty and the sheer size of the garden with specimen palms and other tropical foliage. 

I searched the Historic Sanborn Fire Map for 1889 and found the Sears School and what I believe to be the original cottage at 618 Free School Lane. I added notations to the map for readers to view. Free School Lane is not identified by name on the map, but that is the location. What you can see is an immense open space around the red check.  That space later became known as Nancy's Secret Garden and now is the beautiful home at 618 Free School Lane, Key West now offered for sale at $5,497,900.

I must admit I was worried about what might have happened to the once "natural" garden. That concern vanquished as soon as I passed through the gate. The gardens are now very formal and meticulously maintained. Gray stone walkways lead to various points in the garden and the sunken heated pool with swim-up cocktail tables and built-in seating.

 The entry sets the tone for the entire residence. The room measures 14 feet long, 14 feet wide, by 14 feet tall. The walls throughout most of the house are crisp white offset by tile floors suggestive of historic Cuba tile patterns with tones of black, to gray, and white.  Dramatic light fixtures and medallions can be found in many rooms including the adjacent kitchen and dining room.

Multiple glass panel doors open out to the deck area which really looks down to the sunken pool and which wraps around the house where the master suite wing is located.

This home has three bedrooms, three and one-half bathrooms, an outdoor shower, and pizazz for days. The attention to detail is evident throughout the home. There is too much to explain so I won't bore readers with the details. Instead, CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and listing photos for 618 Free School Lane. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to arrange a private showing. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

Free School Lane as photographed during Fantasy Fest in 2011. All that Old Town has to offer is located about two hundred feet west of the very private home located at 618 Free School Lane.

1119 Olivia Street, Key West

Prospective buyers of a home in Key West ought to be able to tell a lot about the listing at 1119 Olivia Street just by looking at the three above photos. The most obvious visible fact is the home is located on a corner and has two off-street parking spaces, two mail boxes, and appears to be in pristine condition. I wrote a blog about this property in 2008 soon after it had then been totally renovated. It looks just as sharp and clean now.

The listing Realtor describes the property this way:

"Immaculate, completely renovated home in Historic Old Town Key West. Lovely corner lot on quiet street, 2 valuable Boston Brick Off street parking spaces, 3 bedrooms 2.5 baths, 12'x16' private covered porch with yard and possible room for plunge pool, 2nd covered front porch, X zone (no flood insurance required). New washer/dryer, new microwave, dishwasher, disposal, central AC, new metal roof, Florida tile throughout, designer lighting package , 7 ceiling fans and white picket fence surrounds the property. Can use the upstairs for a legal Studio rental. The Studio is separately metered and has a private entrance plus $2000/month income potential. A must see in a wonderful LOCATION! LOCATION!"

This home is laid out with the two main floor bedrooms and baths at the front of the house. The living area, kitchen, and dining area are at the rear. French doors open out to the east side covered deck. The wood door at the rear of the kitchen opens out to the bricked parking space entered off Ashe Street.

There is a legal second floor apartment. The entrance is located on the Ashe Street side of the house. See the check mark on the photo below which shows the entrance. The entire second floor is a lovely studio apartment that rents at $2,000 per month. That's affordable rent in Key West. That rent makes the main floor space an attractive buying opportunity for a buyer who wants a place to call his/her/their own in Key West and still have income potential to off sett some of the cost of home ownership.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and listing photos for 1119 Olivia Street, Key West. 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.

Tale of Floor Duty in Key West

Several years ago I was a Realtor at Prudential Knight and Gardner Realty on Duval Street. I had floor duty that day which meant I was available to meet with potential buyers who would come inside to discuss buying real estate in Key West. I was in my office doing something on my computer when a man in his mid 30s and his father came in to discuss something. I left my office and met with the two in the reception area. The younger man was heavy weight and wore an ill fitting tank top that showed off his root beer belly. His dad sat on the sofa and said nothing.

The tank topped man asked me a question about the stock market.  I said we sell real estate, not stocks. He asked "This is Prudential, isn't it?" "Yes" I replied but added that the Prudential Securities was a totally different company. This discussion went on for a few minutes until he gave up on securities, and then asked me how much his house in Ocala was worth. I asked "where" to which he replied Ocala. I told him he needed to talk to a Realtor in Ocala, that I had no idea what houses are worth in an area that far away. He queried "You are Realtor, aren't you?" I said yes then added I did not know where  in Florida Ocala is located let alone have any idea what houses are worth there. In mind mind's eye I could just see his mobile home rusting in the hot Ocala Florida sun.

Then he asked how much houses in Key West cost. I asked what type of house and in what part of town. "Tell me all" he said. I pressed for more information from him about his needs and price range.  Instead he started a new line of inquiry - "Where on Duval is the all you can eat buffet?" I told him I didn't have any idea. His question explained how he got that root beer belly. He went back to discussing how much houses cost in Key West. He became very frustrated with my lack of knowledge about prices. Finally, he asked in all sincerity, "This is the Key West Indies, isn't it?" With that I said I had work to do, got up, excused myself, and went back to my office.

Shortly thereafter the receptionist thanked the two men for stopping in and then heard the door shut.  When I felt certain they had actually left the office, I went back to the reception area and asked her "Where is the camera?" I was sure I had been punked or that I was on Candid Camera. 

Today I am a Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.  I still do floor duty on occasion. I still don't know where Ocala is. Nor care.

Gary's Open Houses in Key West

The National Weather Service predicts it will be 87 degrees today at 12:00 PM in Key West. If you are in town and are thinking of buying a great old home or a brand new one, come by either of my two Open House events cause I can server your needs no matter which one you want to choose from.
Both homes will be open 12:00 to 2:00 PM.

409 Grinnell Street is a beautiful old home with a brand new pool and rear garden awaiting new owners. This four bedroom home won a Ceramic Star for Historic Preservation in 2014. Offered at $1,275,000.  Meet Megan McDowell, Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West, who will show you this beautiful home.

1413 Von Phister Street is a Brand New 1924 square foot Three Bedroom Home with a sunny 10'X20' Pool offered at $1,549,000. Come meet me Gary Thomas, Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

614 Grinnell Street, Key West - Classic Eyebrow House

Just Listed 614 Grinnell Street, Key West, Florida. This home is referred to as an eyebrow house because the roof eaves extend out over the porch protecting the second floor windows from rain or wind. In the days before air conditioning, residents had to rely on natural ventilation and trees to provide cooling.

 I searched through my old shoebox and found the above black and white photo taken in 1965. You will see at least three features that are different than the current house including the historic single metal shingles, louvers instead of glass windows, and no gingerbread trim on the front columns.

I also found the photo above taken in 1980 which shows the house with glass windows. Two petite French style shutters provided a little air circulation into the living area. Windows on either side allowed air to flow through the house.

I searched the Historic Sanborn Fire Maps and identified 614 Grinnell Street on the 1899 map. The 1889 map did not show any houses in this entire area which I know is not correct. We know the house existed at least as early as 1899. The Monroe County Property Appraiser website shows that the house existed as of 1901.

Every single eyebrow house I have been inside of has been laid out differently. This house is unique. The first thing I saw when I entered the home was the back side of the staircase to the second floor. The kitchen is located at the left front of the house and the living room at the right front. Two sets of French doors open out to the north side yard.  The interior walls are Dade County Pine.

The master bedroom and bath are located at the rear of the first floor. French doors inward but lead out to a covered deck which leads out to the pool and rear gardens. Interior louvered shutters can be seen on the left side in the above photo. Those shutters provide privacy to the master bedroom.

The guest bedroom and full bath are located on the second floor. The bath is quite large.

According to the Monroe County Property Appraiser this house has 1485 square feet of living space under air conditioning plus 1644 sq ft of deck much of which is covered. There is a small cottage at the left rear of the lot which has water. A new owner might renovate that space into a third bedroom and bath. The lot measures 50.3' X 101'.  The owner told me he used to park his gold Plymouth automobile in the inside of the backyard which has a large gate that opens onto Griffin Lane (entered off Southard Street).

This block of Grinnell Street is one of the quietest blocks in Old Town because it ends at Angela Street which is the northern border of the Key West cemetery. That means the Conch trains and trolleys will not be passing this house because they cannot torn onto Angela Street. Your life will be quieter because of this. Instead, you will see the occasional tourist on bike or many a neighbor walking a dog to the Grinnell Street Pocket Park up on the corner.

 Five Brothers is located down the block at the corner of Southard Street. The Key West Historic Seaport is located three blocks further north and Duval Street is located five blocks to the west. Most of the gyms and yoga studios are located within a five to ten minute walk.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and to view listing photos. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to set up a private showing of 614 Grinnell St offered at $1,575,000. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.