1424 White Street, Key West - Casa Marina Area

I remember driving home from work one late afternoon in 2002 when I saw what I thought was impossible -being razed in Key West. Checkout the photo just below and you can see the house that used to sit at 1424 White Street in the Casa Marina area. As you may be aware you can't tear down old houses in the Historic District and in some parts of Casa Marina or the Meadows areas. Houses that have been officially designated as historically significant by the Historic Architectural Review Commission must undergo rigorous approval process before the structures can be altered. And only a few houses meet the criteria that would permit demolition.

1424 White Street as it appeared in 1965

1424 White Street as it appeared in July 2010

Now look at the photo immediately above. Notice the striking similarity between the two and yet detect the differences. The obvious changes are the longer existent exterior stairway, the removal of the second floor porch "addition", and what appears to be replacement siding. Otherwise the porches and everything else looks pretty much the same. Or so it seems.

In the days that followed I watched the roof of the old house get hoisted into the air. Then piece by piece the old house was torn down. Stick by stick and room by room the house came tumbling down. Then bobcats moved in and tore up the earth under the old house. The site was clean except for the original which which was suspended in air. A new crew moved in and drilled holes in the earth for new concrete piers. Carpenters began building the frame for a new house in the space under the roof. Weeks and months went by and finally the roof was lowered onto the new shell. Siding was attached and the exterior was painted. The old relic porch stoop was restored and given new life but the historic bases were kept intact and intentionally not restored so as to keep a more authentic look. It is that old look that tricks the eye and makes one think the house itself is a relic when in fact it was "new" in 2003.

This is how the listing Realtor describes 1424 White Street:

"The perfect blend of classic Conch architecture with a stunning rebuild and renovation greets you at this coveted Casa Marina home. Although the historical piece dates to 1928 with the original concrete pillars in the front, it was rebuilt by an award winning builder from the ground up in 2003. Beautiful whitewashed Dade County Pine walls greet you as you enter the front door with a large staircase to take you upstairs to 3 of the bedrooms. The 2 guest bedrooms have a large renovated bathroom between them with beautiful turquoise quartz countertops and glass tiled walls. The master suite has 2 rooms with a cathedral ceiling in the bedroom and a large bathroom also filled with turquoise. The downstairs has a fourth bedroom currently used as an office plus a completely renovated bathroom.
Boasting large voluminous rooms with 10 foot ceilings this 4 bedroom/3 bathroom charmer showcases a fabulous open floor plan and entertaining space. The chef's kitchen was redesigned in 2018 and features beautiful Vadara counters, an undercounter beverage cooler, 5 burner gas cooktop, oven, wine refrigerator and top of the line stainless steel appliances. The kitchen/dining area flows seamlessly to a large family room with double French doors leading out to over 640 sq. ft. of Ipe decking surrounding the heated cocktail pool. The possibilities for this property can be endless, from a year round home to wonderful luxury rental option"

There is a large den or family room located at the front of the house which could easily become a guest bedroom or even a first floor bedroom when climbing the stairs becomes difficult as there is a full bath located adjacent.

The inside of this house is all about family and entertaining. The ceilings on both floors are high. The great room at the back of the first floor has a large family-style kitchen which extends into the living area and the adjacent semi-formal dining area. French doors at the back and rear side of the house open out to the rear garden and pool. Too many of the older houses in Old Town are claustrophobic. This home is the opposite. Big spaces make for big living.  Note the extra large crown molding, high baseboards, quality trim and clean real wood floors. This home was built by one of the premium local contractors to be his family's permanent home. While the wood walls resemble Dade County Pine of yore, they are new pine painted to look old.

The gentleness of the stairway and the second floor landing are so graceful. The master bedroom is located at the rear of the second floor. It's another good sized room with rear deck overlooking the backyard.

Two guest bedrooms share a large bath on the second floor. The master suite is located at the rear. All three bedrooms have access to the second floor covered front porch. The master suite is very large and has a unique closet system built into an office. The master bath is immense. My favorite feature of the bedroom are the multiple windows on two sides.

This 2392 sq ft home is located at the corner of White and Von Phister Streets in the Casa Marina area. It is offered for sale at $2,190,000. This home was built by one of the top residential builders in Key West for his family's personal residence. You can see the attention to detail on the outside and on the inside. CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and listing photos.

I live one block away and I love this area because it is close to everything. The White Street Pier and Higgs Beach are a short four minute walk away. That's where they shoot off fireworks at least twice each year.) Faustos Market is a few blocks to the north. They have a great little meat counter with an in house butcher. The Dairy Queen and numerous small restaurants are in that area as well.

If you a looking for a special place in Key West let me show you 1424 White Street. Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. in Key West. Let me show you the house that would not die.

1211 Knowles Lane, Key West - Price Reduced

 1211 Knowles Lane, Key West - 2019

1211 Knowles Lane, Key West - 1965

The listing Realtor describes 1211 Knowles Lane in Key West this way:

"Excellent opportunity to create your dream home in the X Flood Zone of Old Town, at just $563/SqFt! This 3BR/2BA is located on quiet, peaceful Knowles Lane & comes equipped with new floors, new stainless-steel appliances and a fresh coat of paint. Owner recently removed one section of paneling to expose what he suspects is Dade County Pine lining the exterior walls of the original structure. Take a look at 5th photo! Kitchen enjoys plenty of counter space with convenient laundry room at its side and an open view of dining room. Home has off-street parking and was tented in May 2019. Perfect buyer is anyone looking for a project property to make into their million-dollar Old Town charmer, or someone looking to do minimal work and rent out immediately to long term tenants. Lots of ideas already in mind for renovations & improvements - easy to verbally explain such ideas upon in-person showing. You won't find comparables in this area at this price. Owner has priced to sell!"

I have written before that our historic property records are "imperfect". No it's worse than that. They are awful. The Property Appraiser shows this house was built in the 1920s. However, I searched the Historic Sanborn Fire Maps and found this house actually existed as early as the 1889 map when the "lane" was called Pear Lane. The listing Realtor suggests and I agree that there is likely Dade County Pine walls under the 1960s basement paneling walls that currently exist. However, we can see that the front room was renovated sometime after 1965 when the front porch became a part of the house. Likewise, the addition at the rear visible in the photo above looks to have been built after the 1960s. The listing Realtor and I agree that the building could be taken down and a pool and decking put in that space.

The house is livable as is, but the highest and best use would be to do a thorough renovation from foundation to roof. Knowles Lane is only one block long running south to north from United Street to Catherine Street. It's tiny and slow and one of the most desired locations in Old Town because it is in the X Zone - the highest elevation on the Island of Key West. 

The house next door to the north was thoroughly renovated a couple of years ago. It is precious. 1211 Knowles Lane could look equally as charming.


CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and listing photos of 1211 Knowles Lane. 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.

Mary Rae. Denver Realtor. RIP.

I think I first met Mary Rae in 1975 or so. She was the go-to Realtor for any buyer looking for a home in the Capitol Hill area of Denver. She was a strikingly good looking woman with such poise and charm. Little did I know that earlier in life she was a nun. Maybe that is why she was always seemed so interested in what others had to say.

The above photo and Mary Rae's obituary appeared in the August 2, 2019 Denver Post. CLICK HERE to read.

I will keep my story as short as possible (a task for me). We looked at many places over a couple of years including the Croke Patterson Campbell Mansion (photo above) at the corner of 11th and Washington. I wrote about that property in one of my first blogs. It was such a stunning building. It had been converted into several delightful apartments plus it had a two story carriage house plus a ghost. I could have bought it somewhere around $90,000 back in the mid-1970s. I couldn't come up with the down payment. I must have made that poor lady show me twenty or thirty properties. She never gave up on me, and I never gave up on her.

A year or so later I purchased a very nice home at the corner of 9th Avenue and Clarkson Street which I owned for about five and one-half years. I sold it to a pharmacist in 1982 who in turn sold it to Mary Rae several years later. She told me when I bought the house it was one of her favorites. I guess it was. I took a photo of the 900 Clarkson Street when I was in Denver in 2015. See below.

As returning veterans from World War II moved to the Denver suburbs, many of the old homes in the Capitol Hill area near downtown were converted into apartments. While the area was not blighted, it could have gone that way were it not for Mary's passion to save the old houses of Capitol Hill. Her passion became contagious. Baby boomers returned to that area, bought up the houses, renovated them, and prevented the potential destruction of many beautiful homes. 

Mary Rae and some partners rescued a large house located at the corner of East 8th Avenue at Pearl Street and moved it four blocks to the north where it was totally renovated. It was moved right past my house. This was quite the sight for most the day as three large component parts of the house were relocated to the corner of East 10th Avenue at Emerson. Thanks to Google images you can see the houses at they look today - forty plus years later at 875 East 10th Avenue in Denver.

Mary Rae was an inspirational person. She saw the good in people and the value in preserving our past. She left a legacy of beautiful homes to the people of Denver. I am so thankful I met her and that she was a part of my life.

1026 Von Phister Street, Key West - Casa Marina Area - Just Listed

Just Listed 1026 Von Phister Street, Key West is described by the listing Realtor this way:

"Stunning one of kind luxury residence with guest cottage on large corner lot in the prestigious Casa Marina neighborhood. Complete renovation in 2016 combined privacy with open spaces to create a truly captivating island experience. Beautiful features include marble-finish porcelain tile and brushed-oak flooring, high-hat LED custom lighting, and a chef's kitchen with top of the line appliances, stone counter-tops and custom-built cabinetry. Windows and doors are all hurricane-proof glass, many with remote roll-up shades. There is an enormous master suite featuring a luxuriously appointed Jacuzzi tub and private sitting-room/den. All three bedrooms and cottage open to private patios. The enchanting exterior is highlighted with lush tropical foliage and large pool with sunning platform. The over-sized lot offers off-street parking for two covered cars plus two uncovered."

This house sits on a large corner lot hidden from view behind tall stands of swaying palm trees and a six foot privacy fence. While the Old Town Area of Key West is noted for its historic small cigar maker cottages which often sit on postage stamp size lots, most of the homes in the Casa Marina Area were built after World War II, were originally larger in size, and located on lots sized at 5,000 sq ft and larger.

I have lived the Casa Marina Area since 1995 and have watched the area transform as once virgin lots got developed. mid-century homes were either taken down and new houses built, or like this property, totally redone. At the outset of the renovation process the owners id 1026 Von Phister Street called upon landscape architect Craig Reynolds to design the exterior so that the completed gardens would seamlessly integrate the hardscape and softscape, making them look as if they were always there. Craig designed everything from the 'doors out' including overall planting design, including the pool, spa, trellis and arbors, patios and decks, fountains and landscape lighting all of which is set within a framework of native plants and indigenous materials to complete the experience.

The main living areas, the master suite, and guest cottage all open out to the seductive pool. Whether at night or during the daytime, that pool is just magical. Visualize yourself taking a skinny dip just before retiring for the evening or doing a few laps before heading out to the boat.  Or the beach.  Higgs Beach is just four blocks to the south. Louie's Backyard is four blocks west. Or stay home. This is the place so many people dream of owing some day.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet plus listing photographs of 1026 Von Phister Street, Key West, offered for sale at $3,295,000.  Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a private showing of this home. I am a buyers agent at Preferred Properties Key West. I am also the neighbor across the street. I can show this area and give you real first hand knowledge about the home and the area. It is not my listing but it is my chance to welcome the new owner into my neighborhood.

The Almost Stairway to Heaven

This is a true story. The above photo shows a cast iron staircase similar to the one discussed in today's blog but it is not the actual one.


Twenty-six years ago I owned a group of four historic Victorian buildings in the Capitol Hill area of Denver which included a massive two story carriage house. The prior owner attached a two story cast iron staircase to the front side of the carriage house. Our German Shepard Gertie would regularly sit on the second floor rear landing observing what was going on in the world outside of her yard. While the gate kept her inside the yard, she knew her job was to sit as sentry.

Every spring we would fill wood boxes with trailing flowers which would cascade over the rails. Each morning before going to work I would drag the garden hose up the stairs to water the flowers and the water the other bushes and flowers. Gertie would spend her day on the second floor and occasionally go the garden to patrol - that's what German Shepard's do.

A light was affixed atop the iron newel post at the bottom of the stairs. The rails, balusters and steps were either rescued or purloined from the Brown Palace Hotel when the hotel lobby was renovated. The prior owner of the my properties had been a bellman at the hotel during the renovation. Multiple sections were removed. It is hard to imagine they could have been stolen, but one never knows.

I noticed that Gertie would always jump from or to the second or third step each time she went up or came down the stairs. I thought is was some game she invented to amuse herself. I remember the one day I was heading up the stairs after watering the flowers while me feet were still wet. I think I hit the second step when I felt an electric shock and leaped up to the next step. I called my partner who came out and then we both tested the stairs. Yep - they were electrified.

I called an electrician who came over and fixed the problem. The lamp at the top of the newel post had developed a slight shock which then electrified the cast iron staircase. Had the current been higher both Gertie and me may have taken our last steps on the stairway to heaven.

The Law of the Pact

There were three very important parts of my life as a young boy in the 1950s: my school, my church, and the Cub Scouts. Not in that order. But I don't know which was of more importance all these years later. 
 
Scout Oath
On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.

Scout Law
The Scout Law has 12 points. Each is a goal for every Scout. A Scout tries to live up to the Law every day. It is not always easy to do, but a Scout always tries.
A Scout is:
TRUSTWORTHY. Tell the truth and keep promises. People can depend on you.
LOYAL. Show that you care about your family, friends, Scout leaders, school, and country.
HELPFUL. Volunteer to help others without expecting a reward.
FRIENDLY. Be a friend to everyone, even people who are very different from you.
COURTEOUS. Be polite to everyone and always use good manners.
KIND. Treat others as you want to be treated . Never harm or kill any living thing without good reason.
OBEDIENT. Follow the rules of your family, school, and pack. Obey the laws of your community and country.
CHEERFUL. Look for the bright side of life. Cheerfully do tasks that come your way. Try to help others be happy.
THRIFTY. Work to pay your own way. Try not to be wasteful. Use time, food, supplies, and natural resources wisely.
BRAVE. Face difficult situations even when you feel afraid. Do what you think is right despite what others might be doing or saying.
CLEAN. Keep your body and mind fit . Help keep your home and community clean.
REVERENT. Be reverent toward God. Be faithful in your religious duties. Respect the beliefs of others.

I read my Scout manual. I believed it. I lived it. As best as I could. I really did. I lived the life of a good little middle class kid in the western suburb of Denver after World War II. America was prospering and we were all living the good life, even if we were not rich, we were prospering as America was reborn.

We went to our weekly den meetings first at Bruce Small's house where his mother, Shirley, was den mother. Later we went to Kenneth Davidson's house where his mother, Lucille, was our den mother. Both were kind women who truly loved all of us. I cannot imagine a better life than to have lived as I did back then with these two kind women helped raise us little rascals. We weren't bad. We were boys. Joyous boys.

We wore our little blue shirts with yellow kerchiefs, raised our right hands with index and middle finger outstretched and swore the Scout Oath. It meant something. It was, as it is written, The Law of the Pact. They were good instructive words to live by.

How many adults today - even leaders - can live up to the Law of the Pact?