Key West Real Estate Throwback Thursday No. 8

From: April 7, 2015

1010 - 1012 Olivia Street, Key West -The Beginning of the End

Local folk artist Ronny Bailey stopped by my office last week to show me (and my Dear Readers) his latest work a special commission of the two houses at 1010 and 1012 Olivia Street in Key West.  The owner of these houses wanted to capture the essence of these houses as they now exist because like much of old Key West, they are about to get renovated. I took a lot of photos of Ronny's art which you can see if you CLICK HERE.

If you look carefully you will seethe word "peace" printed on the wood floor in the photo above.  Ronny always includes the words love, peace, and joy in each piece he creates. He is a religious and loving person. This is how he sees life and how he relates to others. You meet this man and you immediately understand his ethos.

Ronny told me he salvaged wood from the actual houses to create these miniatures. The "metal" roofs are actually wood that he has painted to resemble metal. He carved the chickens on the front porch. Ronnie ripped a larger piece of wood to create the "plywood" floors on the front porches. The front door at 1012 Olivia Street has a screen door. Ronny had a piece of wire screen he had saved from another house from years before. He added a coat of paint to it to reduce the size of the screen to fit into the tiny door. It looked amazingly correct.Look closely at the second floor window on 1010 Olivia (three above). There you will see a hole in the window.  These are all little details that make up the story of old house like this. Ronny Bailey's art can be seen at local shows in Key West. He does prints of various pieces for folks that are not prepared to pay the cost of a major installation. No matter what you buy, you will always love it and cherish it for it shows the true beauty of our old homes.

CLICK HERE to see more photos of the two real houses. These will appear in at least one future blog as the renovation of these two iconic cottages take place.  Several years ago the owner of prior owner of the abutting property on Watson  Street told me that 1012 Olivia Street used to be a house of ill repute. He called it something else that's more descriptive.

I checked the historic Sanborn Fire Maps to see if I could determine when these houses were built. This area was entirely omitted in the earliest map which dates back to 1889. I did find both houses on the 1892 map but at that time they were identified as 922 and 924 Olivia Street. The addresses were respectfully changed to 1010 and 1012 Olivia in the 1889 map. The 1889 map showed a vacant lot next to 1012  Olivia. That vacant spot still exists. But the street does not show on that map. It wasn't until the 1912 map that Peerless Court (later named Watson Street) appeared on the map. In fact the street did not exist at all until that time. There were houses interspersed on the extra large block bounded by Frances on the east, Grinnell on the west, Olivia to the north, and Division Street (Truman Avenue) to the south.

I talked with Ronny about the coming renovation of these two old decrepit houses. I guess you can't blame an owner for wanting to fix up an old house and make it look nice - maybe even to sell it. The thing is if we keep fixing all the old houses there won't be any of the character left in our town except the derelicts that sit on Duval Street performing tricks or outright begging for money. This is the beginning of the end.

Update November 5, 2020  Nothing has happened yet. 

The November Suprise in Key West Real Estate Sales

On August 24, 2020 I blogged about Key West real estate sales since March when Monroe County authorities blocked US 1 from Key Largo to Key West. At first it almost felt like we were isolated from the rest of the world. Well, I guess we were. Non essential businesses, bars, restaurants, and hotels shut down. We wore our masks. We fared better than the rest of Florida. Buyers returned to Key West soon after the barriers were removed. We were back in the business of selling houses. On that day in August I wrote: 

"A total of 131 single family homes have closed since March 1, 2020 for an average sold price of $1,023,176. Eight of those sales were for homes that sold for an average sold price of $2,907,500. I have been a doubter of the over - two million dollar market for several years. It is real. It does exist and it has flourished in the pandemic."

I did a similar search today with the starting date of August 24th. A total of 69 single family homes have closed since August 24 with an average list price of $1,1003,862 and average sold price of $954,589. These home sales occurred in all parts of town. Thirty per cent (or 21) of those sale were for homes priced over $1,000,000 which had an average list price of $1,705,333 and average sold price of $1,616,785.

I view the 67 day sales results as a surprise given the state of the nation (and world) at this moment. Still, I decided to look back at the same time period in 2019. I found 37 single family home sales in Key West with an average list price of $1,078,554 and an average sales price of $1,035,568. Surprisingly, only 16 single family homes priced over $1,000,000 were among the solds. 

VOTE

1514 Petronia Street, Key West - Just Listed

 

The listing Broker describes this 1,717 Sq Ft home this way:

"Located on a picture perfect street in the Meadows, this stunning home was built with high end finishes in 2008. Features include 11 ft. coffered ceilings and 8 ft. glass doors that open to a private heated pool and spa plus and outdoor shower. The spacious kitchen has custom cabinets, s/s appliances and a home office. Upstairs are two bedrooms including a luxurious master suite with a private balcony and gorgeous views. This home is walking distance to Garrison Bight marina for boaters and water sports. This home is part of an 8 unit association but feels like a single family home and is being offered fully furnished. There are plenty of extras including a covered gated carport, new pool heater, full house generator, wind rated construction, low maintenance & it's pristine!"

1514 Petronia Street was chosen as the model home for the Meadows Development because it has the very best location.The house sits in a park like setting at the corner of Eisenhower Drive. The estate across the street runs from Eisenhower to Pearl Street. There's no need to worry about something dreadful being built there. The house has all the charm of an Old Town home, but all of the sophistication demanded by discerning buyers - like tall ceilings, big bathrooms, parking, pool, low cost insurances.

While all of the homes shared the same high end cabinetry and flooring, this model home has the coffered ceilings and built-in media center in the living room.

 Four of the homes have two story turrets that provide both drama and utility to this home. The main floor turret is a built in office just off the kitchen. The windows look out to the park like setting which provides a distraction from dealing with the woes of the internet. 

The bigger distraction is located on the far side of the living room - the private heated pool, spa, and outdoor shower. The view is totally private. You should get steady sun through mid afternoon. The foliage has nicely matured. The house has a whole house generator and additional storage located on the west side. Automatic gates open into the private alley to the covered carport.

The master bedroom and en-suite are the constitute the entire second floor of the house. The guest bedroom, shown below, is located above the carport wing. The master bedroom has a vaulted ceiling and the cute turret for conjuring. The bathroom is enormous. There is a Jacuzzi tub, large shower, double sinks, and WC in the closet hallway which is HUGE! The second floor front porch over looks the estate across the street. Checkout that view. 

The guest bed and bath are located in a separate section of the house over the carport. Totally privacy for the the owner, family, or guests in each part of the house. If you think you require and third bedroom, think again. Why pay an additional couple of hundred thousand dollars. Rent your family or friends a room for a day or so.

I want to share a brief pictorial history of the area before these homes were built.

This 1920 aerial photo shows Pine and Petronia Street with just one building - the Hikubess Weskyan Church which was razed in 2005 and two grand houses to the north. North Beach was located across the street to the east.The body of water is the Garrison Bight. There used to be a swimming area at the end of Division Street before the street was renamed Truman Avenue. The swimming area went away when Truman was extended eastward into what is now North Roosevelt Boulevard.

I started photographing the area in 2006 just as The Meadows Development was getting started The old church and a small apartment building on Pearl were taken down and framing began. At the same time the grand house at 720 Eisenhower Drive was being restored.

I sold 1514 Petronia Street twice, once when it was brand new and the second time when that owner moved a waterfront property. And I sold two other homes in The Meadows. CLICK HEREto view the Key West MLS datasheet and listing photos of this home offered at $1,445,000. 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.. listing brokerage. I think you will love this place. 

Experience is a Good Teacher - The 1974 Mid-Term Election

I have a premonition that next week's election may be a replay of the 1974 mid-term elections that shook up American politics for a generation. We were emerging from Richard Nixon's resignation followed by President Ford's pardon of Nixon. The pardon may have been the best thing to help heal the country, but it outraged many of us to vote out the Republicans the next chance we got.

The cumulative total of Trump's misogyny, rants, lies, misdeeds, pardons, voter suppression court packing the federal judiciary, abandoning our allies and kissing up to Putin, feigning knowledge of white supremacists, and failing to protect America from Covid is fodder for good people on both sides this election. Enough!

I attended the post election rally of Colorado Democrats at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Denver on November 5, 1974. The state and national results came in quickly. I got up on the stage and took photos of the newly elected United States Senator Gary Hart, Congressman Tim Worth, Congressman Frank Evans, Governor Dick Lamm, and re-elected Congresswoman Patricia Schroeder. They were among the 4 new United States Senators, 49 new Congressmen, and 4 new Governors elected that day all across America. State houses and local governments flipped as well.

 

Every person is entitled to an opinion. That is mine. Yours is yours. Vote like your way of life depends on it. Elections have consequences. 

Key West Horror Story - Halloween Special

I normally work with buyers from outside of Key West who are looking to buy a second home. They ask a lot of questions about taxes, insurance, renting rules, and so on. Some ask about safety. I tell them that Key West is a very safe place to live and suggest they checkout the Monroe County Sheriff's website where they can see mugshots of the people arrested for the past ten days including the address where they live, location of the offense, and the charge. I tell them I go to that site everyday. I know what is going on and where.

I tell potential buyers most of the person on person crimes will likely be bar fight on Duval Street or in  hotel. Married and non-married couples are often arrested as well. Domestic strangulation is often the charge. Most of the people arrested are charged with DUI or some drug offense - typically possession but sometimes sale. 

In April 2017 I went to the sheriff's page and saw the mugshot of Justin Tyler Calhoun. I re-read the name and checked out his sex on the page. Male. As I write this I remember initially being very confused. Allegedly, Calhoun, 24, lived with Mark Brann, 67, in the NewTown house at the top of the page. They were having a fight to determine whether Brann was a cannibal. The fight escalated. According to news reports Calhoun admitted stabbing pens into Brann's eyes, bludgeoning his face with a dresser drawer, and shoving a piece of wood into Brann's mouth. The owner of the house entered the room after hearing blood curdling screams.  Brann was flown to the Ryder Trauma Center in Miami where he subsequently died of his injuries. 

Nude at the time of the fight, Calhoun found a dress, grabbed some cash, and fled the house. Key West police arrived and started searching the neighborhood and found Calhoun hanging from the roof of the house shown immediately above. He has subsequently charged with first degree murder without premeditation. The State of Florida is seeking the death penalty. The case has not been set for trial.

The scariest stories to me involve things that really happen, not made up tales. Humans are capable of doing all kinds of things - things like the horrific things that happened to this victim. There is no moral or conclusion to this true story except maybe one - be careful who you pickup in bar or continue to date after an initial hook-up. If things don't seem right, they probably are not going to get any better.

Despite this tale of horror, Key West is still a very safe to live. What is going on in the world up in America is even scarier.
 

Vote like your life depends on it.

1300 Sunset Blvd, Summerland Key, Florida is Now Under Contract

This waterfront estate in Summerland Key went under contract yesterday - $11,900,000. It is listed by Terri Spottswood and Team Spottswood/Vazquez. CLICK HERE to see what you missed. 

The Key West market has been very busy all fall. Buyers from other areas such as California, Michigan, and the northeast are actively looking relocate to Key West. Most blame high tases and too many people and cite the new found ability to work from home as the attraction to Key West.