1316 Whalton Street, Key West

It took twelve years, a lot of lawyers, bankers, Realtors, builders, plumbers, electricians, roofers, landscapers, and a lot of money to create the beautiful home at 1316 Whalton Street, Key West. But it was worth it. Don't you agree?

I first wrote about this property in 2009 when two side by side houses owned by one buyer but financed by two separate banks. The owner offered it as a short sale. The properties were offered for sale but nobody could get a deal worked out with both lenders. Each lender ultimately foreclosed its lien. The larger property at 1316 Whalton Street sold first. Both houses were in total disrepair. The swimming pool was a hazard. Both houses were taken down. 

The foreclosure on the adjacent lot dragged on. Then the new owner put the small lot on the market. Building code would have made construction of a new stand alone single family house impossible. But the lot itself gave the abutting owners an opportunity to buy the lot and further develop their parcel. The owner to the south bought the lot and built a guest cottage addition.

They finished the cottage, put up the fence, installed new landscaping, and created one of the prettiest homes in the already beautiful Casa Marina Area. That is a Royal Poinciana Tree on the property line. These trees blossom in May and June and make our little piece of Paradise even prettier.

It is not for sale. 

 

Key West Realtor Caravan - Suspended Due to Volatile Market

From the Key West Association of Realtors: 

Your Caravan Committee met today and decided that since the market is so hot and we have been unable to get enough properties on Caravan that we will take the summer off and start back with IN PERSON Caravans in September.

 It is insane. Properties go on the market and under contract in a matter of days.

 Work with an experienced Realtor. 

 

 

What is this thing on North Roosevelt Boulevard in Key West?

I think it was three or four years ago I noticed workers taking down a concrete block building located at the western edge of the Toyota Dealership on 1618 North Roosevelt Blvd in Key West. I seem to recall going back and taking a picture of the places before it was totally gone because I assumed a new building would replace it. I have looked throughout my old shoe box and cannot find that photo. But I did find two aerial photos taken in 1999 that show the building next KWFD Station1 with Bayview Park to the west.

SLOW FORWARD to maybe December 2020 or so. I noticed workers preparing the site for some new construction. Forms went up and a massive concrete pad was built. In January 2021 the construction to a divergent turn I had never seen in Key West. Giant wood poles were being erected around the perimeter of the concrete pad.

Six weeks later workers were framing the roof of this new wood structure. By this time another row of poles was added to the center of the concrete for which would later support the ridge beam.

June 1, 2021 the building is almost complete. I could not wait until it was completed because curiosity has got the better of me. I cannot figure out exactly the purpose of this new thatched roof building. I do not know of another commercial structure of this type in Key West. But more than that, other than knowing is automotive related, I can't figure out its purpose.

I also need to admit I have been lazy about documenting this structure. The workers sat on top of the roof adding thatches for a couple of months. I intended to photograph their progress. But it went on so long that I lost track of the time. Then one day it was done and they were gone. 

As opposed to months long roof thatching, the palm trees and tropical foliage were installed in a matter of days. They surround the building on the east and north facing street facade. The smaller plants should grow rapidly and within a few months I expect the building will be almost invisible to people driving by.

So this is my dilemma: I can't figure out the purpose of this building. I took this photo over the fence. It shows steel columns with what looks like electric boxes of some type. What is this supposed to be?
 

 

It ain't over till it's over in Key West

 Girlfriend, Yogi Berra said it best: "It ain't over till it's over". And it ain't over. 

A few days ago I saved the above photo from Instagram of The Artist House.  I sold this property to the current owner in 2017. My buyer paid near asking price which seemed high then. Now it seems a bargain. I knew the former owner who purchased this same property in 1989 for $480,000. A subsequent buyer purchased it in 2004 and paid $1,985,000. Each purchaser must have felt that would be the end of the road. Prices could not go higher. But they did. 

I was showing property a couple of days ago to a potential buyer. We were driving to our next appointment when she mentioned the escalating prices in Key West and questioned the sustainability of market. I told her then what I have written here for all the years of my blog - that there is only one Key West. Buyers continue to want to buy here. There is a limited supply of both houses and land. State law  limits new housing and city law restricts the size and height of what can be built even more. Prices will continue to rise as demand is higher than the supply. It ain't over. 

 

 

Key West Horror Story - October 31st - UPDATE

from October 31, 2020

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.
 

UPDATE May 28, 2021

Gwen Filosa of the FLORIDA KEYS NEWS reported that the 2017 brutal murder case left the Killer with a life sentence instead of the death sentence she was facing if she went to trial. CLICK HERE to read the article which lays out the defendant's theory of the case. Justin Tyler Calhoun now identifies as a woman pleaded no contest to first degree murder in exchange for life in prison without the possibility of parole. 

I like to think Key West is not a part of Florida. This proves otherwise.

Key West Real Estate Throwback Thursday No. 23

 from May 14, 2010

915 Angela Street - Key West - An Homage to The Trouble with Harry

To quote Andrew's Idea "In Alfred Hitchcock’s world, nothing is more certain than death and attempts to cover up death." The author then goes on to explain that in The Trouble With Harry Hitchcock maintains his "critique of depraved humanity throughout the film, demonstrating uncannily the truth that he who hates his neighbor is guilty of murder. " But it is this line that makes The Trouble With Harry germane to today's blog about the cute little house at 915 Angela Street that is located directly across the street from the Key West Cemetery: "Turn away from death, and it’s as if it isn’t there." You will either love 915 Angela Street or you will hate it. Oh, you'll love the house. There's nothing not to like about the house. It's the neighbors. Let me tell you about the neighbors. The house next door to the west sits at the corner of Margaret and Angela Streets.

The neighbors to the rear are a couple of very large homes accessed off Canfield Lane. The neighbor to the east is a nice house at the corner of Grinnell and Angela. Angela Street is a one way street that runs from Margaret eastward to White Street. It is just one lane wide. Across Angela Street is the Key West Cemetery. 

The view from 915 Angela looking directly toward the cemetery. If you are concerned about flooding remember that the cemetery is near the highest point on the island. The big skies and bright sunshine from across the street will never be built upon nor will the neighbors to the west or east. The view that you see today is the view for eternity. Knowing the future in real estate is not necessarily a bad thing. The cemetery bothers the hell out of a lot of potential buyers.Some people refuse to even look at houses anywhere near the cemetery. I guess I understand. Maybe it has some of that "Turn away from death, and it’s as if it isn’t there" going on. This is why I really like 915 Angela Street. First, the place is really nicely laid out for Key West second home living. It is large enough for a couple that has a small family or friends that may drop in for an occasional visit. There are three bedrooms and two baths. The living room opens on the east to a beautiful pool. The living room also opens to the left onto a secluded deck with a hot tub. The master bedroom and bath also open onto that same deck. There is an incredibly sexy outdoor shower tucked away to the side. A second bedroom is located at the right front of the the house. The kitchen and dining area complete the main floor. There is a decent sized third bedroom or office on the second floor. There is enough separation between the rooms to provide the kind of privacy you don't see in many Key West houses. There are two separate off street parking spaces each of which is bricked. The house is just as cute as it can be. This 1350 sq ft home is offered at $998,000. The view from the front porch or the master bedroom looking south across the cemetery changes with each passing cloud. The view is the exact opposite of what you would expect. CLICK HERE to checkout the listing info and to view more photos of the home.

Above is one of two off street parking spaces

This house is an easy walk to Duval Street or the Historic Key West Seaport. Both are about 5 minutes away. There is no commercial activity anyplace within sight. The Conch Trains and Trolley Cars can't go down Angela Street because it is too narrow. What a rotten shame! Boo Hoo! Locals don't use it as thoroughfare because there are speed bumps. Tourists tend to walk fast or run because, well, it is the cemetery after all. This place is super quiet. If you have seen this home before it's time for a second look. The owners have made some recent changes. If you are looking for a quiet little place and don't mind the neighborhood, please contact me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 or by e-mail me at kw1101v@aol.com. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. in Key West, Florida. Update May 25, 2021. 915 Angela Street came back on the market a couple of days ago. I got the chance to go over and take  a look at the property for a couple of different buyers. The listing agent told me already had several over-asking price offers ($1,275,000) the second day it was on the market. It actually went under contract yesterday. The trouble with today's Key West Real Estate Market is that it is over the day after is begins.

Knock Knock in Key West

 

This is a True Story related to me by a friend and local real estate broker. The broker has a long lasting business relationship with his valued customer who called him soon after the "Knock Knock" story concluded.

There was a knock on customer's door.

KNOCK KNOCK

CUSTOMER: Who's There?

REALTOR:  I am a Realtor. I have a Two Million Dollar Buyer for Your House!

Upon which the customer opened the door only to meet a woman who identified herself as a real estate agent in Key West. She said she was working with a buyer who was prepared to make a two million dollar offer on the man's house. She explained her real estate background and asked if she could show the house customer. The property owner dubious but did not call his agent. He told the real estate agent okay and decided to see what happened.

The next day there was a knock at the door:

 Knock Knock. 

CUSTOMER:  Who's there?

REALTOR:  The REALTOR from yesterday.

The owner opened the door but the buyer was not with her. The owner invited the agent inside whereupon the agent pulled out a listing agreement as she started to describe how she planned to market the property. 

The owner got up and showed the lady agent to the door. He called his long time Realtor to tell the story. My broker friend told me the name of the national brokerage which has an office in Key West but did not tell me the name of the agent.

There are at least two ways of viewing this story. One is the lady agent was protecting her commission by getting the owner to agree to pay a commission before she showed the property. That makes sense. 

An alternative explanation and probably what really happened is the agent was knocking on doors looking for listings. 

Key West Trivia No. 2

 

The photo above shows Jose Marti speaking from the balcony at 1125 Duval Street in 1883 urging Cuban independence from Spanish domination. The house became celebrated and referred to at La Terreza de Marti. The original house still stands today but has been altered several times over the years.

 

The above photo taken in 1960 shows the second floor porch roof and balusters were removed. A 1950's era wrought iron railing replaced the porch. Several large columns replaced the original first floor turned wood columns shown in the 1883 photo. The original wood siding was covered with Indian Block - a man-made cement siding manufactured in Key West which many locals used to "modernize" their homes in the 1950s and 1960s. By the 1960s most of the vestiges of the original house had been removed.

1965

 1973

I found the two above photos of 1125 Duval Street in my old shoebox. Both were taken in 1965. I also found the photo from 1973 taken by Ed Swift (Historic Tours of America). The 1973 photo shows the property around the time Key West was being discovered by gays and and particularly by Larry Formica. The Monroe County Clerk of Court records show that Formica purchased 1125 Duval Street for $101,000 on October 1, 1978. He also purchased the vacant lot to the south as well as 509 Catherine, 511 Catherine, and 513 Catherine Street shown below.

 

All of the buildings were renovated and a new two story building was constructed on the corner of Duval and Catherine Streets. The 1912 historic Sanborn Fire Map showed a large cistern located behind 1125 Duval Street where Formica constructed a pool surrounded by lush vegetation. The ramshackle assemblage was turned into a boutique gay hotel named LaTeDa which had two restaurants and bars. It became one of the main attractions for gay visitors to the island as well as a watering hole and dining venue for locals of all persuasions.

A series of decks connected 1125 Duval with the new building to the south where there used to be a car lot. The rear building at 513 Catherine Street was renovated. It became the kitchen and a guest room. 511 Catherine was substantially renovated and expanded - it originally was one story. It became two story plus a large room was added. A series of interconnecting stairways and walkways led to the rooftop sundeck called "Nosebleed". 

I spent the second week of my first trip to Key West in the second floor front guest room in 1985. This was the same room from whence Jose Marti emerged a hundred plus years earlier to give his famous Cuba Libre speech. The guest room back then was a plain old bedroom with 50s era bathroom. The hotel was like no place I had stayed before. The day we arrived we left our bags at the reception desk and had lunch poolside. I sat in amazement when a woman sitting at the table next to us stood up removed her sarong, and stepped into the pool - naked. She swam to the other end and returned. She emerged from the pool, wrapped the sarong around her body, and sat back down at the table. Over the years I saw others swim nude in that pool but never saw a restaurant patron do a dip like that again.

The first floor restaurant was noted for its decor including pink table cloth and napkin, white bud base with pink carnation, white china ash tray with a small pack of LaTeDa cigarettes and matches, water and wine glasses. Music always played creating a party atmosphere. The first floor restaurant served three meals each day with memorable dishes often served by very slow moving and sometimes forgetful waiters.

Larry Formica

There was a bar right off guest registration in the front of the building, another bar located midway to the rear, and a third bar on the second floor. A fourth bar would pop up on Nosebleed during tea dances on Wednesday and Sunday afternoon from 5:00 to 7:00 PM when the music would stop and the bars would close. Patrons would walk a couple of block to the Atlantic Shores Resort for Tea by the Sea. The LaTeDa restaurants would open and serve dinner shortly after the guests left the premises.

Here are two Trivia Questions 

First: What was the name of the Asian restaurant on the second floor which burned up?  

Second: What was the name of the new restaurant that replaced it? The photo above shows the replacement which is now the cabaret and piano bar.

2008  Note the Indian Block siding was removed and replaced by wood siding. The first floor porches were enclosed. The second floor balcony was restored.

2010

2013

2015

Current Day