La Bodega Cayo Queso

 

I reveled watching IN THE HEIGHTS on Netflix. It will make you want to sing and dance and care about someone other than yourself. You will smile and wonder how they did that. The production, photography, scenery, acting, singing, and dancing are memorable. Much of the principal action takes place in a bodega - a small grocery store especially in a Spanish speaking neighbor hood. This particular bodega is the heart of the neighborhood which is changing. The plot deals whit the lives of the people who live in that neighborhood and how they adjust to the changes in their community.

The move got me thinking of all the old bodegas in Key West I had noticed while studying the studying the Historic Sanborn Fire Maps. The Maps shows the houses and commercial buildings between 1889 and 192. The maps chronicled the buildings - the size and location of the buildings, how and where it sat on the lot, and its use; the street names (they  sometimes changed); and the particular address (they changed too). The maps often revealed vast areas of land with no building referenced other than as stable, pin, or dairy - all within blocks of Duval Street which is a beehive of commercial activity.

The Maps showed numerous small grocery stores (bodegas), cafes, bakery's, cisterns, and ovens that within a block or so of each other. People lived in tight area and relied on fresh home grown staples, fruits, vegetables, and bread. The elite of 2022 buy high priced fresh shrimp, grouper, and crab which was regular fare a century ago and much more affordable. Other business like sponging, cigar making, and shipping brought cash to Key West to buy the food stuffs. The big business owners lived in grand house The workers lived in little cottages segregated by race and job. Unique to Key West? No. The same thing happened then and now in New York City where In the Height was filmed.

 

We had lots of bodegas in old Key West. Let's take a look back and an occasional present day photos. The people that lived here 130 years ago did not have cars and probably not bikes. They walked to their nearby places of work and shopped at nearby stores. Over the years they were converted to other uses.

829 Simonton Street - Corner of Olivia Street at Simonton Street. I remember buying a sandwich in this bodega on Superbowl Sunday 1987. It was one of the few times I went inside way back in the day. Later I wrote about it after it was renovated and then became a bank owned property. A Realtor bought it then sold it. Today it is a spa and apartment building.

1221 Duval Street  Corner of Duval at Louisa Street

The Conch house at the corner of Duval Street and Louisa Street eventually became a coffee and tea shop that also sells high priced rolls and sandwiches.

Salgado Bros. eventually became Old Town Bakery which sells amazing baked goods at amazing prices. Not complaining. They do it right.

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800 Olivia Street has been a bodega all of its life. The original building was taken down and replaced by a concrete block building. The good thing is there is a Robin Bailey collectable that commemorates what used to be. 

 

 

The Sanborn maps show a bodega and a community with an oven behind it and a cafe nearby. There was a cigar factory around the corner where the factory and worker cottages were. The cottages were often very small and did not have kitchens as we know them. Workers and families may have taken their meals at the bodega, a cafe, or a bakery or bought bread and tookit home. 

Key West used wells and cisterns as water supply for decades until potable water was brought in from up north. The Sanborn Maps noted the location of cisterns public and private. .The first property I owned in Key West was 511 Eaton Street - Eaton Lodge Guesthouse. The property was previously owned by Dr. Warren. The house was grand in its day and included matching Venetian chandeliers, a huge safe, and three cisterns including one at the rear which reached two stories high. 

I had no idea how much maps could teach us about the lives of people from earlier generations simply by identifying the size, use, and location of houses and buildings. I listed 1007 Thomas Street a week ago. The 1889 map shows the adjacent neighboring building on the corner was a Negro bar. Subsequent maps showed the building as a Chinese laundry. The maps are peppered with ethnic references as to the ownership or use by ethnic groups. 

I have been away the past few days. I am back now and hope to have more houses to write about soon. In the meantime Happy Valentines Day.

 

1007 Thomas Street, Key West - Just Listed

Professional Photos are Coming. It may be purchased before they hit the MLS. I can't wait. Nor can buyers. This photo is three months old.

Just Listed  1007 Thomas Street, Key West. This sweet two story home has been completely rebuilt from bottom to top and front to back. The house has impact windows and doors including a three panel door at the rear which opens out to the garden and new heated & chilled pool.. You can see all he little people at the top of the Key West Lighthouse from the living room.

There are three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The master bedroom is on first floor. It is so sweet you''ll need to see a dentist when you leave. 

The galley style kitchen is bright and sunny. It has real custom wood cabinets, quartz counter tops, Viking Range and a Thermador Refrigerator. Dade County Pine Walls in the living room and real Pine Floors throughout the home. Designer Tiles in both bathrooms. All new lighting, plumbing, and air conditioning. Offered furnished as shown. BYOB, toothbrush, some clothes. There are a lot of nice neighborhood restaurants plus all that Key West has to offer just a couple of blocks in any direction. 

Take a look. I'm not making anything up.

Offered at $1,599,000  

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet. Professional photos coming shortly.

Key West Real Estate Thowback Thursday No 38

I received the email copied immediately below. I found the blog referenced in the email which is copied below that.

I came across your blog about my family home

This home located at 307 Truman Ave belonged to my grandparents. Five generations have lived in that home before the passing of my grandfather in 1993, then my grandmother selling it and relocating to Georgia shortly after. I never wanted to see it go on the market and if I ever have the opportunity to purchase it back into my family I would.

The restorations that have been done on the home over the years is beautiful! The current owners were kind enough to invite me in one day as I was passing by and I mentioned that I had lived there 30+ yrs.

Upon entering the front door, my life and all my childhood memories started rushing back, it was overwhelming to say the least and it took every ounce of my being not to breakdown and cry.

I have come to terms (sort of) with it no longer being in our family simply by knowing it’s being taken care of and loved by someone else as much as I love it.

The holidays in that home with parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings and friends were what family really means.

I never thought that a home could be the glue to your family until it’s no longer there and your family goes their separate ways.

I never knew there could be an emotional attachment to a home such as I have with this home and always will…♥️

 from February 15, 2015

307 Truman Avenue, Key West

If you are a buyer searching for a Key West house with a checklist that an three bedrooms, two baths, a pool, and parking, you need to checkout 307 Truman Avenue. CLICK HERE to view the Key West Association of Realtors mls datasheet on this 1280 sq ft house that sits in the shadows of the Historic Key West Lighthouse.

I searched the Historic Sanborn Fire Maps and found 406 Division Street on the 1889 Map. The street number on the 1892 Map was changed from 406 Division Street to 307 Division Street. Division Street later became Truman Avenue.  While trying to find the date Division Street became Truman Avenue I found the "Autobiography of Stephen Moreno Whalton" whereupon I learned that before Division Street got that name, it was previously known as Rocky Road. Mr. Whalton* further wrote

"Another event in my life that I have never forgotten happened when I was about seven years old, at that time there were a very few houses on the Southeast side of our Truman Avenue, most of that part of the Island was a wilderness, my grandfather and my father raised quite a number of horses in the woods of Key West, and my grandfather gave me a horse and my father had him broken to harness and saddle, this was a stallion, and somewhat mean. The only time that I was put on his back, was on a Sunday morning, when one of my father’s hired men put me on him without a saddle, as soon as he got out of the yard, he started to run, and I was too small to stop him, there was a man coming up the street who stood with his arms open,but when my horse got near this man, he made a quick turn to go by him, and landed me on a flint rock, I recovered from that accident in about six weeks, but I never had a chance to get even with that horse, as my father sold him before I became old enough to handle him. This was the end of the events of my early childhood, which have remained fresh in my memory down through the years, due of course, to the fact, that they made a great impression on my mind at the time of happening."

Next I looked through the old shoebox and found the black and white photo above of 307 Truman Avenue that was taken in 1965. Look at the clean lines of this simple wood frame house with metal roof. The architecture of old Key West is so basic. So minimalist. The simple lines live on a mere 126 years later. I think the simple architecture of our little town and this little house will continue to appeal to people for decades to come.   

There are three bedrooms and two baths. The master bedroom has an en-suite bath. There is a bonus loft space in the living room that is accessed via ship's ladder. There is another open space over the the front porch that provides some architectural interest inside the living room. The kitchen is really sweet.It adds so much architectural flavor to this place. The rear deck has a canvas awing. A small heated pool was added within the last five years. Other recent additions include a new roof, central air, hot water heater and stainless refrigerator. There two off street parking spots.

307 Truman Avenue is offered fully furnished except for artwork at the asking price of $895,000.  All you will need do is bring your toothbrush. 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. 

*There are two different streets in Key West named after Stephen Moreno Whalton. I happen to live at the corner of Whalton Street and Von Phister Street in the Casa Marina area. The other street is Whalton Lane which is accessed off Duval Street between Truman and Olivia Streets. Mr. Whalton's boyhood home was located there.

CLICK HERE to read the  "Autobiography of Stephen Moreno Whalton". It's great reading if you love Key West. I promise. 

The MLS links are dead and the house is not for sale. And certainly not at that price. 

Mom & Pop Store in Key West

Just about every town or city has a Mon & Pop store with a commercial business on the ground floor and living space on the second. A few months ago a Mom & Pop building was added to the Key West MLS. I remembered that time years earlier when I showed the same building to a prospective buyer.

The building was a two story concrete block building located half a block away from historic Duval Street. The building itself was not historic but the location and commercial zoning made it valuable. The "right" business at that location could make the owner a mint.Thousands of tourists walk by that spot each week. Thousands.

After checking out the ground level the listing agent, my buyer, and I used an exterior staircase at the rear of the property to go to the second floor apartment. This is Key West, mind you. There was a wood deck with chaise lounges facing west. We entered the apartment.

The first thing I noticed was a girl doing acrobatic tricks on a pole in the middle of the living room. There was at least one and maybe two other girls in shorts and bras in the living area. I have seen a lot of things while showing houses. This particular "thing caught me off guard. We looked at the rest of the space and left. 

My guy did not buy the place. He had a specific use in mind that did not include girls. Theÿ did not come with the property. But they messed with his head enough not to consider the place any further. There is no further point to this story other then muse over things Realtors encounter while showing property. I would add this. If mom knew what was going on upstairs, pop would never be allowed to go there. 

The building in the photos is in Denver, Colorado. Not Key West, Florida. We do not have snow in Key West. Ever.

628 White Street, Key West - An Old Town Landmark

I finally got to take a full tour 628 White Street yesterday afternoon during an open house. It is a beautiful Old Town landmark.There lookers inside when I entered, as I walked around, and when I left. A steady stream of potential buyers.  Before we look around, checkout the photo taken from the same location in 1965 - half a century ago.  This is one very pretty home. Great lines. Oh, and HARC, dormers were used in Old Town. HARC hates dormers.

Other than the fence being added, not much else has changed. I know the current owner replaced the original jalousie windows with impact glass windows. It is super quiet and hurricane safe inside.

As I approached the front door I sensed I had been in this house before. There is off street parking on the right. The front porch is prim and proper. The house and grounds are in immaculate condition. I entered and saw the listing Realtor in the rear. I know for sure I was inside last year when customers of mine stayed here. I only saw the living area on the first floor then. I distinctly remember asking them how they liked the house. They loved it. I was about to get my turn to see why.

First, this place has a sense of home. While the house is old, it does not feel old. It is neither a museum  nor re-invention. It is just a very clean and easy living environment with south facing windows bathing the interior with subtle light. There is a media wall in the living area which has ample seating for an entire family. I have seen the same room divide in many houses of that era. A door at the side of the kitchen leads to a first floor guest bathroom and the pool and outside kitchen beyond.

The master bedroom and en-suite take up about two thirds of the space of the first floor north side of the house. Both rooms are extra large. The rear hall and guest bath take up the balance. The ceilings are tall. Tall men who have trouble in houses with low ceilings and older couples who don't want to do stairs will love this space.

 

When I arrived at the second floor I had to pause. I had a sense of de-javu. But I knew for certain I had never been inside this area - ever. And then my mind took to me to a very similar house in the 600 block of Grinnell Street. Both houses had front and rear bedrooms with a landing area in between. The spaces were designed differently. There is a sweet little office nook sandwiched in under the south facing dormer. I took a picture of the wedding cake house across the street. I have never been inside that house either. I remember watching carpenters and painters work on if for months - making every detail perfect. Not a bad view. Oh and the cemetery for the fallen of the Battleship Maine is across the street. There is no parking on that side of the street. It is a quiet and lovely neighborhood. 

There is a little media room with sofa, television, gaming equipment, and so forth located opposite the desk area.  

As soon as I entered the front bedroom I headed over to the little nook overlooking the cemetery. It is the perfect place for reading, knitting, or Twittering. This space is so cute and so Key West.

 

The rear bedroom is equally charming. It has an en-suite bath. There is a second full bath off the hallway. The bathrooms are pure luxury.

The pool is longer than the daytime photo suggests. The night photo does not do the space justice. There is a full outdoor kitchen - that trend is picking up here. More money for the appliance dealers and more things for the cleaning people to attend to when the owner or guests go back up north. See the door at the end of the pool? That is the garage which is entered off Angela Street. For all its loveliness, this house has clutter too. It is stored inside the garage. It will go away when the house is sold. 

This is a big house on a bit lot. The house has 2,851 Sq Ft of interior living space and sits on a 6,030 Sq Ft corner lot. Thee are two one bedroom apartments for income. I did not tour. There off street parking on both White and Angela Street.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and professional photos of this beautiful Key West landmark home offered for sale at $3,425,000. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a private showing. Showings are tough as this home is actively rented as a monthly vacation rental. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

317 Whitehead Street, Key West - Bring Your Imagination

 

Just Listed 317 Whitehead Street, Key West. The building at the top left is an historic structure and cannot be taken down. The building on the right is actually concrete block construction and has been approved from demolition by the City of Key West Historic Architectural Approval Commission. The plans provide for the construction of a similar new Conch Style building plus second floor addition that extends far to the rear. The photo just above show the approximate location of where a new pool and sundeck area could be located. The area woul have a new fence and garden and would not be like anything visible today. 

I remember walking up and down Duval Street many times on my first visit to Key West. I ventured east and west on some of the side streets which then were a bit "sketchy:. But that was nearly forty years ago. So much has changed. The once forlorn streetscape it now mostly renovated. Not all, but mostly. Prices were relatively "cheap: then. Not so now. Key West has grown up in so many ways. A town built by pirates and thieves is now managed by politicians with MBA and Legal degrees. 

As much as I jest, Key West is still the best. It is BOOM TOWN right now. There is a lot of money coming here. I know more than I can say. I was awed by the hotels that were purchased prior to Covid. More is on the way in short order and at higher prices than before. More money is flowing into Key West. 

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and CLICK the DOCUMENTS tab. There you can view the most recent Survey of the property as well as the HARC Approved Demolition and Renovation Plans. A new buyer could seek amend the plans to suit a new owners needs. Or a new owner could keep the existing buildings and renovate them. Options are open. Offered at $2,000,000.

I am the Listing Agent.Text me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to sec up a private showing.i am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.  Bring your imagination.And Proof of Funds.