420 Elizabeth Street, Key West - Simply Elegant

Just Listed by Preferred Properties Key West - 420 Elizabeth Street - a simply elegant home located in the very heart of Old Town. This home was the 2010 recipient of the Historic Florida Keys Foundation Award for Excellence in Preservation and New Construction. The prized Ceramic Star is affixed to the left of the front door.

The street appeal of this old home has not changed over the centuries. It's still a beauty. I checked the Historic Sanborn Fire Maps and learned that this house was shown on the 1889 map as "207 Elizabeth". Three years later the same house was then identified as 420 Elizabeth Street. Then I dug down into my old shoe box and found a photo taken of the home in 1965. I took a somewhat similar photo that shows the house today. You'll quickly see there is a new addition, but the simplicity of the original design remains intact. If you were to sit on the front porch, the house across the street at the corner of Fleming is one of the homes Broadway impresario Jerry Herman renovated in the 1980s. This block has several multi-million dollar homes each of which is a bit different in design, but all of which share this highly desirable location. Snobs who won't consider buying a house on a street where cars actually drive will surely covet a location like this where locals can walk to just about any place in Old Town in a couple of minutes.

The house is pretty simple in its layout. You enter into a center hallway with the living area on the right and a guest bedroom and bath on the left. The kitchen is located at the left rear while the dining area is on the right. If you use the black and white photo as a point of reference, the rear sawtooth addition is where the kitchen and dining areas are now located.

The home sits near the sidewalk. The lot if 50 feet wide and 100 feet deep. From the street, you'd have no idea what might sit beyond the street view. There is a spacious graveled driveway on the right with space enough to park at least two cars. The new addition looks "new" and does not pretend to be a part of the original house.

The interiors have been meticulously updated. The original Dade County Pine walls, ceilings, and floors look perfect. There's a richness and warmth that fills the rooms which is set off by the crisp white trim. Instead of using replica light fixtures to copy things from the past, contemporary lighting light fixtures were use to make the point that this home is  au courant.  The custom kitchen cabinets seamlessly blend in with the Dade County Pine. 

A small hallway just off the dining area leads the recent addition where there is bath. The brushed steel spiral staircase ascends to the second floor where you will find an efficient guest bedroom. I know it is only a guest bedroom because the "closet" is the most unique apparatus for hanging a few clothes that I have ever seen.

The closet is the three pronged assembly with two hangers.

There are two guest bedrooms on the second floor of the main portion of the house as well. They are utilitarian in design. What more could a guest want than a comfy bed in such a beautiful home?  If it were furnished any grander, the guest would never go home.

When you pass through the French doors out to the rear deck, you feel like you have entered into a movie set. The view is intimate and seductive.

The zero entry pool appears be even with the deck and gradually slopes from the deck into the water, becoming deeper with each step, in the manner of a natural beach. The "steps" in this pool are wide and shallow. When you walk into the pool it's as if you are walking in the manner of a natural beach. The mosaic walls seem to extend the water upward. You'd never know that there is a huge mansion next door to the south and another to the north. The tropical physical separation of the properties and the creative use of tropical landscaping creates a private Garden of Eden.

 The first photo above shows the second recent addition to this historic home. This addition includes the covered deck but more importantly the master suite. I had no idea what to expect in this space. But I got a big surprise when I opened the nano doors. The all wood bedroom is uber masculine. It's so simple and utilitarian. The glass doors look out to the pool.This is the art for this room. Nothing else is needed. This bath, like the others, uses marble and ultra-contemporary fixtures to create alluring places to attend to the basic needs.

CLICK HERE to view the professionally photographed home. You really must look at these photos. Then if you are in the market for a home offered at $1,895,000 please call me right away. There were several of Key West's top agents at this house on Thursday taking look-sees for their buyers. I am your buyer's agent and I want to help you buy this very beautiful home. Please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.  Don't wait. You will be sorry.

13 Bougainvillea Avenue, Key West - Bank Owned Property

The new Bank Owned property located at 13 Bougainvillea Avenue in Key Haven, our suburb to the north, is something for bargain seekers to cheer about. CLICK HERE to read the Key West mls datasheet on the property. But there's more to this home than the datasheet suggests. When a Realtor creates a new listing in our mls, he or she uploads data from the  Monroe County Property Appraiser's website. That data auto-fills the mls with information from historic county records. The mls is correct as to what is shown on the Property Appraiser's site. However, it appears that a former owner converted the original garage into additional living space. The net effect is that instead of being a 1613 sq ft home, the actual home now has 1908 sq ft of living space with three bedrooms and three baths.

This home is a modified ranch built new in 1965. The door seen to the rear of the carport enters into a hall that leads to two doors. The door on the right enters into the main part of the house - the space shown on the Property Appraiser's site. There's another door on the left which enters into what I call a mother-in-law apartment. We will look at the main house first.

When you enter the main house you walk into the great room which is bright and clean. There's a relatively new kitchen to the right. Double glass panel doors open out to the semi-covered rear deck. Another door opens out to the east side yard which is enclosed for privacy.

The master bedroom with large en-suite bath is located at the front of the house. There is large walk-in closet located between the bedroom and bath. There is a second bedroom plus hall bath. The entire home was updated not too long ago. New additions include all new windows and doors, light fixtures, fans, interior doors and trim, and tile floors throughout the house. You can see the pride of ownership the former owners had in this home. It was well cared for.

When you walk through the double glass doors and out to the rear area of this home, you know exactly why so many families, fishermen, and sun enthusiasts opt to live in a location like this as opposed to Old Town - the sun, the sky, the water. This home is located on a wide canal that provides easy access to the nearby deep ocean waters. The rear lot line measures 62.5' - which is more than adequate to accommodate a really nice pleasure boat or fishing craft. (The lot is 100 ft deep or 6250 sq ft total.)
The wood decks need some repair or replacement. And some of the tropical foliage is looking a bit puny. Those are cheap fixes. CLICK HERE to view all the photos I took of this property. You will get a much better sense of how much house and grounds this listing has to offer.

I really think this home is something to cheer about. This home is offered at $624,900 or $387 per sq ft based on the Property Appraiser records showing 1613 sq ft. But it you include the apartment, the effective asking price would get adjusted down to just $327 per sq ft. CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet on this property. 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!

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906 White Street, Key West - An Old Town Charmer

I dug down into my old shoe box and found the black and white photo immediately below that shows how 906 White Street looked fifty years ago. Compare it to the color photo from a similar angle  taken fifty years later.  You will see that the original extended roof over-hang no longer exists and that gingerbread has been added next to the columns which were also replaced. A baluster was added to dress up the porch. French doors replaced the original front windows. And shutters were added to all three front porch openings.

 I found another photo (below) taken by the National Park Service that shows the property sometime in the 70s or 80s. You must admit Key West looks much better in color.

I searched the historic Sanborn Fire Maps to see if I could determine the approximate time frame when this home was built. The first reference I found was in the 1889 map when the house was then numbered 213 White Street. Just three years later the same house was re-numbered 904 White Street, and then in 1899 it was renumbered to its current street address as 906 White Street. The Monroe County Property Appraiser shows this house has 1185 sq ft of living space capable of being air conditioned under roof and sits on a 50' X 93' sq ft lot (4650 sq ft). Today there are two bricked off street parking spaces located on either side of the house. The entire front yard is fenced and an arbor marks the entrance over the front gate.  White Street is the eastern boundary of the Key West Historic District which is referred to as Old Town.

 

The listing Realtor describes this home this way:

"Lovingly restored home on the prettiest block on White Street. Spacious Conch cottage bordering The Meadows with everything you'd love in Old Town Key West: white picket fence, front porch and swing, bricked front yard with TWO gated off street parking spaces, heated pool with pool house/guest quarters, outside shower, entertainment area, outdoor dining, mature vegetation, split floor plan for privacy, each bedroom has en-suite bathroom, spacious interior and open concept kitchen-dining area. Centrally located, walk or bike to restaurants, grocery store, White Street Pier/beaches and be right on your porch for the famous Key West Walk on White art display. Truly a magnificent home with a warm, cozy feel. Easy to view! X Zone."

This was a simple house when it was originally built. It has been stylishly updated but not messed around with too much. By that I mean that the interiors are probably similar to the original construction but updated to provide comfortable contemporary features particularly in the kitchen and bathrooms. There are new additions at the rear of the original house which now house the kitchen and dining area, a guest bed and bath, and elevated rear deck area. New windows and mini-split air conditioning have been added through out the home.

The front living area flows into the kitchen and open dining area with high pitched vaulted ceiling. The newly remodeled kitchen includes new Kitchen Made  cabinets, stainless steel appliances, custom tiled counter-tops, and two sets of French doors that open out to the rear deck and pool area. Rich wood floors carry throughout the first floor which includes a downstairs bedroom with en-suite bath.

The photo just above shows the first floor front bedroom with attached bath. A door located next to the pedestal sink opens into the kitchen hallway, adjacent to the stairway to the second floor bedroom. I point this out because there is so much attention to little design details and also the utilization of usable spaces in this home.

There is another, but smaller, first floor bedroom located adjacent to the open kitchen and dining area. A door in the bedroom opens to the outside to provide quick escape or late night sneak-back entry to this bedroom. That bedroom has its own full bath as well.

The second floor bedroom and bath are just adorable. The wood floors in this bedroom are painted and provide a nice contrast to the yellow tones of the walls and the ceiling which is painted white. Battens accentuate the drama of these different building elements. The bathroom has classic black and white checkered tiles and crisp white bath fixtures. The ancient claw foot tub stands in contrast to the sheet of glass shower wall.

The attention to detail is found in all parts of this home. Note the built-in drawers in the bedroom area and the storage space built into the bathroom knee wall. All of the electric switches have small labels stating which feature they control. Nothing is left to chance .CLICK HERE to see more photos I took of this totally charming Old Town home.

When you exit the original house you walk out to a new porch that provides an outdoor dining area that is elevated just a bit above the pool level. You'll quickly see the pool house located on the opposite side of the pool. The pool house has an exaggerated height that is easily understood when you look inside where you will see a ladder to the loft sleeping area. The little building also has a bath. There is an outdoor shower behind the pool house.  This home has a brief recent history as a monthly vacation rental property. The location is within easy walking distance to most of the gyms and yoga studios in Key West. The historic seaport is just a few blocks to the north and the hustle and bustle of Duval Street is a seven minute walk.

906 White Street is offered for sale at $1,300,000. CLICK HERE  to view the Key West mls datasheet and also the listing photos. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to set up a private showing. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. I think this place is as cute as it can be. It has been thoughtfully maintained and appears to be in very good condition. 

PARIS, a Remembrance

Our train from London pulled into Paris on a late afternoon in June 1963. I was traveling with 17 other teens and two chaperons from the western suburbs of Denver to do grand tour that many American teenagers get to do. We got our bags and checked into a small hotel on the Left Bank. It was a walk-up. I shared a room with Bill Roberts. I think we were on the third or fourth floor. I remember the windows opened out to the mansard roofs across the street and sky above. I had never seen a sight like this before. I loved the architecture and could not wait for our adventure to begin.

Our chaperons gave each of us a few French Francs and let us go in search of some Parisian cafe. Bill and I and a couple of girls walked around and found a little place on what I will call a "V corner". The building was like the Flatirons building in New York only much smaller in size. Our chaperons had written a note which we gave to the matrie de explaining that we had so much money to feed the four of us. He shook his head indicating "impossible". One of us pulled out the money and he brought us right inside and sat us down. I think we all ordered chicken.

My prior experiences with chicken was limited to eating my mother's incredible fried chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy which was a mainstay on most Sundays. When we would go out to eat I would usually have chicken, spaghetti, or shrimp. Back in the 1950s and early 1960s restaurant fare was pretty simple at least where I came from. So I was totally unprepared for the simple but utterly delicious roasted chicken and French fries I ate that night along with a glass of white wine. Yes I could order wine at age 16 and no I had never drank wine before that night. It was one of the best meals of my life. I remember it fondly.

We did all the things teen tourists do. We went to the Louve, Notre Dame, the Seine, the Arc de triomphe, the Opera, the Eiffel Tower, Montmarte, Sacré Cœur, and Versailles. One night we went to the Moulin Rouge where we had another chicken dinner (they must sell a lot of those in Paris), but this time I drank champagne for the first time. In fact I drank quite a bit of it. I got to see nearly naked women for the first time in my life. They wore tiny little bikinis and pasties as they performed onstage. There was some young muscle guy performing with them. His privates were barely covered. I had never seen anything like this in my little life Lakewood, Colorado. The next day the girls said I behaved badly the night before. All I can say is that I didn't get arrested unlike one of the three other boys who did get a ticket for being a disorderly drunk a couple of weeks later in Vienna. I had many great experiences that summer. Paris will always be a treasured memory of my youth.

I returned to Paris twice since my trip in 1963. In the late 1990s I stayed at the Hotel Lancaster and Meurice for a week and made up for inexpensive roasted chicken dinner of my youth by trying to spend as much money on dining as I could. A few years later I returned for my third-times'-a-charm in this wonderful city. On my later trips I went back to the Louve and other tourist spots. But my best memories of  Paris is the early morning and late afternoon walks I would take walking through the neighborhoods where I would see how the people lead their lives.

And then last night all hell broke loose. If you have read my blog for some time you know I often go back to moments in my youth to tell little tales about how a simple little nerd kid who grew up in the America of the 1950s ended up in Key West. I look back on my youth with mostly fond memories. Life was so much simpler then. We got by on so much less. We all did because we did not have all of the "stuff" that exist today. We did not suffer. We did not miss anything. When our copy of the Saturday Evening Post arrived and I saw a Norman Rockwell picture, it was a picture of the way we really lived. Now I know I lived a lot better than a lot of people in this county. We weren't rich, but we were not poor. We were middle class people. My mom and dad both worked. The pictures I saw on that magazine and in LIFE and LOOK magazine were the way we all lived. And that way of life is now gone forever. What happened last night would have never happened in the 1950s. I don't know what has happened to people to make them act so inhumanely.

I live on a little island out in the middle of the ocean. I feel safe. People are nice here. We are far removed from the insanity of the rest of our world.

Pray for Paris.