The Sarah Addison House - 916 Center Street, Key West

I have written about the wondrous creations of Key West folk artist Ronny Bailey on several occasions over the past few years. His work is so simple and pure that others think they can do the same thing. According to Ronny, several former builders such as himself have told Ronny they tried to create similar properties only to give up in utter frustration over how long and tedious the task.

Ronny is a Conch born and bred in Key West. He was a builder by trade until he hung up his tool belt a few years back. He started to fiddle with some old Dade County Pine and created his first piece. When his wife saw what he had created, she exclaimed "I didn't know you could do that!" He replied "Neither did I."  And so began his new career as an artist as older man - a man who pays homage to his native hometown re-creating miniature visions of the small homes and businesses that make Key West such a treasured place. The Sarah Addison house at 916 Center Street is one of his latest creations.

Ronny Bailey told me he reclaimed Dade County Pine from the restoration currently underway at the former Pilot Houses guest house at 414 Simonton Street. (That property will appear in an upcoming blog.) Ronny cut and stripped the pine into a variety of shapes and sizes which he then used to replicate Sarah's house and all the pieces that make this little place a piece of art. Even the the roof is reclaimed Dade County Pine refashioned into a different form.

Ronny shared a written history of the home researched and retold by Sharon Wells. 916 Center Street was the home of Sarah Addison. Monroe County records show that the lot at 916 Center Street was purchased on July 13, 1874 by Sarah Addison a Florida born black woman "with roots in the Bahamas". She paid $175 for the lot. The 1884 "birds eye view" map of Key West shows a 1 1/2 story house located near Division Street (previously known as Rocky Road and now known as Truman Avenue.) The 1885 tax assessment valued the improved lot at $300. On March 18, 1889 Sarah married Joseph Pain (Payne).  The 1887 Bensel Directory noted Jospeh Payne to be a butcher and  "c" for colored. Payne resided in this house until his death in 1912 at age 51. According to Sharon Wells, Sarah Addison Payne lived at 916 Center Street until her death in 1923. Sarah had six children, worked as a cook, and never remarried.   

Sarah, the black cat, the cocky rooster, the rocker, the tea kettle and the coal stove upon which it sits, the ice box and even the kitchen sink were carved or fashioned out of Dade County Pine. You will quickly note that instead of being all bright and looking freshly painted, this house and the personal property and animals show the wear of time and grime.

Ronny removed the back panel so that I could photograph the interior. Ronny took the time to make the inside as perfect as he did the outside. Note the ripped down version of the Dade County Pine interior walls and the simple interior trim.You can click any photo to make it larger. If you click the photo of the icebox, coal stove, and sink you'll see the words PEACE, LOVE, and JOY on shelve over the sink. These are the watchwords of Ronny Bailey's life. You'll find these words on some part of each piece he creates.

I found a photo of 916 Center Street taken in 1965 which was about 70 years after the house was built. I took a photo of the place this morning. Today the house is but a part of a vacation rental conglomerate that services this part of Old Town. Alas, Rocky Road and the stuff of yore is no more. But thanks to Ronny Bailey the little houses and businesses of our past can live long into our futures.

If your are thinking about buying a home or business in Key West, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 or send me an email at kw1101v@aol.com. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

Ronny Bailey - Key West Folk Art - Peter's Fish Market and Gas Station

If you are in Key West this coming weekend, you are invited to attend the 31st Annual Key West Craft Show being held January 30 - 31, 2016 between 10 AM - 5 PM on Whitehead Street between Eaton and Caroline Streets. Admission is Free. Among the featured artists is Ronny Bailey, Key West Folk Artist.  I have written about Ronny on several precious occasions. He is a Conch by birth, a contractor by trade, a Christian by choice, and an artist by inspiration. Ronny retired from his trade several years ago and began to tinker with old Dade County Pine he had saved from various jobs. After his wife Stephanie saw his first creation, she remarked "I didn't know you could do that!" to which he replied "Neither did I". Thus began his career as a folk artist. He has created numerous miniature cottages that portray the Key West architecture of yore. He used specific homes as his historic reference. Some of the homes no longer exist, and some that do exist have been gentrified and no longer look as bedraggled as before. Later he tackled commercial enterprises. Two of his most recent pieces, both of which are commercial enterprises, and shown in today's blog,  will be on display this weekend at the craft show.

The top black and white photo above shows Peter's Fish Market which is the subject of one of the new pieces. Peter's Fish Market which dominated the Key West fish scene for many years was located on Front Street on the waterfront. If you look to the right you will see an artist painting the building even then. The building was the inspiration decades later when Ronny Bailey decided to create a miniature version. Peter Roberts (the gent in the straw hat above looking down at the catch of the day) was the proprietor. The Coca Cola sign above the loading platform is original to the site. Ronny added a bit of whimsy when he added the red delivery truck.In fact all of Ronny's creations are dotted with whimsy. You'll note the perched pelican atop the Fish Market sign, the bucket of fish on the loading platform, and the idle "worker" standing around with his hand in his pants inside the market. In his book Grits & Grunts: Folkloric Key West Stetson Kennedy wrote "In 1940, the Key West waterfront, like the street fronts, was looking beat-up, unpainted, and picturesque". Today the old waterfront has been replaced by high priced hotels, restaurants, and t-shirt shops. Some call it progress.

I knew from past conversations with Ronny that he used salvaged Dade County Pine to create the majority of his projects. I questioned him how he created the details in this installation. He said he used his table saw to slice the Dade County Pine into small sheets and used the saw to create individual boards, timbers, and other wood pieces. He hand carved the male worker figure. He fashioned the metal roof from old metal. He painted and repainted the roof to create the patina.  He told me he always wanted to build a truck and he got the opportunity here. He bent old metal to create the truck's body. He carved the wheels out of wood.

You can "click"any photo to enlarge the image. You might want to click the image two above to see the cost of turtle steak back in the day. And if you click the image immediately above you will see the word "PEACE" on the rear bumper. Elsewhere you will see LOVE and JOY. These are the three watchwords of this gentle artisan. CLICK HERE to view more photos of Peter's Fish Market.

If you look closely at the red gas pumps you will see the Biblical reference to JOY and LOVE.  Ronny bent metal to create the pumps. Then he applied layer upon layer of various colors of paint to create the weathered and rusted surface. The old light bulb in the last image is actually wood that was repeatedly dipped into a white enamel paint which created the effect of the light bulb. The weathered floor boars and siding are the natural patina of old Dade County Pine which Ronny planed and sliced to perfection. Ronny confided that other carpenters have told him that he inspired them to create similar pieces. They became so frustrated in the detail work necessary to achieve similar perfection  that they smashed their pieces to smithereens. CLICK HERE to see more photos of the gas station.

I encourage locals and visitors to check out Ronny Bailey's stand this weekend. And if you really appreciate his work, to buy an original piece. He also has more affordable prints that you can take home. They will be a continuous reminder of how special Key West is. Like our old houses, these pieces of art will only go up in value. 

Trujillo Grocery as Remembered by Ronny Bailey, Key West Folk Artist

I have written several blogs over the past few years touting the folk art of Ronny Bailey, Key West's "artist of residences" so to speak. Ronny is a fifth generation Conch (local who can trace his ancestry for five generations who have lived on the Island of Key West). Ronny  built houses for a living until his retirement a few years ago. Not satisfied with watching re-runs on TV, Ronny emerged from retirement to build tiny houses - very tiny houses, the kind you put in a box and take on a plane back home up north. The houses he builds are re-interpretations of actual houses in Key West. His artwork is an homage to the way these places looked when Ronny he was growing up.

The black and white photo at the top shows the Trujillo Grocery as it appeared about fifty years ago. The simple wood building was located at the corner of  Windsor Lane and Olivia Street (800 Olivia Street) in Old Town.  Most of the homes in this area where vernacular like this building, but others were cigar maker cottages and some two story grand conchs. The Trujillo Grocery building was razed and replaced a couple of decades ago by a new 4167 square foot concrete block structure. The cute and quirky wood frame structure was was replaced by big and efficient concrete box. The Trujillo Grocery business continues to operate at the same location today.  Ronny Bailey's recently completed folk art piece shown in today's blog is an artistic tribute to a part of Key West that once was.

Each of Ronny's projects involves sourcing of materials to replicate the original buildings.  On this piece Ronny used salvaged Dade County Pine wood which he ripped into small pieces which resembled original planks which he assembled to create a physical structure  He builds the tiny structures using the same kind of framing and building techniques used in the real houses. The patina on the wood is the result of careful selection of used lumber with real paint that peeled away after decades of exposure to the sun and rain in Key West. This particular piece of art incorporates a new skill Ronny developed.  Ronny told me he had to figure out how to bend actual salvaged metal roof to simulate the "crimp" portion of a genuine V crimp roof. He found a nicely rusted sheet of old metal roofing, perfectly bent it multiple times, and then secured it in place. Prior to perfecting the use of real metal roofing, Ronny would paint a wood roof to look like metal.

I'll bet Ronny was a bit of a mischief maker when he was in school because he is one now when it comes to his art. The Trujillo Grocery piece incorporates nostalgic advertising signs with a lounging cat, a pecking chicken, and a cigar smoking Conch inside the store. The old gent on the inside has a lit cigar in his mouth as he looks back at the modern day people who stare into his world of yore. When you look down through the glass window you will notice loaves of bread on the shelves and a six pack of bottle COKE.

Ronny is a big man and a gentle man. He is a man of faith. He incorporates three watchwords of his faith into each of his creations: peace, joy, and love. See if you can spot them in the photos. CLICK HERE to view more photos of Trujillo Grocery.

You can view the Trujillo Grocery artwork in person January 27 and 28 at the 33rd Annual Key West Craft Show (free to attend). Location Whitehead at Caroline Street 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM.  Go meet Ronny.  You could save yourself thousands and thousands of dollars if you buy one of his tiny houses. Of course, you will be denying me the opportunity to sell you a place you could actually call your home.