Key West Home Buy Christmas - 923 Angela Street - Old Town

Just listed, but not by me, 923 Angela Street in the Old Town area of Key West.  The listing agent describes this lovely property this way:

"Classic Keys Cottage on a quiet Old Town Lane. Perfect porch for sunset views and peaks of local color. Traditional Conch style casual with Dade County Pine, wood flooring, lots of natural sunlight and just the right amount of outdoor space to enjoy gardening or doing absolutely nothing. One bedroom, one bath on main floor. Den/Office/Guest Room on the second level with small balcony and amazing views."

I dug into the old shoe box and found the above black and white photo of 923 Angela Street that was taken in 1965. The note on the photos says this house was built in the 1920s. Compare the old facade with the picture I took last weekend, below.

I got to show this house last week. It shows great. The front entry is a small vestibule which opens into the living room on the right or the stairway to the second floor.

 

This home has 1254 sq ft of living space divided between the main floor and second floor (which is a bit smaller in size).  The kitchen is located just off the living room.

 The main bedroom and only bath are located at the back of the first floor. A covered veranda and deck are located at the rear of the property. 

Upstairs you will find a nice sunny room with windows that look south toward the Key West cemetery and dormers at the rear which add to the interior space.  There is also access to a small rooftop rear area.

 923 Angela Street is located across from the Key West cemetery on Angela Street which is a one-way lane (only about 10 feet wide) which runs from Frances Street at the east to Margaret Street at the west. Traffic is very limited and you won't have a Conch train or trolley bus going past your house with loudspeaker telling tales throughout the day. The neighborhood is mostly "locals" and no commercial or apartments, there should not be much competition for on street parking. Duval Street is about a five to seven minute walk as is the Historic Key West Seaport.

923 Angela Street is offered at $649,000. CLICK HERE to view the Key West Association of Realtors mls datasheet.  And CLICK HERE to view a slideshow of additional photos I took of this home.

If you would like to see 923 Angela Street, or any other cute little Key West house, please contact me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.  If you buy this house, you most certainly will have a home in Key West next Christmas where you can enjoy the sights, sounds, and joys of Christmastime in our little version of Paradise.

A Christmas Memory and more

I wrote about my first appearance on the big stage four years ago. I want to reprise that blog and add a some additional thoughts for your consideration.

The school cafeteria (lower left) doubled as our auditorium where I debuted in black face at age eight

My introduction to the theater perhaps should go unmentioned. But I'll throw political correctness aside to share a very innocent little boy's first appearance on the stage. I think I was in the second grade at Mountain View Elementary in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. (That's the lily white suburb I previously wrote about.) The year would have been around 1955.  I played an orphan at Christmas. I remember the play took place at Christmas time because Santa was the main character, and he was played by an adult. Classmates from various grades were the other orphans.

The play took place right after school. The audience was filled with kids from each grade along with their parents. The play was short. My part was even shorter.

My part required intensive practice on my dialect. I'm not sure who taught me the phraseology, and I cannot remember my line.  But as I recall my one line brought down the house.

I also remember one of the teachers taking the time to apply my makeup. Yep, an eight year old boy wearing makeup. The teacher rubbed burnt cork all over my hands, neck, and face. I was supposed to be a little black boy.  I got my line out, and the audience roared.

Two years earlier I was in kindergarten. I attended the morning class while other kids attended class in the afternoon.  We were the beginning of the boomer generation. The next year an addition was added to the right side of the  building which then housed kindergarten, first, and second grade classes.

My kindergarten class was located in the lower level on the back side of the original school. My teacher was Miss Godley. She was about 900 years old (or so it seemed to me) and wore her gray hair in a bun. She wasn't fat by today's standards, but back then she was a little plump. She wore wire frame glasses. As I remember her, she was about one of the kindest people I ever met in my life.

I lived one block away from school. Both my mother and dad worked. When I got out of school, I was supposed to walk to the corner of 43rd and Eaton and walk one block east to Mrs. Sorrentino's house were I would spend the afternoon waiting for my mom to get home from work.

On one day a classmate who lived the a couple of blocks south in the opposite direction asked me to go to his house for lunch and play. I agreed and we set out to his house. Miss Godley happened to be driving her car home to have her lunch and saw me and my friend walking. She knew I was going the wrong direction. She stopped the car and asked me where I was going. I said to my friend's house. She told me I had to turn around and go to my house because my parents would be worried. So I said goodbye to my friend, turned around and started to walk back toward my house. Miss Godley drove her car away.  I looked back and as soon as I saw that she was gone, I pivoted and ran to my friend where we proceeded go to his house.

I don't remember exactly how or when I was found. I do know Mrs. Sorrentino called my dad who came home and looked all over for me. I know the school got involved in the search because of what
happened the next day.  Miss Godely made us all sit down in a circle. She then said one of us had been very bad the day before and she told the story of the bad child who disobeyed and deceived her.  We all looked around at the circle wondering which one of us was the bad seed. She never said it was me, for which I was grateful.  But as you can tell from reading this, I was still deceitful by not admitting my guilt or my shame. I confess now.

I tell these little tales of my childhood today because I look back on my life with great nostalgia and because of the immense pain and frustration I feel about the loss of life of those sweet little children in Connecticut who will never have silly little tales of school plays or learning the lessons in life we all go through.  My heart was broken yesterday. What a sad day it was for our country. And what a horrible day it was for the families of all those who were killed or injured.

909 Pohalski Lane - Key West

Just listed (by me, for a change) 909 Pohalski Lane in Old Town Key West.  The original front room is all that remains of the cottage which stood here until only a few months ago. In its place is an entirely new building designed by Tom Pope, one of Key West's premier historic architects.  Care was given to blend the historic facade with new and expanded living space in the new rear addition.

 This home will be featured in the Olde Island Restoration Foundation Christmas Home Tour on December 27th and 28th (CLICK HERE for information) which has described the property as:

"In 1886, an entire village for cigar makers was developed in one corner of Old Town.  This remnant of that era has just been totally rehabilitated and expanded . . . although thoroughly modern, this cottage honors its historic origins in choice of materials and style."

The Pohalski and Co. cigar factory was located at the corner of White and Truman. Cottages lined the nearby streets and lanes as was typical of the other areas where cigar factories were located.   In his book The Streets of Key West, J. Willis Burke writes about Pohalski Village: "On the other side, off the western [should be eastern] side of the cemetery are Havana Street and Pohalski Avenue, byways that echo the area's once thriving cigar-making industry.... In the late 1880s, cigar magnate Pincus Pohalski, a transplant from Texas built a factory and then established an entire village within this block." If you get a chance to visit this home you will see that it has a rear entrance from Gerome Avenue (which is a City of Key West walking lane about eight feet wide). Nearby Nichols Avenue, which is only about five feet wide, runs perpendicular to Pohalski Lane. Back in the old days most of the people who lived in these cottages did not have cars (or horses).

Today Pohalski Lane is a one-way street accessed off Truman Avenue that runs exactly one block long where it ends at Olivia Street. Locals and frequent dance and yoga enthusiasts know that Coffee Mill Dance and Yoga is located across the lane and up a bit. The lane is narrow and that prevents Conch trains and trolley cars from making the Pohalski Village into a tourist attraction: hooray for small lanes! Some of the houses on the lane, like this one, do have off street parking.

The original cigar makers cottage was  built circa 1889. The renovation was completed in early December 2012 and the original cottage was expanded to 1120 sq ft. The historic exterior wall and facade were preserved in front. Otherwise, the house is entirely brand-new construction including all new foundation,  Hardiboard siding, V-crimp metal roof, vaulted ceilings, Dade County Pine feature wall, Castilian Oak hardwood floor system, and custom made hurricane rated impact French doors and windows.

The new house has two bedrooms and two and one-half baths. The property was designed and built with the flexibility to be used either as a single family home or as a legal duplex.   The new living area at the rear consists of the large living room with generous garden views.  There is a half bath nestled under the stairway to the second floor bedroom. Adjacent to the bath is the laundry area tucked away under the stairs.  The kitchen also has a vaulted ceiling which many will find not only dramatic in design but also captivating in its execution.  The kitchen features Martha Steward Luxury cabinetry, Bosch and Samsung stainless steel appliances (including a professional stainless steel gas range, a rarity in Key West), granite counter tops, subway tiles, and Grohe and Kohler fixtures.   The house also has energy-efficient Mitsubishi “split” A/C systems and ceiling fans in every room. CLICK HERE to view more photos.

I was able watch the construction progress on this property from the beginning. Once the second floor bedroom was framed and the window openings were cut, I remarked the place was like a tree house. And what a luxurious tree house it is. You will find vaulted ceilings here as well.  Windows open out to the east and south where you will see roof tops of quaint little Pohalski Village cottages and palm trees. There is even a bitter orange tree with fruit growing within arm's length (if you have arms the length of and NBA player that is). You won't find rooms with this much space and this much 'altitude' in many Key West homes. Just off the bedroom is an en-suite bath. You just gotta see this bathroom. It will make you want to at least shower here and maybe entice you to buy this place. 

Palm trees of various types and some fruit trees, like the bitter orange above, are located nearby and give the master bedroom the feeling of being in a tree house.

The interiors were designed by Ben Teague who with his partner, Jeff Leap, have appeared on HGTV's House Hunters episode filmed in Key West. The interiors are subtle and sophisticated.

 The second bedroom is shown below. It is located at the front of the original cottage which has been substantially rebuilt from foundation to the new roof. A Dade County Pine feature wall was added. The bathroom is located to the right in the photo below.

The front bedroom was designed to be used as a studio apartment at the option of a new owner. Electric service, water supply, and waste lines were added adjacent to the closet whereby a new owner could easily install a drop-in mini kitchen with a cook top, refrigerator, and sink. See photo below. The cost of the unit is about $1250.

Prior to construction the owner/developer asked my opinion about what might appeal to a wide audience of buyers. I told him an often stated wish of so many would-be buyers: a place which could legally rented for income to help pay some of the costs of ownership and personally use on occasion.  909 Pohalski Lane is licensed by the City of Key West for use as a duplex if a new owner decides to use it as such. The back unit is a stunning single family home by itself. There is a lockout door between the rear and front unit which, if opened, allows the front bedroom and bathroom to become a second bedroom for the whole house. Alternatively, the front unit can be used as a studio apartment which would likely rent at $1200 per month. I estimate the back unit could rent for $2000 per month. Both front and rear units have separate electric and other utility hookups.  

CLICK HERE to view 909 Pohalski.com for photos, site plan, floor plan, and general information.  Note there is city approved off street parking large enough to accommodate a small car. Additionally, the developer added electric and water supplies at the rear for a new owner to add a hot tub or spa. Please CLICK HERE to view the Key West Association of Realtors mls datasheet for additional information. This property is offered at $595,000.

Better yet, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a showing of 909 Pohalski Lane. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.  This really could be your home by Christmas this year if you act quickly enough. 

Key West Home Buy Christmas - 800 Fleming Street

Just listed by Preferred Properties, that's where I work but this is not my listing, 800 Fleming Street #2A in the historic William Fleming Condos in Old Town Key West.  If you buy this great property you really could have a home by Christmas this year.  The listing Realtor describes this unit as:

"Modern renovation of this late 1800's Historic structure. As you enter you are greeted by soaring ceilings, revealing a spacious living/dining room with French doors that open to a wrap around porch. Two large bedrooms with sleek bathrooms, new kitchen with custom slate counters and stainless steel appliances. Stairs lead to an extra 180 sq.ft. of loft space not included in the square footage, which can be used for sleeping or storage. Located just steps from Duval and the Waterfront. Beautiful community pool. One off street parking."

 The facade at 800 Fleming Street looks much different today than it did during the previous century. I found two old photos showing the building as it looked when it was the Peacon Grocery and later as Long's Furniture. Peacon was the owner of the grand house at 712 Eaton Street which was briefly owned by Calvin Klein. I like the way the developer added balconies around the perimeter of the building, but I doubt that a developer would be able to make such a bold change to a similar building today. Those balconies provide lots of exterior space for the owners to enjoy their homes and to watch the world go by.

The building was updated several years ago and balconies were added to expand the living spaces to the outdoors. I snapped the pics of this wonderful building a couple of weeks before Christmas. The facade is different and so is the use. What would have been a relic and maybe torn down was given new life in Key West.

CLICK HERE to view the listing details and photos of the interior of this two story in town condominium located in the heart of Old Town Key West. This 1281 sq ft unit occupies two floors of the building and has views of the pool and gardens. The units in the building feature Dade County Pine walls, floors and ceiling and have that "old Key West feel" that many buyers want. The ceilings are very high and the doors and windows open to decks overlooking the pool below and the pristine homes on William Street. This unit is offered at $875,000 or $683 per sq ft. The condo is located on one of the best blocks in Old Town and is a convenient walk to everything. The property is located three blocks east of Duval and three blocks south of the Historic Key West Seaport.

If you are looking for a pied-a-terre or just a plain old condo, please contact me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 or by email at kw1101v@aol.com. I am a buyer's agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. in Key West.