712 Love Lane - A Secluded Gem - Key West

I have written about 712 Love Lane a couple of times before. This house, listed by another agent, had an open house this past weekend.  A visitor to the open house snapped the photo above and posted it to her Instagram with the following comment:  "Touring a secluded gem on Love Lane that has provided inspiration to many distinguished authors..." with a series of instagram hashtags.  It's wonderful how people that see places like this just fall in love with Key West and the little houses we call home.

If you are a hopeless romantic you'll may fall in love with today's home when you read the address. But if you're a pragmatist you may actually need to walk to the end of the lane, open the gate, and enter garden before you fall in love with this home. And after that all hope is lost for you will be surely, truly, madly, deeply in love with 712 Love Lane.

Today's home is located at the very end of Love Lane in Old Town Key West. In her book Key West Houses author Leslie Lindsey described 712 Love Lane as "an enchanting environment with a brick-and-stone patio and overhead trellis laden with cascading bougainvillea."

The listing broker describes this wonderful home this way:

"One of the island's best kept secrets. This 4 bedroom, 3 bath all-on-one-level triple saw tooth shotgun proved inspirational to many. Harry Roberts was the model for Harry Morgan in Hemingway's Key West novel To Have and Have Not''. Bill Wright, Russell Baker, and David Halberstram have all been inspired by this gem, secluded behind the library palm garden. Judith Kazantzis immortalized the home in her poem, Love Lane, Key West''. The main home and separate guest cottage with bath open to the private deck and 9 foot deep heated lap pool with outdoor shower. Cypress shutters and cypress cabinets with travertine tops in the kitchen and dining area. Located off Fleming Street at the end of Love Lane with off-street parking."

Let me first tell you why it is so "secret" - it's because there are three separate "Love Lanes" each located near the other but far enough apart to totally confuses just above anyone. If you walk on the north side of Southard Street you will find a Love Lane sign midway between William and Elizabeth Streets.. If you walk down the lane you will find that the lane abruptly ends where a house sits and the lane ends. Bur if you are walk on the south side of Fleming Street between Elizabeth and William Streets you will find an unmarked walking lane that begins at the edge of the Monroe County Public Library (which has been referred to as the Pink Library). This, too, is Love Lane. And if you went back to Southard Street and walked on the south side of the street you would find a tiny little walking lane, a lane also called Love Lane. In his book The Streets of Key West author J. Willis Burke explains the confusion about Love Lane:

"Love can generate some confusion - and Love Lane is no exception. Some maps show to Loves, one coming off Fleming and another off Southard, but not meeting mid-block. Other maps indicate Gwynn Street, named for a former mayor and cigar tycoon E. O. Gwynn, is the lane that runs off Southard. And yet another source cites Johnny Cake Lane as making up the northern half of Love Lane. At one time perhaps it did... As confirmed by the loving couple who lives on the Fleming Street side of the lane, both are now called Love Lane. It seems they don't meet because the bungalow that bisects the lane was built on the sly, and over the decades, has been grandfathered and let stand."

Love Lane adjacent to the Monroe County Library Garden

712 Love Lane is located at the end of the quiet little lane

I searched the old Sanborn Fire Maps and found what I believe to be 712 Love Lane. Love Lane existed and was named the same in the 1889 Sanborn Map, but the houses were not numbered. I checked the maps for later years and the house still stands where as the larger house at the corner at Fleming is gone. Today that space is the library garden. The early cottage was simple. I dug into the old shoebox and found 812 Love Lane is it was photographed in 1965 - below.

Like so many places in Old Town, this home has been added onto over the years. Rooms, multiple decks, a pool, a guest cottage are pieces that slowly became parts of a new whole. According to the listing agent what was once a small cottage is now a 1462 sq ft home with three bedrooms in the main house plus the guest cottage or pool house which declares to a bedroom. Below are photos of this home as it looked when still owner occupied.

When you enter the home you see the dining room on the right. It's a magnificent space with soaring ceiling, a library wall crammed with books and windows that look out to the garden of the Monroe County Library, and the front porch. A quiet little reading nook completes this space.

On the opposite side of the room is the living area with walls that seem to reach to heaven. Cedar shutters line the French doors on the south side which filter the view of the pool. Art has found a home on these walls which themselves become a piece of art. Look through the open door and view the first of three bedrooms in the main house. Notice the pickled wood flooring that is light and practical and in harmony with the house.

Pine walls were whitewashed which allowed the pink tones of the wood to show through. Louvered cedar shutters open out to the pool.

I found it difficult to pick a favorite spot because each room or space is so precious in its own right. I love the spartan bedroom with the single bed. It has a window that looks out to library garden. The shutter lined master bedroom made me want to jump on the bed and take a nap. The gauzy front bedroom begged me to peer through the shutters out to the pool. And then there is that insane kitchen with the soaring ceiling and handmade cedar cabinets. You absolutely positively cannot buy that charm from Home Depot or IKEA here. This kitchen was created with LOVE in mind.

The pool is located on the south side of the property. Some pools that face south get an hour or so of sun each day. This pool should stay sunny most of the day throughout most of the year. Sometimes buyers miss things like that. It's always nice to have a pool with some sun and some shade. Not all people are bronzed gods and not all gods need to bake all day. The guest cottage or pool house (or fourth bedroom) is located at the far end of the pool.

The pool house (guest cottage) is located at the far end of the pool.  I walked inside and looked at the room and my jaw dropped. Who wouldn't love to sleep, or take a nap, or do other stuff in this place? The cottage has a tiny bath so if could function as a bedroom. This space is so restful.

I was nearing the end of taking photos when I snapped the above picture. I told the listing agent that Ralph Lauren must have created this space - it is just perfect!  He didn't, but I think you get what I mean. CLICK HERE to see all of the photos I took of 712 Love Lane.

Kevin N. McCarthy's book The Book Lover's Guide to Florida: Authors, Books and Literary Sites notes that author William Wright lived at 712 Love Lane (for about ten years). The present owners purchased this home from Wright in 1987. They created a masterpiece.  712 Love Lane is now vacant.  All of the furnishings are gone.  The house and garden await the vision of a new owner. The house needs painted and maybe the baths need updated. The house, however, is a little masterpiece that only needs preserved not remade.

This property has been rented during the 2013 season as a vacation rental at $15,000 per month.  I think a new owner might improve on the monthly rental a bit.  You could not ask for a better location than this home. And I don't think there are many houses that are as picturesque as this.  

CLICK HERE to view the Key West Association of Realtors mls datasheet and to view listing photos. If you would like to see 712 Love Lane with me, Gary Thomas, please call me a 305-766-2642. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Property Key West. You'll fall in love with this secluded gem!

606 Truman No. 9 - Key West - Transient Licensed Town Home

606 Truman Avenue #9 in Key West is the kind of property many potential second home buyers want to buy. This is the only stand alone unit in Windward Park where the other units all share a party wall. And this unit is located at the rear of the development so the owner will have total seclusion when sitting on the porch or relaxing in the private garden space.  This 1210 sq ft two bedroom/two bath home is as clean as a whistle. It is offered completely furnished,  and, this is the best part,  it has a full City of Key West Transient Rental License. Windward Park is located one block east of  Duval Street and is within easy walking distance to all of your favorite haunts. The pool is sunny, and since there are only 13 units, you won't have to stand in line to get a lounge chair. If you buy this home now, you will have a home in Key West by the next Christmas.  

The listing Realtor describes this home this way:

"Transient Licensed. This beautiful freestanding Bahamian style eyebrow home is tucked away in a tropically landscaped compound for the utmost privacy. A large inviting front porch and decked yard are perfect for outdoor entertaining. The current owners have completely renovated this immaculate home with all new kitchen and baths. The main level features an open living and dining area, a spacious kitchen with breakfast bar and a full bath. Upstairs are two large bedrooms with lots of closet space and a hall bath. This is a vacation rental property and is being sold beautifully furnished. Windward Park is an Old Town compound of 13 homes sharing a large outdoor area and heated pool each with assigned off-street parking."

 

The entire first floor provides lots of space for relaxation or entertaining. Everything about this space is open and inviting. As soon as I entered this home I knew I would like it. I could smell the clean - not a disinfectant kind of clean but instead the freshness one knows when entering a home that has been spotlessly maintained.  I don't think I have even been inside a rental anywhere that was as fresh and inviting as this.  If you look at the third photo above you will see two closets located adjacent to the refrigerator. One is a "lock out" for owner storage. There are several similar owner lock outs throughout the house.  These lock outs provide subtle protection for owner  necessities such as toothbrushes, suntan lotion, tee shirts, shorts and flip flops.

If you have ever stayed in a dinky two bedroom condo you ought to appreciate the size and spatial layout of this home which has two large bedrooms.

This home sits at the far rear of the compound. It is the only free standing unit in the compound where the other homes are attached duplexes.  Unlike most of the other units which have a side or rear deck for outdoor space, this home sits on a spacious and shaded lot which includes a nice private deck area and a little fountain.  Some of the other homes in this compound have a transient rental license, but not all. Owning a transient rental license is a very valuable extra even if you decide not to rent the unit.  But if you choose to rent, you ought to keep this lovely home rented as often as you want. It has everything a home owner (or renter) could ask for.  CLICK HERE to view more photos I took of this property.

606 Truman #9 is offered at $829,000.  CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet.  Don't expect this beauty to be on the market very long.  There were other agents at the house when I took photos to share with my Dear Readers.  Please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a showing. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

1300 Virginia Street - Key West - Award Winning Restoration

Just listed, but not by me, 1300 Virginia Street, Key West. This 1223 sq ft home has just about everything a primary home or second home buyer seeks in a house in Key West - great renovation (it's got an award to prove it), great location (near everything), and an affordable price (who wouldn't love that?).  I dug down into the old shoe box and found a photo taken back in 1965 that shows 1300 Virgina Street and a photo of the two story house next door located at 1308 Virginia.

1300 Virginia Street was built in 1893 and substantially rebuilt and enlarged in 2004 when it received the Historic Florida Keys Gold Star for Excellence.  The 1300 block of Virginia sits across the street Bayview Park. I found the 1918 aerial map of the Bayview Park area. I added a graphic that shows where 1300 Virginia Street is located.

1300 Virginia St shown in 1918 aerial map of the Bayview Park area

1300 Virginia St noted in a 1970 photo of Bayview Park area

1300 Virginia Street shown in a 1999 aerial photo

 The listing Realtor describes 1300 Virginia Street Key West this way:

"Wonderfully renovated Conch house in the historic district. Bright and airy with cathedral ceilings and lots of windows. Beautiful wood floors through out. Great room addition on the rear opens to a peaceful covered deck, garden and outdoor shower. Kitchen has travertine floors and Silestone counters. The yard has automatic sprinklers and low voltage landscape light system, plus room for a pool. Plans on file. The new addition has impact windows and hurricane shutters for all other windows.Renovation earned the Florida Historic Star of Excellence Award. X flood zone!"

Some of the many features in this quality renovation and expansion include wind impact rated windows and doors in the new addition plus corrugated metal shutters for the remaining windows, historic metal shingles plus galvanized sheet metal (V-crimp) in the addition, limestone baths travertine in kitchen and laundry, custom made red oak cabinetry from Hansen & Bringle, plantation shutters, reclaimed Dade County Pine walls, silestone, granite, and marble counter tops in kitchen, guest and master baths, and central air plus heating.  I looked for, but did not find, any deferred maintenance.  This place looks like the renovation was just completed.

This 1223 sq ft home sits on a 3679 (45' x 81.75') corner lot just one block east of White Street.  The house is a traditional "cigar maker cottage" or "shotgun house" layout that has been modified by the new addition to the rear where there is now an office and new great room comprised of an open kitchen, living room, dining alcove, and laundry room. The living room ceiling soars and provides abundant light into the living areas.

So many times buyers feel they have to "settle for less" than they want when they purchase a home in Key West or they buy something they must spend additional money on to fix or make the house better.  This place needs nothing. Even though the renovations are nine years old, everything looks crisp and clean.  Nothing is "dated".  The only thing a new owner might choose to do is add a pool.  Architect drawn site plans exist for a 20' x 7' pool that could be located at the rear just off the existing covered rear porch and west of the small utility cottage and storage room.

CLICK HERE to see more photos of this house, the yard, and the neighboring properties.  The neighbors on the east and to the south own great properties that show a lot of pride of ownership.  CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet for more detailed info on 1300 Virginia Street which is offered at $749,000.

 If you would like to see 1300 Virginia Street or any other house in Key West, please contact me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 or send me an email at kw1101v@aol.com. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. Let me help you find your place in Paradise.  If you buy this house you will have a home by Christmas next year.