Key West Cha Cha Cha

On the back of this old snapshot I found the following: “The trailer camper’s pleasure islands. The Florida Keys, where you can park without charge on a sandy beach, and fish or loaf (sic) to your heart’s content.” From the Stetson Kennedy collection, photographer unknown. C 1940. I am sorry to report that there is little of anything in the Florida Keys that is free anymore. And that is especially true in Key West where parking is scarce and very expensive.

I took the above photo on Sunday morning. It shows the house at 904 Flagler Avenue in the Casa Marina Area of Key West. This home  is being renovated from a 1950s blah house into a 2014 Bauhaus or something like it. I intentionally drove to the house to check on the progress of this house which I previously lamented was just a box. Now I'm not so sure. The place is getting decidedly interesting.There are no windows nor anything particularly inviting about the place except the two palms that are dancing the Cha Cha Cha in front. 

It was the Airstream trailer parked in front that made me get out of my car to start taking pictures. The lines of this trailer are so different and unexpected that I had to walk around the thing. As I snapped away it dawned on me that the trailer must belong to the people who are building this new home. I mean a traditionalist would by an old school Airstream - right?  In my view a forward thinking type of person would buy a trailer so different. And that type of person would probably be the kind of owner to create a home so different different from all others. The house at 904 Flagler Avenue is certainly becoming that.

Old Town Key West is known the world over for its great old houses and their timeless architecture. The Casa Marina Area is a vibrant alternative where several new houses are being built and some older homes are being renovated. Keep reading my blog. You never know what might pop up for sale in Key West.

I did a Google search and learned Nissan Design America "in collaboration with specialist trailer manufacturer Airstream and called the BaseCamp. The Airstream BaseCamp is a micro-light tent-trailer hybrid that blends the convenience of RV travel with the versatility of car camping. The BaseCamp is the first of its kind offering a whole new level of versatility, durability and comfort for the adventurer." CLICK HERE to read more.

1309 Eliza Street - Key West

Just Listed, but not by me, 1309 Eliza Street which is located in the Arts District of Key West, Florida. The owner of this pretty little house invited me over to take some photos of the house which I am pleased to share with you today. CLICK HERE to view all the photos I took which show the house, rooms, and yard from varying views.

 I found a "before" photo taken of the property back in 1965. If you compare it to the color photo above you will see the only significant difference is that the galvanized chain link fence has been replaced by a wood picket fence and that the yard is enriched by beautiful trees and foliage. There's a good reason for that: the prior owner of this home is noted local landscape architect Craig Reynolds. In fact, there are little identification tags placed next to specimen plantings around the yard. I looked in the Sanborn Fire Maps and learned that this house did not appear in the 1912 map although the two houses located immediately to the east were on that map

 The listing Realtor describes 1309 Eliza Street this way:
"Tropical Key West property with many original details located at 1309 Eliza Street. This spectacular keys residence features two spacious bedrooms & one bath, roomy front porch and a large back patio would be perfect for entertaining guests. This property has Dade County Pine floors and walls, central a/c, a premium gas range, washer, dryer, a large great room, outdoor storage area, metal awning shutters."
This vernacular style home is laid out similar to many cigar maker cottages or "shotgun" style houses as trey are called in the south in that the front door open on to a long hallway that leads straight to the rear with various rooms located to the side. In this instance the front two rooms are used as bedrooms.

The hallway disappears midway through the house as the space enlarges in to more public space. The retro bathroom which has been updated is located on the east side of this space. The laundry room is located in an adjacent closet.

The great room is at the back of the home. This space is quite large and inviting. If you have not notice, Dade County Pine walls and floors shine. The richness of the wood is muted just a bit with the introduction of color in this communal living space. French doors at the rear open out to the rear covered deck and yard.

At first the kitchen may appear a bit compact, but if you look closer you will see a gas cook top, wall ovens, dishwasher, refrigerator, abundant drawers and lots of cabinet storage. As I write this I am reminded that all of the architectural lines in this house are similarly plain and understated. If you like gobbledegook's and curly cues, this place won't appeal to you. But if you like a clean aesthetic look, this may just be the place you have been waiting to find.

The Monroe County Property Appraiser shows this house as being 912 sq ft and sitting on at 2534 sq ft lot (31' X 82').  If you want a pool, you're not gonna get one here. But what you will get is a home that is really good condition and that is ready to move into. I am no home inspector, but I looked under the house and noted what looked to be new piers.

Please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 yo schedule a personal showing.  I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.  I think this home will sell right away. Our market is on fire right now.

1317-A Catherine Street, Key West

I was looking through the old shoebox and found this photo of 1317-A Catherine Street in Key West that was taken in 1965. I offer this picture to you so that you can get a sense of how this home has evolved into the property that is currently listed for sale at $639,000 which the listing Realtor describes as

"Great little 2/2 Conch cottage with a private pool, comfortable deck area and very lush privacy planting. Nice location for walking to the beach and the White Street restaurants and markets. Parking is on street but generally no problem. It was currently being used as a non-transient vacation rental and has a good history of rentals. Very private with almost no street visibility."
Today a six foot privacy fence hides the house from street view and the open space to the right shown in the black and white photo is where you will find a swimming pool and deck.

The seemingly vacant lot of yore is now filled with the pool, deck, palm trees, and tropical foliage. Though I wasn't in the house fifty years ago, it's safe to say the inside is totally different today than it was then. This house has been recently been used as a vacation rental. Let's take a look at the inside.

The old screened porch is now the dining area which has French doors that open out to the porch where you can sit and watch the kids frolic in the pool. The modern kitchen has a comfortable breakfast bar.  Notice there is room for more than one chef in this kitchen. The two bedrooms are located on the far side of the living room.  CLICK HERE to view more photos I took of this home.

The 843 sq ft house sits on a 2483 sq ft lot in the Arts District just a couple of blocks east of the White Street corridor.  CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and listing photos. After you've done that, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a private showing of this two bedroom, two bath home with a private pool and an outdoor shower. I am a buyers agent and a full time realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. This home has a good vacation rental history that may appeal to a buyer who wants someone else to help pay part of the costs of purchasing a home in Key West. 

522 Petronia Street - Key West

I recently showed 522 Petronia Street which is actually two Key West cottage style homes that were joined together to create one larger home as well as a larger plot of ground. If you have been reading my blog for a few years (there are some who have), you may remember other blogs I have written where two houses have been made into one. Those blogs include 1315 Eliza Street, not to be confused with 1319 Eliza Street, and 704 William Street.  Several years ago before housing prices became so high, it made economic and practical sense for a home owner to purchase an adjoining property so that two houses could be made into a larger property. This wedding of properties often provided additional living quarters and increased the lot size so that a pool and or parking could be added. In the case of 522 Petronia Street the resultant lot measures an approximate 95' X 57' or 5288 sq ft. The combined houses measure 1696 under air conditioning. (This does not include covered deck areas.)

I dug into my old shoebox and found photos of  522 Petronia and 524 Petronia as they appeared in 1965. The shed addition to 524 Petronia Street is gone. Today, that space provides off street parking.  Today the two houses are fenced and gated. Tall foliage almost hides the homes from view. Once you enter the yard you see an additon that joins the two houses.

When I stepped through the front door for the very first time my eyes were immediately drawn past the living space to the pool and gardens beyond. The sight is just inspiring. It is the kind of view would-be buyers aspire to have. My potential buyers wasted no time looking at bedrooms but instead headed straight out to the pool, deck, and gardens.

What I soon realized was that the backyard was truly something special to behold. Not only is the lot especially large, it also seems to extend far beyond the fenced boundary. The property to the immediate south is the side garden at Saint Peter's Episcopal Church. That garden is less densely populated with threes and shrubs than the Petronia house. The striking architecture of the church came into better view as I started to climb a stairway up to the rooftop sun deck. The deck is totally private and away from the view of any neighboring property.

When I returned to the house I immediately understood the house layout. The master suite is located in the east house which is the smaller of the two buildings. The original front porch is now a place to sit and watch the occasional pedestrian, bike, or car go by. But there is no access from inside the house. (The door is still in place but it is blocked from the inside.) The bedroom space is quite large. Notice that the ceiling is vaulted. A full bath and closet make up the balance of this house.

A future renovation might relocate the closet and bath to the front part of the house and move the sleeping area to the rear so that the owner would have pool and garden views. This is certainly not something that would be necessary, but I know I'd love to lay in bed and watch the plastic duck bobbing in the pool.

The foyer is extra large and takes up a lot of valuable real estate. Sliding glass doors from another generation look out to the pool while doorways open in to other parts of the larger house on the west side where the living room, kitchen and dining area, and guest bedroom and bath are located.

The west side of the house has one bedroom at the front and a second at the rear. The living room, dining area, and kitchen and sandwiched in between. This house is configured the way we used to build and design homes with separate rooms for separate purposes. A new renovation might reconfigure the usages just a bit. Perhaps a new great room with shared living, dining, and kitchen might be located in the spaces closest to poolside with two bedrooms located toward the front of the west side. The yard is extra large. A new owner might even consider adding a second story and perhaps reducing the ground floor area a bit to provide even more exterior landscaping. I do think the yard is a bit overgrown. I for one would give the trees a well deserved haircut. That would allow much more light to enter into this magical space. CLICK HERE to view more photos I took of this home.

522 Petronia Street if offered for sale at $1,195,000. CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and to see listing photos. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a private showing of this property. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.