1400 Virginia Street, Key West, Florida

The listing broker describes 1400 Virginia Street in Key West as an:

"Unique one story home located in quiet Old Town Key West neighborhood just blocks from the Tennessee Williams home. Two Historic homes have been connected to form a private lushly landscaped mini-compound with all the amenities one could imagine. Each home has its own full bath and French doors throughout lead to a large heated pool and courtyard oasis. The home features a modern open-air chef's kitchen with retractable windows, an on-line 3-day capacity generator, irrigation and landscape lighting systems and mature landscaping. This charming home is considered by many to be one of the most distinctive in Key West and is a must see property to fully appreciate all that it offers."

Before I visited the house I went through my old shoebox and found photos of both houses that date back fifty years. The first photo below shows 1400 Virginia Street as it appeared then and obviously before it was renovated and expanded. The color photo shows the house as it exists today. The next black and white photo shows the rear cottage (known then as 1310 Florida  Street) as it appeared in 1965. The color photo shows it in 2015. Both places have been thoroughly renovated from top to bottom, inside and outside. All new electric, plumbing, HVAC, roofs, and pool and gardens were added. Today the two houses offer first class amenities in an utterly charming setting.

The current owners created a "bridge" which connects the two cottages which they use as the main entry to the  property. The front porch on Virginia Street now exists a a place to people watch. Today's blog will, however, work our way through the property using the Virginia Street as our starting point.

Let me point out from the start that the rustic appearance of the exterior siding looks like it has not been painted in years. Well, that is partially true, but the appearance is entirely intentional and the siding is maintained every two years to preserve the patina.

The front porch provides the perfect perch for people watching. The corner location is across the street from the Bayview Park, the largest city park in Key West. The cottage has a shotgun style front hallway that leads from front to the rear. Just off to the left of the front entrace is a guest bedroom with French doors which open out to the pool. This bedroom and adjacent bath are located far from the master suite. This gives the occasional guest or long term resident plenty of separation from the master suite.

The entry hall terminates in the new living room with vaulted ceiling. A set of doors open out to the covered outdoor dining area and then on to the pool, deck, and compact garden.  A small bar sink at the edge of the living room perks our interest and draws us in to see the comfy kitchen. The space comes alive when we see two sets of windows which open at the corner. The impact rated windows retract back to make the entire area open to the pool and garden area. A portion of the kitchen counter is counter-levered to the outside and creates a breakfast bar. The owner told me the windows and doors remain open much of January through May when our temperatures are at their best while temperatures up north are often horrendous.  CLICK HERE to view more photos I took of the entire property.

The rear cottage comes into view as we see the doors from the master bedroom welcome us into that space. It was cloudy on the day I took photos of the house. The weather was a bit cool for this time of year - it was wonderful! The owners' two dogs guarded the bedroom space (or more appropriately "lounged intently") as I snapped some photos. The bedroom space takes up about fifty per cent of this building. There is a third bedroom with private entry from Florida Street if desired. This owner uses that space for an office. There is a large walk-in closet plus two additional closets and a wall of bookshelves to provide lots of storage. This place has it all!

The owner advised me that everything that you see except the dogs and a couple of pieces of art can be purchased separately from the home. CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and to view all listing photos (some of which I copied). Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a private showing of this truly pretty home. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. It won't last long at the asking price of just $989,000. Remember this home has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool, and parking.This is one of the most charming homes in all of Key West and it is priced to sell.

The Last Time I Slept with a Communist

 I went back to Colorado two weeks ago to attend my 50th high school reunion.  Other than a quick visit two years ago to attend a memorial for the judge I clerked for many years ago when I was in law school, I had not been back to my life long home since 1997. I drove all over town and saw so many places that are radically different from what I remembered or which no longer exist. Memories of my earlier life kept rushing through my head including the the summer of 1967 when I was a 20 year old college student, when for the first and only time in my life, I slept with a communist.  He was in his 50s and head of the Colorado Communist Party.  He was taking me to Chicago to attend the National Conference for New Politics. We drove in his brand new Chevy pickup truck with one of those campers with a platform that extended over the truck cab to provide more sleeping space.

I am second from the left

I was a nerdy - liberal - college kid in 1967.  I was against the Viet Nam War and against the racial unrest in our country, but I was never a campus radical. In fact I was opposed to the campus unrest that was sweeping the nation.  While I agreed with a lot of the causes espoused by members of the Students for Democratic Society (the SDS), I never fell into their cause.  I wasn't one of them, and I certainly was not a communist. I was instead a member of the Colorado Young Democrats and was the president of the CSU Young Democrats that year. I was also a member of the Associated Students legislature at Colorado State University. I was that guy who always wore a suit or sport coat to student government meetings. I tried to build consensus and get things done by agreement. I was not a trouble maker. While I opposed Lyndon Johnson on the War in Viet Nam, I agreed with his philosophy of reasoning together. And I certainly had no aims to destroy anything.  I had plans of going to law school and eventually running for public office. The most radical thing I did in college happened my senior year when I grew my hair out just a bit, grew sideburns, and went to class wearing cutoffs and sandals.

We arrived at the Palmer House Hotel in Chicago just after sundown. I remember our arrival quite vividly because my Commie driver struck a pole while trying to park the truck near the hotel. He  got out of the truck to survey the damage to his new vehicle. His new truck and camper were damaged. He almost cried. Communist my ass. This guy was just a normal guy who worked for every buck he had.  His new prized possession was ruined or so he thought. Oh it worked fine, but it would never be the same shiny un-dented Chevy Truck! I need to mention that a buddy of mine (Tom H.) traveled with me in the camper. We left the old man at the hotel for most of the stay and met up with them to return to Colorado four days later. 

The National Conference for New Politics (NCNP) took place in Chicago over Labor Day weekend in 1967.  I did some online reading and found references to there being between 3,000 to 5,000 people who attended the meeting. The hotel ballrooms could never have held that many people. The online references did get it right, however, in saying the meetings were disorganized. While I had attended several Colorado political conventions and a national Young Democrats meeting in Miami, I had never attended a "meeting" like this before. There were representatives from all sorts of left wing organizations. The stated purpose of the NCNP was to create the basis for a third party to run against President Johnson in the 1968 Presidential Election. Some hoped that Martin Luther King, Jr. and Dr. Benjamin Spock would run for President and Vice President as the third party candidates.  There were typical political speeches by some pretty famous people including Tom Hayden and Renee Davis both of whom were among the Chicago Seven arrested a year later for disrupting the Democratic National Convention also held in Chicago. They spoke with authority. But they were the exception. There were a lot of loonies with a myriad of agendas.  There were several break-out sessions and ad hoc meetings of various groups to discuss all kinds of issues. After spending half a day with this assemblage, I knew America had nothing to fear from the radical left: they couldn't agree on the best way to get out of a paper bag.

I got annoyed with my buddy and stayed away from our room one night. I took brief naps in various places in the Palmer House and moved from place to place throughout the night. I walked around the block numerous times. I rode up and down the elevators all night long. The elevators had a feature I had never encountered before: they talked. A voice would come on and announce the floor as the door opened. I purposefully would prevent the elevator door from closing whereupon the voice would come on and say "The door is ajar" to which I replied "The door is a door. It is not a jar" and laugh to myself.  I did this repeatedly.  I used to tease small children and dogs - and now I was teasing a machine.

During one of my up and down elevator rides a young black guy got on. We acknowledged each other. He asked if I knew if there was a drug store open.  I told him no - it was the middle of the night. Nothing would be open. I looked at him and asked "What do you need?"  He said "condoms" to which I replied "I have one you can have".  I got out my billfold and retrieved the one I had been saving if ever the need should occur. It did, but not for me. He gladly accepted it and got off the elevator. And I kept riding the elevator and taking catnaps until the next morning. 

On Monday night Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was the speaker at a large but old auditorium far away from the Palmer House Hotel. We had heard rumors all day long about some serious threats having been made against Dr. King.  It was feared Stokely Carmichael would disrupt the speech.  Carmichael was the leader of SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) and was also a part of the NCNP, but he was not supposed to be a part of King's speech.  My buddy and I arrived very early so we could sit up close to the stage. I think we were in the first or second row. I will never forget that night.  The internet is a repository of all kinds of information.  I found that speech which you can listen to if you CLICK HERE.

The speech lasted about forty minutes. Dr. King referred to his "I Have a Dream" speech.  He spoke of racism, militarism, poverty, the unending War in Viet Nam. The speech I heard was not memorable in itself. But it was memorable because of it being made by Martin Luther King, Jr.s and the look on his face when and particularly his eyes when all hell broke loose at the back of the auditorium. He had been looking around the room as if he was expecting trouble.  About thirty minutes or so into the speech there was a clamor at the rear of the auditorium. I said the hall was old. It had panic doors with glass windows with wire to protect against breakage. The doors had those metal push bars to permit quit exit.  The doors were thrust open and people at the rear made a lot of noise. I looked back but could not see what was going on. I could tell some people tried to force their way inside. But they were forced back and not allowed to enter. That was the end of it.  Dr. King continued with his speech - unphased except that he looked grateful that nothing more serious happened.

The Commie's Chevy was Red  and new in 1967 - his camper extended over the cab to provide more sleeping space

The next day my buddy and I met up with the Commie for the long ride back to Denver. I never feared Communist domination after that trip. As far as I was concerned the organized "left" was totally disorganized.  And the one acknowledged communist I knew was as materialistic as any man or woman I have ever met.

 Oh, if you thought I meant I had sex with the Commie, shame on you.  I only slept in the Commie's camper.  He was a proper Catholic who was married to a really nice lady. She went along for the ride and fed us.  The Nation Conference for New Politics was a bust. I did become a lawyer and practiced law for a while. Today I sell houses to rich people in Key West, Florida.

80 Bay Drive, Summerland Key, Florida

Just Listed by Preferred Properties Key West 80 Bay Drive at Bay Point, just a few miles east of Key West. The listing Realtor, not me, describes this 1892 sq ft home this way:
"Romantic Low-Country Architectural Masterpiece! Here's the home you have been dreaming of! Graceful balance of reclaimed Dade County Pine and hand planed Rosewood, custom Dental crown moldings, Coffered ceilings, and only the finest finishes. Custom Kitchen with built in Mahogany Dining Table. Enchanting Master Suite with private balcony. You will fall in love with the light filled rooms and gorgeous open water sunset views. Southern charm is reflected in the wrap around porches; capture delicious ocean breezes while you cherish special moments entertaining family and friends. Lush and vibrant landscape offers the scent of gardenias and jasmine. Currently configured as a 2/1; home can easily be converted to a 3/2 with main floor Master."

80 Bay Drive was built new in 2003 and purchased by the current owner in 2006. The current owner renovated the nearly new house by making substantial upgrades to the 1892 sq ft home which was already a beautiful property. One of the more notable upgrades was the new custom crafted kitchen by a Mennonite cabinet maker. Note also the extensive use of crown and dentil moldings, wainscoting, and milled real wood floors. The intricate coffered ceilings include hidden HVAC. The ceilings are also wood.

The balance of the first floor is divided between a large sitting area, a combination formal dining area with a Murphy Bed tucked away in the corner, plus a large bath. In my opinion this unique floor plan would work well for empty nesters who need extra sleeping accommodations on rare occasions.

The entire second floor is devoted to the master suite which includes the sitting area, luxurious spa-like bath, and romantic bed chamber with ocean views off the balcony. The wainscoting from the first floor continues up the staircase and wraps the bedroom and bath areas. The crown molding continues as well, but here the HVAC is hidden behind Victorian era metal grills.

French doors open from the master suite out onto the second floor deck which provides the perfect perch to watch the earth, the sky, and the water perform a kaleidoscope of images from dawn to dusk. French doors on the main level open out to a covered IPE deck that wraps around the house. Note the crown and dentil molding evident inside the house was brought outside as well. Here the moldings partially cover the hurricane shutters.

The house sits on a 10,900 sq ft lot fronting toward the northwest with an ocean view. The control depth of the water is three feet. The listing agent said deep ocean water is just ten minutes away and deep Gulf water is only fifteen minutes away. Or move a kayak out to the water and just play for a while. The house has a garage which is viewable along with a lot of photos which show many features not enumerated in the blog - CLICK HERE.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and all listing photos of 80 Bay Drive that is offered for sale at the asking price of $1,380,000. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a personal viewing of this beautiful home. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.