618 Whitehead Street, Key West - Just Listed!

Just Listed 618 Whitehead Street, Key West, Florida. This 2354 square foot home sits close to the street.  Half the house is obscured by a giant Royal Poinciana tree. If you look carefully you will see pediments over the windows and doors.  These pediments often are clarions of gracious interiors - often, but not always. I searched thru my old shoebox and found a photo of this property and the house at 620 Whitehead Street taken half a century ago. The picture of 618 Whitehead shows the architectural features in greater detail including the pediments over the windows and doors and the ornate railing on the first and second floor porches.  A small fence existed then but the tree had not been planted. The two story home located at 620 Whitehead Street was razed in 1972. Today that space is a parking lot.

618 Whitehead Street in the mid 1960s

618 Whitehead Street first appeared in the 1889 Sanborn Fire Map as 328 Whitehead Street. The street number was changed to 618 Whitehead Street on the 1892 Sanborn map. This property is located one-half block to the south of the Monroe County Courthouse. I found an aerial photo taken in the 1920s. I marked the location of 618 Whitehead with an arrow. You can click the photo to enlarge it. If you look at the image you will see that this house appears to be an amalgamation of three buildings combined into one larger building.  Moreover, today there is a fourth addition at the rear.  Most of the buildings in this block, whether originally built as houses or commercial, are now commercial enterprises. The Green Parrot Bar is at the corner of Southard Street.  There are a couple of small guest houses, a few law firms, a legitimate massage studio, and a snack shop. This building was previously the "home" to a title company, a real estate office, and an apartment. Today 618 Whitehead Street is a a gracious single family home which was renovated to be used as a monthly vacation rental. 

No matter how many additions and uses this property had in the past, the present home is gracious and inviting. The home has been updated to meet the demands for modern day living with style and panache.

Like many recent renovations, this home has been re-oriented by moving the prime living and social areas to the rear. Bedrooms are located at the first floor front and on the second floor. This gives the homeowner the opportunity to incorporate the large pool and deck into everyday life.

The house sits on a 32.76' X 100' lot which is fairly large for Old Town. The lot looks and feels much larger because the front of the house at the property line. The result is the backyard seems immense. Swimming and tanning enthusiasts will love this place. There is a nice covered space just off the living room and kitchen which the current owners use for outdoor grilling and dining.

There are two bedrooms located at the first floor front both of which have en-suite baths. You will notice an abundance of original Dade County Pine walls and ceilings in this home. Each bedroom has been designed with large closets as well. Central air was added to the property. Each bedroom has a ceiling fan as well.

The stairway leads to the second floor landing which provides support to my proposition that three buildings were combined into one house The two photos above show the entry door into the master bedroom located on the rear side of the second floor. This is a large and spacious room with a huge walk-in closet, large en-suite bath, and a door that exits the rear sundeck which overlooks the pool below.

The second floor rear deck provides a nice place to read a book, take a nap, or plan what you or your guests will do to complete the day.

Both second floor front bedrooms have private en-suite baths and ample closets. They share immediate access to the covered front porch which spans the breadth of the house. This is a perfect perch for watching tourists and locals making their way each day as they walk to or from the end of Whitehead Street to take photos of the Southernmost Point and Hemingway House or to walk west on Southard Street toward  Fort Zachary Taylor State Park and Beach. Duval Street is just one block to the east. This is the perfect location for an active owner or vacation guest to be located to take advantage of all that Key West has to offer. CLICK HERE to view more photos I took of this home.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet on 618 Whitehead Street which is offered for sale at $2,200,000. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to arrange a private showing. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. 

Every Vote Matters

The photo below shows me, far left (lol), waiting to shake hands with Vice President Humbert H. Humphrey in his hotel room at the Hilton Hotel in Denver in 1968. That was nearly fifty years ago. The photo was taken a few weeks before the Democratic National Convention which I attended as a member of the Colorado delegation.  I left the convention the day after Humphrey won the nomination - I refused to stay to watch him accept the nomination. I felt the whole thing was rigged.

1968 was a pivotal year in American history. These are a few of the events that happened that year:

In early spring Senator Eugene McCarthy of Minnesota challenged Lyndon Johnson for the Democratic Nomination as President.

On March 31 President Lyndon Johnson announced the would not seek nor would he accept the nomination of his party for another term as President.

Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in Memphis on April 4th. Within a few days riots broke out across America. Cities burned. A month later Senator Ted Kennedy spoke at the Colorado Jefferson Jackson Dinner held at the Hilton Hotel. I was there that Saturday night. He had every man and woman in tears as he described the positive changes that had occurred as a result of Martin Luther King's life and leadership and loss we faced with his death.

Senator Robert F Kennedy was assassinated on June 6th within minutes after winning the California Democratic Primary Election.

Governor George Wallace of Alabama mounted a hugely successful candidacy to challenge both Vice President Hubert H Humphrey and Governor Richard M Nixon.

The Viet Nam War divided America more than any event I can remember in my years on earth. Half of America wanted to leave Viet Nam and the other half wanted to destroy it as if that would destroy Communism and restore our old world order.  Families were split. Generations were at war with each other with the older generation supporting the war effort and the younger generation demanding that we exit Asia. Many of the men in the service were branded as "baby killers". Young men that refused to join the war effort were called "draft dodgers" except guys like Bill Clinton and Donald Trump who got suspicious deferments. I got one of those deferments. I ended up feeling guilty as hell. 

The angst of the youth was not limited to the United States. In an era before Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and even the internet, young people across the world protested the war and social injustice. I watched the CBS Evening News every night and watched Walter Cronkite recounting the demise of the world. Each day I wondered what next would happen.

I was holdup in my dorm room in Fort Collins, Colorado thinking the world was about to end. Election Day came. I voted my conscious and not my party. I got my ballot and wrote-in the name of Eugene McCarthy for President and Abraham Ribicoff as Vice President. I wasted my vote. For that I am ashamed. I was smarter than that. But I voted with emotion rather than reason. Richard Nixon won the election, not because he was the most favored, but because he had the most electoral votes. Nixon had 301 electoral votes, Humphrey had 191, and George Wallace had 46.  My vote didn't change the election, but I know a lot of Democrats sat out the election or chose not to vote for Humphrey. We got Richard Nixon and all the chaos and rancor that followed. I realize now that our collective lives would have been different and I believe they would have been better.  I don't think the divisions that the Nixon era generated would have happened. He was a divisive figure.  I think his impeachment created the nexus to get a Democrat in revenge - not because it was merited but because Republicans sought equity. I may or may not be correct about that. It is what I think. I could be very wrong.  But I do know our reality would be entirely different had Humphrey won.

Forty-eight years later our country is facing a new election and has choices not everyone is excited about. I am excited about my candidate and have given money to the campaign. I will enthusiastically cast my ballot this year. I urge votes to vote. I know for certain that there will be a new reality no matter which person wins this election.

If you think one votes does not matter, you are wrong! Every vote matters!

1119 Packer Street, Key West - Potential Perfect Place in Paradise

I refer to myself as Realtor to the Dreamers for good reason: there are many people who have this intense desire to find a place in Key West where they can live in Peace and Happiness. They see Key West as an incredibly charming island city filled with cute little cottages where want to live either part time or preferably full time. They envy the locals who live here and believe that if they can get a place here their lives will be forever enriched. They inevitably call me to help them find the perfect home. Those either without a lot of money or who have good design and building skills seek project properties to create their own perfect place in Paradise.

The house at 1119 Packer Street is located in the Old Town area referred to in the Key West MLS as South of Truman. This area is a beehive of activity of late. Buyers have discovered that homes in this area may be cheaper to buy and may offer design and build options that could not be achieved in the historic district. While the rules are the same, houses like 1119 Packer Street, which was built new in 1957,  may avoid many of the rules that constrain renovations of historic homes. 

The listing Realtor, not me, describes the property this way:

"LARGE FENCED PROPERTY WITH PLENTY OF OFF STREET PARKING IN OLD TOWN! 3 bedroom, 3 bath home is conveniently located to shopping and all that Key West has to offer. The property is completely fenced. Large yard. Properties with this kind of space are hard to find in Old Town. X Flood Zone."

The Monroe County Property records show us this home was built in 1957 which means it is not historic. The home is in good condition. It has been maintained and does not need "fixed". I believe the size of the lot coupled with the location of the house on the lot, make it a great candidate for a renovation.  The 1402 sq ft house sits on a 54.98' X 93.5' lot (5140 Sq Ft)  located one block from the second highest spot in Key West - United Street. This home has a coveted X Flood Zone location which means a new buyer would not be required to purchase flood insurance if financed by a lender.

I recently showed this home and later returned with a local contractor who offered numerous money-saving options to my prospective buyer. He pointed out the house has a relatively new roof which means a new homeowner won't have to worry about the roof for several years. He suggested simple cosmetic changes to enhance the curb appeal by removing a lot of the concrete which surrounds much of the house. He suggested removing the existing windows and replacing with new six-over-six windows would significantly improve the street appeal. The addition of nicely painted shutters would give this place new pizazz.  As he spoke I suggested taking out part of the existing front room to create wider front porch. Adding columns and railings would totally change the look. . 

I often imagine what a new owner could do to an existing home that would not cost too much money but that could totally transform the look and use of space. I would take down the old galvanzied fence and remove the concrete which surrounds most of the house. I would landscape the yard and install a new white picket fence and still maintain an off street parking space.

The current house is divided into many small rooms with varied uses. A new owner will likely gut the interior and re-purpose all of the spaces. If I owned this house, I would move the bedrooms to the front and move the living, dining, and kitchen to the rear. I would expand the existing rear just a bit to give the space a clean and sophisticated look and then open a portion to create anew covered rear porch over looking the pool and rear garden. I would add a deck at floor level so that the owner could walk from house to pool without stepping down. The rear lot runs 50 feet - that is more than adequate space to add a great pool with room for deck and garden. You can't find many lots in the historic district with this much land and especially lots that are void of troublesome trees.

Packer Street is located five blocks east of Duval Street - the same distance as Margaret Street in the historic district. So it is a five to seven minute walk to Duval. Most of the gyms and yoga studios are located within a five minute walk. Fausto's has a grocery store located on White St which is five blocks to the east.

Most of the houses on this block of Packer Street have been renovated in the past few years. This is one of the few houses that remains untouched. I would love to show this place to a buyer who wants to create that perfect place in Paradise. CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule an appointment. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.