Another Easter Story

It was Good Friday 1957.  I was ten years old. I lived with my mother, dad, and big brother in a two bedroom house in one of the first Denver suburbs just west of the Denver County line. My dad came home from work. I remember it was dark. He had a box with two Easter presets for me.  I approached and spied a wee bunny and a tiny little duck. I don't think my mother was in on this gift. She did not like any of my dogs and would not let them inside of the house.

I actually remember the first few days of my new pets. My dad and I created a place for them to live in the garage. It was still cold outside. Although Spring had sprung it was still too cold to let the little guys like these live outdoors.

A few weeks passed. The weather got warmer. My dad and I built a place in the backyard for the pets. We lived on a corner lot with a white picket fence encasing the back yard. We used galvanized chicken coop wire to build pen.  My dad placed a small sheet of plywood over a part of the space to provide shelter from the sun and rain. I called my bunny "Bugs" and the duck "Sweet Pea". "Swee
Pea" was the foundling that Popeye and his girl friend Olive Oyl cared for. Sweet Peas was my foundling.

Bugs and Sweet Pea shared the same space. They got along fine. I decided to build a pond so that Sweet Pea could swim. I dug a hole which I filled with water. The water seeped into the earth. Later  I took my wagon up to the lumber yard on 38th Avenue and bought a bag of cement which I brought back home.  I mixed the cement and put it around the hole. After the cement dried I filled the pond with water. That did not work either. In the end I would use the garden hose to give Sweet Pea a good hose down. She would flap her wings and quack her little head off. She loved that.

I let the guys out of the pen so they could run free in the back yard. Bugs hopped around exploring. We had three gooseberry bushes, an apple and cherry tree, a rock garden with rocks collected from every place we went. My dad had a vegetable garden located opposite the incinerator. My mother made the very best pies ever. I remember her making a cherry pie and a gooseberry cobbler. She also canned vegetable from that garden later that year. My parents were survivors of the Great Depression. They savored the bounty of their little back yard.

Bugs proved to be a rascal and escaped through a hole in the white picket fence. I remember walking the nearby streets and alleys looking for him and calling out his name, as if he would respond like a lost dog. That didn't work out. Sweet Pea on the other hand seemed to love her life at our house. She even worked her way into my mother's heart, if there was one. She actually let me bring Sweet Pea into the house - a duck. I remember the day Sweet Pea was standing on a dining room chair when the call of Nature occurred.  I freaked out and cleaned up the mess. Surprisingly my mother did not create a scene.

It was around this time my dad told me about his youth. He grew up in eastern Kansas and western Missouri. He told me was a long distance runner in school which I found inspiring. Later I remember going outside to run around the block. I have a weak heart and that did not work. I couldn't make it to the end of the block without gasping for breath.

Instead of running I decided a different form of exercise for me and Sweet Pea. I put one of my mother's old red aprons on Sweet Pea and placed a string around her neck and then walked her around the block. I did this several times in fact. I'm sure the neighbors had a laugh.

Fall arrived. I knew it was time for Sweet Pea to find a better place to live. I asked my best friend if his grand parents would let Sweet Pea move to their farm and to live with other animals. It seems strange to refer to her as an animal. I would cuddle with her and she would coo. She was as dear as a dog.  She really was a Sweet Pea. 

It was a gray Friday afternoon when Bruce's grand parents showed up at my house to pick up Sweet Pea. Bruce was there. I didn't cry. I loved my duck but I knew this was best for her (or him). I didn't know about sex back then. Maybe Sweet Pea was a he and not a she. Who cares?  Sweet Pea was a treasured part of my little life! 

1413 Von Phister St Key West - OPEN HOUSE - Forget the Beach

Instead visit the Open House on Sunday, April 14th, at 1413 Von Phister Street between 12:00 to 2:00 PM where you can check out the brand new 1924 square foot two story home with a big sunny pool.

This home was designed to resemble the historic Conch houses in Old Town with wrap-around porches many of which had some of the porches enclosed to provide additional interior living space. You won't find another recently constructed like this in Key West. It's an original. And unlike many of the old houses in the historic district, this house has large bedrooms, ten foot ceilings, two large walk-in closets, and bricked off street parking (Old Chicago Brick - it costs more).

Additional features include real Brazilian Mahogany floors, recessed lighting, Trex decking, first and second floor porches on the front and rear of the home. The pool is heated. There's an outdoor shower too! The yard is newly landscaped with palm trees and other tropical foliage. There is even a white picket fence in the front. Click ----> 1413 Von Phister Street is offered by Gary Thomas at Preferred Properties Key West for $1,499,000.

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619 Virginia St, Key West - Open House Today

• New Construction - Completed in 2015
• 1324 Square Feet - End Unit
• 2 Bedrooms - 3 Baths
• Large Wrap-around Deck
• Big Private Side Yard
• Adjacent Off Street Parking
• Located in X Flood Zone
• Low Insurances - Just $2007 per year
• Low HOA Fees - Just $199 per month
• Old Town Location 
• Four Blocks to South Beach
• Successful Vacation Rental History
• $899,000

1100 Southard Street, Key West - Hi Brow Eyebrow

The freshly renovated home at 1100 Southard Street is a testament to the vitality of the Key West real estate market which has thrived and progressed since my first visit in 1984. While preparing to write about today's home, I reached down into my old shoebox and found two photos taken of 1100 Southard Street that demonstrate my thesis.

Just prior to young photographer Authur Rothstein assignment to photograph Key West for the WPA in 1938, Key West had reeled from the devastating loss of the railroad due to the Labor Day Hurricane in 1935, the demise the cigar and sponge industry, and the unknown future of the island upon the completion of the Overseas Highway (now called US1). Rothstein's task was to document the state of life on this little island. One of the houses he photographed was 1100 Southard Street shown above. Study the photo just a bit. Longtime readers know this is an "eyebrow house" given that name to describe the design of the roof extending out from the end of the building to rest upon columns. The projection creates both a porch (a place to sit) and protection for the second floor windows which may be left open during rain and wind storms allowing light and air to flow inside the home. Before we had air conditioning, homes were ventilated by natural air flow and shade trees. Rothstein's photos appear throughout my blog from time to time. We are fortunate that the federal government sent him to the Keys to capture a point in time when life was pretty rough here. Rothstein wrote his supervisor shortly before the Overseas Highway was completed when perhaps thousands of tourists would someday make their way to this little island - "I hope the resulting boom and development doesn’t spoil the picturesque beauty of the island nor make the natives lose their friendliness.”

I found a second photo taken nearly 30 years later showing the same view of 1100 Southard Street. We can see the house has changed a bit. Study and see if you can see the differences. Some aluminum shutter salesman must have made a bundle off Key West in the 1950s because there are still a lot of these old clam shell shutters in existence. This house has aluminum shutters on the west side. Someone added wood louvers to the right side of the front porch as a sun shield. Look to the left side which was extended to the edge of the roof overhang. Both photos show the house is elevated up from the ground and is wood construction with wood siding.  I can't verify the first photo shows louver windows but the 1965 photos certainly do. Glass windows were introduced to the house later. The addition to the front was removed, a pool added, and the place became gentrified each time it was improved. The original eyebrow now has pediments above once louvered windows. It looks quite graceful and definitely hi brow.  The current listing Realtor describes the newly renovated home this way:

"Stunning renovation of this Eyebrow style historic home in an ideal Old Town location. The main house with gorgeous addition and a detached guest cottage couple on each side of the pool to create a spacious 5bd/4ba beauty. Virtually every detail of this property has been restored or renovated to create the perfect combination of modern luxuries and historical character. The open staircase has been restored creating a breathtaking architectural focal point. A gourmet kitchen wrapped in windows begs to entertain the open floor plan overlooking sprawling tropical grounds and pool. A ground level master suite boasts a luxurious bathroom with wet room, walk in closet and a door leading to a private garden area. The list of luxuries goes on and on in this rare and precious Old Town home!"

I had not been inside this house for years and once inside I forgot it was an eyebrow house. It certainly did not look like any eyebrow house I had been in. The main living level is a play on open concept living but still has defined living spaces. 

The master bedroom has a vaulted ceiling which makes the space quite dramatic. Barn doors provide privacy in the bath which is a work of art. A guest bedroom is located opposite the front entry.  Barn doors were placed here as well. This space is used as a study at this time.

One of the challenges owner/renovators of eyebrow houses face is how to create a bathroom or bathrooms on the second floor. These homes did not have indoor plumbing when they were built and did not have bathrooms on the second floor. Some eyebrow houses are larger than others. I had to stop and take a serious look well designed this renovator met the challenge of adding a bath. There are bedrooms on either side of the house. The renovator added a bath at the right front of the second floor. A small hallway leads back a few steps to a bedroom.

There are sunny and shady places to layout and sit around the pool which itself is quite large and very sunny. If I were a guest I might opt to stay in the pool side guest cottage, buy a new door lock, and never leave.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and striking listing photos. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a private tour of this newly renovated home which can be purchased fully furnished as shown. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. Get ready for some hi brow living in this eyebrow house.

4 Fletcher Lane, Key West - an Old Town Treasure

4 Fletcher Lane is one of those charming houses many would-be buyers dream of owning but don't because they don't know the lane exists. Fletcher Lane is located between Margaret and Grinnell Streets and accessed off Eaton Street. The nearest remarkable landmark is the Old Town Bakery.  That's a blessing and a curse as Mr. Monk would say.

"X" always marks the "spot" on treasure maps and so it is that "X" marks the spot where you will find 4 Fletcher Lane on the 1899 Historic Sanborn Fire Map, for it truly is a treasure. I looked in my old shoebox and found the black and white photo below taken more than half a century ago which shows original house at 4 Fletcher Lane before it was renovated and expanded. The Monroe County Property Appraiser records show the property was significantly renovated between 1990 to 1996 when a two story addition and pool were added. Note the house still sits at an angle to front of the lot. The current house has 1556 sq ft of living space and sits on a surprisingly large L-shaped lot of 4866 sq ft. 

Even though the road to this little gem is gravel, the parking space is bricked. The formal entry is now located mid-way toward the rear where a little covered porch opens into the living area.

The entry door is visible at the far rear of the above photo. Note the beams and right angle of the original roof line just east of the door. There are two bedrooms located just to the right which is the original cottage. There were ribbons hanging on door way to warn of the lower than normal height of each door opening.  Shorter guests and children won't have any issues with either first floor bedroom.

I stood in the library for several minutes just ogling the space. It is just too sweet for words. There are bookshelves with books placed not for decorative affect but by happenstance. There were little and large objets d'art all over the room. The floors in the library, living room, and kitchen are painted. The ceiling is coffered. Clerestory windows are located above multiple sets of French doors which frame the library, living room, and even the kitchen.  Surely this addition was built before the windstorm insurance underwriters got to mess with creativity in the Key West.

There are two good sized bedrooms each with vaulted ceilings located on the second floor.  The wood floors, walls, and ceiling are punctuated by the crisp white French doors which open out to little decks overlooking the garden and pool below.

A mature Gumbo Limbo tree reigns over the garden area much of which is a wood deck. Imagine walking down the lane to buy some fresh pastries at the bakery, returning home to drink coffee and maybe read or write a book under the shade of that magnificent tree.  Or to do nothing.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and listing photos of 4 Fletcher Lane, Key West. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a private showing. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. Let me show you how simple life could be on one of the slow lanes of Key West.

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