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Thursday, October 29, 2020

Key West Real Estate Throwback Thursay - No. 7

From May 2, 2015

The New Key West Fire Department is Finally Complete - The Torture is Over!

It's over!  Thank God, it's over! I won't have to deal with big burly guys pushing me around anymore. I won't have to endure being bullied and having to walk a couple blocks out to way to go to my office. They didn't demand my lunch money - no they just made life a living hell for the last year. They blocked the little lane that leads to the parking lot behind my office. They erected barriers and diverted traffic so that I could not get into my parking lot. For several weeks I didn't know which street to take to work. I had to call a friend at local hotel to ask if I could park there. And when I could park in our lot, my car got thoroughly dusted with this mixture of concrete and dust that mixed with the moisture in the air to create a tough coat of goo to cover my car.   Local politicians do what all politicians do - they invited photographers over to the construction site, smiled for the cameras, and took credit for the new fire station that was built to replace the old one.

For many, many years the old fire station was also the police station and city hall for Key West. The building located at the corners of Simonton and Angela Street was built in the 1950s and worked just fine for decades. But as the City of Key West prospered and as local government grew (governments always grow - they never contract!), the governing officials decided they needed to build more buildings to house the bulging bureaucracy.  Several years ago the police department was relocated to North Roosevelt Boulevard. And after years of debating, a new city hall is being constructed inside the walls of the former Key West high school at the corners of White and United Streets. I'll write about that some day soon. But for now I'd like to share some photos that show the history of the old building and the new one.
The aerial photo above show the former city hall, police station, and fire department located at the corner of Simonton and Angela Streets. The two story parking garage and city hall annex are located adjacent to the north. The phone company building is at the corner of Simonton at Southard.
The above photo shows the building in 1962.  There were two bays for fire department vehicles. The police department entrance was at the rear. City hall entrance was at the Angela Street doorway.
The above photo shows the back side of the building in 1965.  The parking garage had not been built yet. The city hall annex is to the left. The larger building at the rear is the phone company building.
The decidedly ugly city parking structure is shown above. City fathers tore down this eyesore several years ago. Later the city hall annex seen to the right was taken down. The photo below shows the demolition of that building in August 2011. For readers who care about governmental efficiency, please note that the current batch of city fathers are now considering tearing up the newly built parking lot to build a new parking garage where the old one once existed. I think this is how politicians work in most places. It's probably not something specific to Key West. Of course, if they had to build buildings with their own money, other decisions might be made.
The big trucks and construction equipment moved into my neighborhood in March 2014. I took this photo from the back door at Preferred Properties parking lot looking to the south. The old fire station remained active in place while the construction of the new building took place. Within a matter of a couple of weeks pre-stressed concrete slabs were put together like LEGO blocks. However, it took months of work by various trades to complete the mechanical, electrical, HVAC, roof, and interiors.
I walked over to take photos of the project last August 13th. The old fire station was still in use. As I passed by I looked over to the picnic table where fireman sometimes sat to eat lunch and noticed this bent over figure which I first though was a fireman.
I looked closer. I laughed out loud. Even the firemen were exhausted by all the commotion.
If you are familiar with the location, you know that this particular corner floods like crazy every time there is a rain storm in Key West. City fathers (the city dollars) have tried to fix the flooding at various times over the years. Part of the redevelopment of this site included new sewer and water service and a new attempt to take storm runoff water away from the site. The one storm I witnessed moved the water from the intersection about forty feet west - just about where the yellow vehicle is shown above or in front of the entrance to the Garden Hotel.
It took about three weeks to bring down the old fire station. She was a tough old broad to be sure. As she finally succumbed to the heavy equipment the visage of the new building began to emerge. Of course I could "see" the building but I was trying to figure out what it would actually look like. Now I had given a brief glance to the plans as they appeared in the paper. That was useless. I needed to look at it myself. 
The parking lot was paved. Sprinkler systems and light poles were installed throughout the space. Palm trees and ground cover appeared like magic. One day the place was barren. A couple of days later it was like Samatha Stevens had twitched her nose to dumbfound Mrs. Kravitz. CLICK HERE to see more photos I took and some that I borrowed of our old city hall, police station, and fire station and of our new Old Town Fire House.
I live a couple of blocks away from the new city hall is being built.  It's gonna be like Déjà vu all over again.

Monday, October 26, 2020

831 Georgia Street, Key West - New Home in The Meadows

Just Listed, but not by me, 831 Georgia Street, Key West. This is a brand new home located in The Meadows area of Key West. I was surprised to learn that the lot was the side yard to an adjacent home and  had never been built upon before. While I have been photographing the exterior for several months during construction, this past weekend was the first time I got to see the inside. I was impressed. The black and white photo below shows the empty lot in 1965.

The front porch is the perfect perch to people watch in this single family home neighborhood. There are not any guest houses or commercial businesses in the area. A few of the large older homes were converted to condominiums several years ago, but the character remains single family. I don't think this house is on the Conch Train route, but you should expect to see an eager tourist on bike every once in a while. 

The listing Realtor describes the home this way:

"Brand New Construction Now Complete. Nestled on the Corner of Georgia & Olivia, this Meadows Stunner offers Pure Luxury and is sure to please the most discerning buyer. Designed with a Coastal Flair with Nickel Grooved Walls, stunning hard wood floors. coffered Ceilings featuring Dade County Pine & Impact Windows and Doors. Spectacular Chef's Kitchen with Quartz countertops & Viking Appliance Package expands out to exquisite Pool with waterfall and Separate Guest Cottage through Large Pocket Sliders. All 4 Bedrooms are en-suite with custom walk in closets and stunning bathrooms finished with Marble, Quartz and iridescent tile. Exterior is finished with decorative shutters, irrigation, lighting, tropical landscaping, composite decking, Chicago Brick Walkways & Off Street Parking. X-Zone."

While the house may look old on the outside, everything on the inside looks and smells like new - brand new. Of course the interiors pay homage to yesteryear but are planned for modern living.

Just to the right off the front entry is a good sized guest bedroom with en-suite bath. Note the stylish new Nickle Grooved Walls contrasted by Dade County Pine walls and clear hardwood flooring.There are window views to the front and side. Unlike some of the renovated houses in Old Town, the ceilings are high, the room size is actual comfortable living space.

I am presenting this house to my reders the same way I saw it. I checked out the first floor buest bedroom and moved toward the open living area. I sensed how large the house is, then notice the coffered ceilings in the living room, a feature I did not recall from the MLS. Two competing features called for my attention - the pool and bright white kitchen, I confess I walked out side, looked at the pool, parking, and guest cottage. I stood at the edge of gthe pool and looked at the side and rear of thehouse. I was impressed more than before. Viking Kitchen Package include. The real range is on the way.

Looking at the photos of the front and rear rooflines I think I can see some HARC interference in the design of this home. HARC likes builders to contrast renovations and new construction from historic so that the public is not tricked into thinking a property is historic when it is not. HARC also does not want to introduce a full two story house in an area where there were none. The dormer look achieves the second story to a point. The photos show the ease oc moving  between indoor and outdoor living. 

The fourth bedroom and bath are located in the guest cottage. While the guest bath is on the wee side, it has all the facilities.The second floor guest bedroom continues the use of modern design materials. Look closely and you will see the implied recess to this room being a dormer. It is not. It was placed and gracefully executed. En-suite bath too. The windows and doors throughout the house are wind resistant impact glass. Ajd the house is located in the X-Zone. Both features will greatly reduce insurance rates.

The second guest bedroom with en-suite is located at the front of the second floor. HARC has this disposition to disallow full two story homes in area where they are not predominate. Here, the allowed the designed to create the fiction this new house looks like a house where front and rear dormers were added to increase living space. This bedroom is located iin the front fake dormer. The height and size are not effected.

The master suite takes up more than half  of the second floor, or so it appears. The bedroom is huge. the two chairs seem dwarfed in real life. Imagine that space with lush rugs on the floors and art on the walls. The ceiling height in all rooms, but especially here, is welcoming to a tall man. So many of the renovations in Old Town require tall men to duck when moving about and to kneel a bit when taking a shower. Not so here. The bath is located in the "rear" dormer. It is huge. Dual sinks, WC, shower, bath, and outfitted closet plus windows to let the light of the outside world in.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and more listing photos of 831 Georgia Street, offered at $2,295,000. Then 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




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