714 Passover Lane, Key West

 

Buyers looking for a fixer property with big time renovation potential should take a look 714 Passover Lane. This architecturally interesting three story home is located on an irregular 6,547 sq ft lot opposite the Key West cemetery. Don't let scare you - they can't get out. 

I dug into my old shoe box and found two photos that show the house in 1965 and later in 1973 just as Key West was being re-discovered by a generation of poets, authors, and artists of all types.  A later owner added wrap-around porches to three sides of the house and did some inexpensive fix-ups to the interior. The porches and wood spiral staircase were very well designed and constructed. But in my opinion have no real purpose other than providing access to the third level and sundeck. The fix-ups were common to the day, but not up to par with what we expect fifty years later.

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The 1965 photo shows the sagging front porch and missing slats on the east facing side. The house faces northwest toward Passover Lane which is a walking lane. 

Passover Lane remains one of the few walking lanes in Key West. It is not wide enough for a car. There are four houses on this lane each of which has been updated and improved over the years including 714 Passover now has novelty siding and wrap-around porches on the first and second floors and a roof-top deck on the third level.

The stand alone cottage is located near the front of the lot. It is a non-contributing structure. I spoke with a real estate attorney who opined the cottage could be taken down or perhaps relocated on the lot giving a new owner more options. He also offered that most of the trees could be taken down. A new owner would need to plant new trees or pay a fee to the city for tree planting in other parts of the city. That can be worked out as part of the development plan for the property.

The wrap-around porches make the house look important. The original house has temple design seen on the stylish blocks of Old Town. It is not all that large nor stylish. The first floor is on the small side and the ceilings are low. There is a narrow stairway to the second floor but no internal stairs to the third floor which is actually the attic which was converted into living space. My first thought was to raise the house up, build a new pier foundation, add an additional one foot in space to the ceiling on first and second floor, and eliminate the living space in the attic. I would seriously consider removing the wrap-around porches to showcase the temple style to its fullest. But that is just a thought.

This house at 828 Elizabeth Street is an example of a renovation where a spacer was adding between the first and second floors which increased the interior height.  This has been done on several houses in the historic district. It makes old houses more livable.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and listing photos for 714 Passover Lane and then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to set up a private showing. This is an incredible buying opportunity for someone with vision and some cash to create a truly amazing Old Town property. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

Gilligan's Lane, Key West

This is a true story.

A couple of months ago I got a phone call from an unidentified phone number. I hesitated to answer fearing the worst - my car warranty had expired or that Microsoft was calling to warn me something was wrong with my computer. I did what I never do - I answered the phone.

To my surprise the woman caller stated her name and said she was calling to discuss a house I wrote about several years ago. I get a lot of phone calls about specific houses, usually houses that are offered for nightly rental on Craig's list. This was not that. 

The woman said her aging grandmother grew up in the house located at the dead end of Gilligan's Lane (fake name). I immediately knew the house and even remember the listing agent. I loved the place. It is one of those magical houses hidden on one of our slow lanes. Many locals don't even know these lanes exist let alone how to find them. She said her grandmother's brother was in the old photo I posted.

The lady said her granny was going to make one last trip to Key West before she died. Granny told her many stories about the challenges of living in Key West back in the day. Everything had to be brought in by truck. Things were scarce and life was rough. I learned that as a girl and later as a teen granny had to wear a helmet every time she went into the backyard to protect herself from falling coconuts.

I managed to make it out of my childhood without wearing a helmet while riding a bike. I think I could have avoided walking under a coconut tree to spare the indignity of wearing protection.

I was also told granny was afflicted with some rare childhood ailment that, if it went untreated, could have led to her demise. When the family learned the nearby grocery was closing forever, they bought every last bottle of the elixir to fix her - cod liver oil. It must have worked. She is still alive - but not for long!

Fearing I might start a crying jig I summoned the courage to ask the age of nearly departed grandma. 

"She is 70!" I literally screamed at the woman. I am four years older. I had no idea that death was at my door. I quickly searched the old MLS, found the name and phone number of the selling agent, and gave the woman the info. I hope granny made it here before she croaked.

 There is not Gilligan's Lane. But the story is true.

 

419 Grinnell Street, Key West - A Blank Slate

The listing broker describes 419 Grinnell Street, Key West, listed for the first time on Saturday as a "blank slate". Previously this 4,086 Sq Ft irregular "L-shaped" shaped lot was to be included in the sale of the adjacent Grand Conch style (temple style) home at 421 Grinnell Street. That changed by offering this lot separately. The listing broker told me he had immediate interest from several potential buyers. This property won't last a week on the market. This is how the broker describes 419 Grinnell Street:

"A rare opportunity for development or renovation of a huge lot in the heart of Old Town Key West. The small un-renovated 1 BD 1 BA house at the rear corner of the lot could be renovated as a guest cottage or possibly razed and redeveloped. The lot is a blank slate for the creation of a lush tropical garden with pool and parking. Any plans would require HARC and City approval. This property can also be purchased with the lovely 2-story Conch House next door at 421 Grinnell St."

I noticed this big old lot taking up valuable space for years. The yard had stuff in it. Lots of stuff. I always thought it would come up for sale some day and someone would buy it and do something with it. (Some story.) Years ago it would have sold at a much lower price because there were many big old houses and smaller cigar maker cottages that folks were buying and renovating. And there all the rules that HARC imposes on owners as to what may be done and not done. The rules still exist but now there are only a few un-renovated properties and even fewer big empty lots. Now this comes up. There is a cottage at the back. The Property Appraiser shows that 419 Grinnell was built in 1919. The 1889 through 1912 Sanborn Fire Maps showed a larger house similar in size s to 421 Grinnell Street was sat at on the 419 Grinnell lot. CLICK HERE for more photos.)

A few weeks ago I bogged about our new listing at 411-415 Grinnell Street. It is located next door to 419 Grinnell. I photographed 411 Grinnell Street (above photos) in July 2012. Workers were just starting to renovate it. A few years later a new owner built a second house on the vacant lot to create an incredible island retreat. But before that, the empty lot was equally bleak as 419 Grinnell.

411-415 Grinnell Street looks totally different just a few years later. (It is offered for sale at $6,500,000.) And that is why the listing at 419 Grinnell Street is so appealing. Empty lots get bought. Creative minds and bank accounts combine to create new properties. Buyers, architects, lawyers, and city planners figure out what is possible and permissible. Eventually, new houses get built. A buyer could short circuit a lot of the process by buying both 419 and 421 Grinnell Street and simply renovate the existing cottage, add a pool and off street parking. It would be more complicated but you get the point. There is  lot of development opportunity.

Click either MLS link for more information on the lot and 419 Grinnell Street, Key West offered for sale at $995,000 or the existing house at 421 Grinnell Street, Key West offered for sale at $1,125,000. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. Get creative. Play with that blank slate in your mind. Figure out what you could do. Somebody will do it. That is for sure!

609 1/2 Margaret Street, Key West - New Listing in Old Town Key West

Buyers with a limited budget that are seeking a sweet little house in a great Old Town location should definitely take a look at 609 1/2 Margaret Street. I previewed the house for an out of town buyer a couple of days ago. I was seriously wowed. I remembered having been in this property before. But like so many houses that I have been inside, I didn't recall much other than the location.

Before I drove over to see the house I looked through my old shoebox and sure enough found a photo taken in 1965.  Checkout the 55 Chevy in front. There was some foreign vehicle in front in 2021. You will also see a wrap-around porch was added to the second floor and the entrance was moved from the front to the side which is now located in a outdoor foyer.

While this 631 Sq Ft house has just one bedroom, it has two baths, an outdoor courtyard, and second floor bedroom with sky views. I was duly impressed throughout this place. CLICK HERE for more photos.

The former Harris School is located across the street. Mangia Mangia is at the corner. The former Michael's steakhouse is becoming a seafood restaurant in the near future. The historic seaport is located three blocks north and Duval Street is located three blocks to the west. 

The courtyard has grilling and chilling space. You don't need to go out to dinner. CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and listing photos of 609 1/2 Margaret Street. Key West offered for sale at $599,000. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule  private showing. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. You really need to check this place out. 

Grinnell Street Heading South

There are three ways to get to the Island of Key West - the Overseas Hiway (also known as US1), by air, boat or ferry. The Key West Ferry Terminal is located at the foot  of Grinnell Street at the historic Key West Seaport. 

Earlier this week I passed two couple walking south on Grinnell Street dragging suitcases behind them. It was a very pleasant day compared to the snow and cold I saw on television earlier that morning. I sat in my car and reviewed text and emails before heading to my next appointment.

I drove to the end of Grinnell Street - that is the Key West cemetery where there is one way in and no way out. I turned right on Angela Street and soon came upon the first couple still dragging their suitcases behind them. I drove a couple hundred feet and turned left to head down Passover Lane. Then I saw the other couple who were dragging their bags.

I figured they were heading toward one of the inexpensive no frills and no pool guest houses located on the other side of Truman Avenue. I smiled and thought how lucky the guys were to find women willing to walk half a mile dragging their bags to spend their annual vacation in a guest house far from the fun on Duval Street. They may spend their lives together doing the same thing every year.

 

102 Southard Street No 3, Key West, FL

 Looks like home - if you lived in Key West that is. Just Listed by Preferred Properties, 102 Southard Street No. 3, Key West, Florida. This is a one bedroom Shipyard Condominium special Truman Annex Transient Rental License. The unit if offered turn-key.

This stylish one bedroom condominium in the Shipyard has the special Truman Annex transient license and a very impressive rental history. Designer upgrades include new kitchen, bath, floors, sound-proofing and high-impact glass. The front door opens onto Southard Street just steps from the new waterfront park. This second floor unit has French doors out to a large sunny deck and there is assigned parking and a community pool. This home is offered completely turn-key.

 

Condo Fees are $785 monthly and include Bldg Exterior Mnt; Building Insurance; Cable; Common Area Mnt; Exterminating; Security.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and listing photos for 102 Southard Street No 3. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a showing. (No showings until after Feb 20. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.