One week has passed since Hurricane Irma began picking a fight with our beloved island. We are glad to report that the bitch did not win. Life in Key West has not been easy for us over the past seven days. Together, we faced many challenges and overcame countless obstacles. We have witnessed the best of our island community: friends, neighbors and strangers looking out for one another.
Our 1890’s cottage on Olivia Street suffered no damage—although waves of our neighbor’s trees are resting on our fence. As we checked on the places of our friends, neighbors and clients, we found intact homes waiting for their families to return. Texting them images of their standing strong houses brought us a joy we will never forget.
CNN may be reporting that 90% of Key West’s structures are damaged or destroyed, but that is not true. Very, very few of the island’s buildings are in bad shape—and most have gone unscathed. Trees are down everywhere, but our endless summer will breathe new life into our once beautiful tropical canopy.
As our hearts ache for those in the Middle Keys that have lost their homes and livelihoods, the residents of Key West will be here to help them rebuild their lives. As evacuees begin their journey back home, we will welcome them with open arms.
Our corner of paradise might be temporarily down, but it is not out. As Mark Twain said, “The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.”
—Dean & Keith Townsend, Grateful Key West Citizens
Key West colors first entered the world’s consciousness in the 1970’s, when free-spirited locals began painting their historic cottages a spectrum of tropical hues. Today, buyers looking to purchase their Key West dream cottages expect them to be painted to match the colorful, idealized images that have been imprinted on their minds over decades.
We have found that our clients respond less favorably to cottages that are painted in the traditional (white with black or dark green shutters) Key West color scheme. They immediately see dollar signs when they strongly feel the necessity to paint a home’s exterior to make it look like the “cute” conch cottage of their dreams.
Although buyers often make the declaration that they are purchasing a property because it makes financial sense, the overriding reason is that it makes emotional sense for them. Frequently used to represent and elicit emotions, colors connect with individuals on a subconscious level. The house colors of Key West have come to represent the island’s lighthearted and carefree lifestyle that is envied around the globe.
Key West colors not only enhance a cottage’s curb appeal, they greatly increase the home’s web appeal. Realtor.com and Zillow.com primarily utilize images to market real estate on the smart phone in the pocket of nearly everyone looking to purchase property. Bland, white or beige, shotgun cottages—that look like they could be easily transplanted anywhere—do not capture the attention of online shoppers looking for their island dream home.
If you are planning to sell your conch cottage, wander around Old Town snapping pictures of the quintessential Key West cottages sporting color combinations that speak to you. The coastal colors that garner a positive response from you, will undoubtedly grab the attention of buyers as well. Pickup a selection of paint chips (with HARC approved historic colors) at Strunk Hardware and play with color combinations over a glass of wine with friends and neighbors. Once you have decided on the perfect color scheme, head over to City Hall to get the painting permit process rolling.
When successfully selling any product, you must give buyers what they want. Key West cottage buyers want them to look like their fantasy. Reflect the tropical hues of the island’s sea, sky, and flora in the exterior colors you paint your home, and you will not only capture the imagination of eager buyers, you will get your cigar maker’s cottage sold quickly and for the best price.
We strongly encourage our sellers to color it Key West before they offer their cottages for sale. A tropically painted island cottage makes a winning first impression every time.
Back in 1965, the Monroe County Property Appraiser’s office took on the arduous task of taking a Polaroid photograph to document every structure in the county. The resulting group of 4,470 architectural images offers an extraordinary glimpse into a time in Key West history just before homes and commercial structures began to be restored en masse. It is surprising (if not shocking) to see how rundown much of the island’s buildings were at the time. The collection serves as a testament to the commitment of countless individuals that have—over the past fifty years—invested their money, blood, sweat, and tears into returning Key West’s historic structures to their previous glory.
The treasure trove of photos was endowed to the Monroe County Public Library in Key West. Luckily, the library has made the entire collection available online at http://bit.ly/keyspix.
Click here to visit the website and you will be able to explore a vast array of historic Keys photographs. The 1965 Property Appraiser’s Polaroids have been grouped together in the album The Way We Were—Key West 1960’s.
You can search for the 1965 picture of your Key West home by clicking on the search icon just above the photographs (not the Flickr search icon at the top of the page). Type in the number and street name only. Do not include Street, Avenue, Lane, etc. Undoubtedly, you will be delighted to see how your home looked over fifty years ago. Download the image to your computer and share it with family and friends. Frame a print and proudly hang it on the wall of your Key West dream home. The peek into your home’s past will surely spark many memorable conversations.
THE TOWNSEND TEAM
Dean & Keith Townsend, REALTORS®
Keller Williams Key West Compass Realty
333 Fleming Street, Key West, FL 33040
305-942-1369, www.DeanTownsend.com
As proud citizens of Key West, we are always glad to help bewildered-looking tourists with directions or to answer their more than familiar and often entertaining questions. Besides are all time favorites— “Is there water on the other side of the island?” and “Do you have a sunset every night?”—we are amazed by how many people ask us, “What’s up with the chickens?”
Often called Key West “Gypsy” chickens or Key West “Free-Range” chickens, the number of chickens on the island took a big leap in the 1860’s when waves of Cubans followed the cigar industry to Key West. Cockfighting was an extremely popular sport in Cuba and the immigrants brought their chickens with them. When cockfighting was finally outlawed in 1970, the chickens were emancipated, protected by law, and free to roam the island.
We have a love/hate relationship with the chickens. The roosters’ gorgeous plumage often warrants our highest compliments and we have marveled at the tenacity of many a hen when her chicks are being asked to lunch by a hungry hawk. Choice words have flown when a daydreaming rooster has suddenly stepped into the path of our bikes or after moving in next door, an early riser has awakened us before sunrise. Good or bad, Key West’s “Gypsy” chickens have attained celebrity status and are as woven into the colorful fabric of the island as Ernest Hemingway, Tennessee Williams, and Jimmy Buffett.
Without a doubt, the musician that is most often associated with Key West is the legendary Jimmy Buffett. Long before Parrotheads around the world were singing and dancing to Margaritaville, the world of jazz crowned Key West native Theodore “Fats” Navarro as one its greats.
Navarro was born in Key West in 1923 to Cuban-Black-Chinese parentage. While growing up on Thomas Street in Bahama Village, his mother, Miriam Williams, worked as a cook in the home of Earnest and Pauline Hemingway. Although Navarro began playing piano at age 6, he did not become serious about music until taking up the trumpet at 13. After graduating from Douglas High School and ready to see the world, he joined a dance band and headed for the Midwest.
As a trumpet player, Navarro was a pioneer of the bebop style of jazz improvisation in the 1940’s—playing with Charlie Parker, Benny Goodman, and Lionel Hampton. He is ranked with Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis as one of the most gifted and original stylists in the development of jazz. Theodore “Fats” Navarro died New York City, at the young age of 26, in 1950. Six days before his passing, he gave his final performance with Charlie Parker at the landmark jazz club Birdland.