We often see postcards or books with photos of Key West before and just after the turn of the twentieth century and are awed by changes to the Key West landscape and at the same time amazed at buildings still standing today.  As examples, there was the old Jefferson Hotel on lower Duval Street which burned to the ground in November 1957 and the Oldest House which still stands today.  As a child growing up in the sixties in Key West I recall certain buildings standing today that have gone unnoticed as part of Key West history.  Although there is no real historical value, did you know that there were three Royal Castle hamburger restaurants in Key West and Stock Island?  Royal Castle hamburger restaurants were the South’s version of White Castle and Krystal Burger restaurants…the original sliders.  These similarly constructed buildings are still standing today and are home to successful businesses.  Take a ride to the corners of Whitehead & Southard Streets, North Roosevelt Boulevard & Fifth Street and US1 on Stock Island next to Burger King.  Here at these three locations you’ll find Pirate Rentals (recently Honda Key West), Florida Keys Cycle (Yamaha dealership) & Bone Island Liquors, all originally Royal Castle restaurants.

I also recall as a child rollerblading at a skating rink on Southard Street between Duval & Whitehead streets in what is now a warehouse.  Behind the Hard Rock Café on Duval Street was a popular teen club called Club 551.  Not too long ago the old Strand Theater was converted to the now existing Walgreens in the 500 block of Duval Street.  As a teenager I would ride my bike from New Town to the Strand where I would watch three matinee movies on Saturday afternoons for thirty cents.  No, I’m not kidding and I am that old, or should I say “seasoned”.  Across the street from the Subtropic Dive Center on North Roosevelt Boulevard & Eisenhower Drive are the slight remains of two concrete platforms abutting the street and reaching out over a pond.  These were the foundations for two bait houses servicing the charter boats which at the time were located along North Roosevelt Boulevard across from Duncan Auto Sales and extending over to the other side of Garrison Bight across from Banner Tire.

There is one building in Key West that was recently demolished to make way for luxury condominiums.  This building had historical value to a lot of the old time Conchs who grew up near the “Meadows”.  The Meadows, we actually called it “Conch Town” when I was younger is that area of town bordered by Truman Ave, White Street, Angela Street and Eisenhower Drive.  It was the old North Beach Hotel on Eisenhower Drive, a beautiful building on what was at one time the very popular North Beach.

I’m always up for reminiscing but now back to today.  The August statistics are out for the Key West real estate market and it’s still kind of a mixed bag on where the market is heading.  One thing for sure is that inventory continues to drop but average sale prices vary.  For instance, the average sale price of a single family home in July was $392,607 compared to a whopping $532,682 for the month of August.  I wouldn’t get too excited about that much of a jump in just a month because there are a lot of variables that can have a one-time effect.  On the other hand, the average sale price of Condo/Townhomes dropped from $350,621 in July to $285,721 in August.  So what’s the bottom line?  We’re still in the off-season and it’s too early to start seeing any substantial trends.  Not to sound too much like a real estate agent but with interest rates at record lows and prices at or near rock bottom it’s still a great time to buy.

Whether your preference for a home is an old historic charm in Old Town or a condo on the beach, you can find out what properties are on the market in Key West by visiting my website at edsalazar.com.

Ed Salazar is a Realtor in Key West and native Conch. Data for this blog comes from the Key West Association of Realtors.