Timeless Historic Home on Lake Maria Sanchez

Timeless and welcoming are two words often used by people when the conversation turns to life on St George St in our beloved residential historic district. Tree-lined sidewalks, picket fences, neighbors chatting over their mailboxes or visiting on one another’s front porch, dogwalkers, bike riders, expert gardeners – there’s a delicious smorgasbord of interesting people to meet!

The owners of 288 St George St dove into a complete restoration which included the addition of some exceptional outdoor living space in the form of a huge screened living and dining room along with a 2nd floor sundeck overlooking the lake. Palm tree porch posts make a statement as you make your way to the expansive front porch. With an eastern exposure, you and your coffee can watch the sunrise from this perch before getting on with the day’s adventures.

Once inside, living and dining rooms and the kitchen open off a wide hallway making the flow circular and easy from front porch to back. Living and dining rooms are interchangeable and frankly, with our climate, you’ll be spending a lot of time on that screened porch off the kitchen. Lovely natural light streams in illuminating the interior and casting the occasional rainbow through the stained glass window on the stair. Multi-paned glass pocket doors separate living from dining and close dining off from the kitchen but the floorplan lends itself to connectivity with whomever is in charge of cooking.

Large and brilliantly laid out, the kitchen can accommodate 2 or more working together so kibbitzing is highly encouraged and your culinary consultant friends can sit at the bar and offer advice. 5-burner Le Cornue stove is the centerpiece surrounded by marble counters (great for baking prep) and an abundance of cabinetry. Full bath is tucked in the corner – don’t miss the vintage sink or the tile inlay in the shower. French doors open to the screened porch overlooking the very deep back yard with a view of Lake Maria Sanchez. The owners live on the screened porch – it’s where they eat their meals, hang out with friends and discuss who gets to choose tonight’s movie.

Upstairs is home to three bedrooms and a beautiful shared bathroom with separate shower and slipper bathtub under the window. Bedrooms #2 and #3 face west and each opens to a 30′ x 18′ sun deck where the sun sets through the tree canopy and turns everything gold in the late afternoon. The main bedroom faces east and currently has an office/reading room which is easily converted to an en-suite bathroom. Meanwhile, it’s a lovely place to work while 2 steps away, there’s a place to take a quick (or not) nap. Note the splendid closet doors – relocated from a yoga studio in Paris and wonderfully repurposed.

Living downtown, the talk often turns to parking but there are no worries here. A 2-car garage with 2-car carport plus a very long front driveway and another driveway on the lake side means you can invite everyone over and not think twice about it. We have previously approved plans to add a guest suite over the garage – updated approval would be needed, but the heavy lifting is done and plans will transfer to you.

In this section of the city, vacation rentals are not permitted so your neighbors do not come and go – 30 days is the minimum rental period. From your front door, you can walk along the Intracoastal Waterway esplanade to the east or straight out your back door along Cordova St to all the architectural, culinary, cultural and historic offerings on the city’s menu. There is never a shortage of interesting things to learn and do, delicious morsels to sample and scenic beauty to admire – or – you can park yourself on the porch and do nothing at all. Welcome to your new life…..