Now up for sale is a Key West home that’s nicknamed the “Southernmost Southernmost House,” just footsteps from the well-known Southernmost Point Buoy landmark. The home just hit the market for $18.5 million.
The 4,000-square-foot, two-story home sits where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Gulf of Mexico, offering great views from every direction. According to property records, the seller is Cecilia Joyce Johnson, widow of the late sculptor John Seward Johnson II, who died in March 2020. The house, built in 1958, was purchased by the Johnsons in the 1990s.
“He was a very famous public figure and this was his winter home,” said Ellen Gvili , a global real estate adviser who currently holds the listing with Ocean Sotheby’s International Realty. “Which adds even more interest to the home and the property.” A plaque at the front of the home reads “The Southernmost Southernmost House U.
S.A.,” reminding any passers-by just how distinguished 400 South St.
is. Greenery and towering palm trees line the pathway to its front door. Five bedrooms, six and a half bathrooms and one powder room are part of the 4,008 square feet of living space on the 17,000-square-foot lot.
Its most luxurious amenities include a chef’s kitchen with ample open space, restaurant-style stainless steel appliances and a Sub-Zero fridge as well as a Florida room — the natural-lit sunroom with sliding glass doors that lead to the pool deck. Outside, a 50-by-20-foot swimming pool stretches across the backyard, with room for a spacious lounge area for sunbathing. At the edge of the deck a mosaic pieced together with shades of blue reads, “North America begins here.
” Its prime location not only boasts stunning views, but also proximity to Key West’s iconic attractions such as the Hemingway House, Lighthouse and Butterfly Conservatory. With a transient license, the property allows for nightly rentals, making it a prime investment opportunity for vacation rentals or a lavish private residence. The property does need some work, including partial restoration of the sea wall, but because it comes with “bay bottom” rights, a future resident has permission to restore it as well as add a dock for boating, paddle boarding, kayaking, and snorkeling right from the back patio, according to Gvili.
Seward Johnson II was known for his life-size sculptures, including the famous “Double Check” statue of a seated businessman that survived the 9/11 attacks. His works can be found throughout Key West, including one of Marilyn Monroe at the Tropic Cinema..
