Southernmost House in Continental U.S. Is for Sale in Key West (It’s Next to the Buoy)

The home that sits where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Gulf of Mexico in Key West, FL, is for sale for the first time in 30 years. With a price tag of $18.5 million, it’s the city’s most expensive listing.

The southernmost house in the continental United States sits right next to the “Southernmost Point” buoy, where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Gulf of Mexico, a landmark that draws crowds of tourists.

A plaque on the outside wall of the property denotes its status as indeed the southernmost home.

‘Amazing property’

“It’s an amazing property that’s really hard to find, especially in Key West, because most waterfront properties are either hotels or parts of a Navy base,” explains listing agent Ellen Gvili, with Ocean Sotheby’s International Realty. “To find a private residence right on the ocean is very hard to find.”

Built in 1958, the elegant home has five bedrooms and 5.5 bathrooms. There are wood accents in the main living spaces as well as the covered outdoor areas.

The chef’s kitchen has a cathedral ceiling, and the living and dining areas feature glass doors to the outdoor pool.

Outside, the pool overlooks the open water and the pool deck has a colorful mosaic noting “North America begins here.”

“My favorite part of the house is the location and the views from the back porch and pool area,” Gvili says. “It’s the best view of the Gulf and the Atlantic.”

The property could use some work and the seawall needs a partial restoration, the listing notes.

The Army Corps of Engineers has green-lit the construction of a dock on the property. The approval letter conveys with the sale.

The home is licensed to be used as a nightly rental (the current owners have used it as their primary residence, however), and it’s located in a commercially zoned area. The buyer could turn the place into a museum or something else.

Public records show Joyce H. Johnson as the owner. Also known as Cecilia Joyce Johnson, she is the widow of sculptor John Seward Johnson II, who died in 2020 at the age of 89 and was a member of the Johnson and Johnson family, Gvili confirmed.

They bought the house in 1994 for $1.55 million.

Johnson II, aka Seward Johnson, was well-known for his life-sized statues of people, including Marilyn Monroe and a kissing couple in Sarasota, FL, as well as many others in Key West, including one at the Key West airport.