Livin' on the Edge: Southernmost Home in Continental U.S. Listed for $18.5M

The backyard has a marker that reads, "North America begins here."

July 18, 2024

Image: Backyard of waterfront Key West home

The continental U.S.'s southernmost home is for sale for $18.5 million. Ocean Sotheby's International Realty listing photo

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A Key West house with the ultimate bragging rights has hit the market.

Just steps away from the anchored concrete Southernmost Point Buoy, the southernmost home in the continental U.S. — you literally cannot get any further south unless you are going to Cuba — is for sale for $18.5 million. The backyard has a marker that reads, "North America begins here."

The 4,008-square-foot, five-bedroom, five-and-a-half-bathroom historic waterfront home at 400 South St. features unobstructed ocean views, wooden cathedral ceilings, sealed coral stone flooring, an elevator, restaurant-style stainless steel double Viking stove and ovens, a Sub-Zero fridge, a large wraparound balcony, pool, and a spacious lounging area.

"As you enter through the front door into a formal living room, you are transported back to the Hemingway era," the listing reads.

Monroe County property records show the property belongs to Cecilia Joyce Johnson — the wife of late sculptor and Johnson & Johnson heir John Seward Johnson II, who died at age 89 in Key West in March 2020. The couple had purchased the home in 1994 for $1.5 million, according to property records.

Listing agent Ellen Gvili of Ocean Sotheby's International Realty notes part of the home needs a complete renovation and the 1,930-square-foot seawall requires partial restoration. A letter from the Army Corps of Engineers approved the construction of a 665-square-foot dock on the property.

click to enlarge