For Modern Fans: A 3-Bedroom Atrium Townhouse Is Available in Kenwood: 1380 E. Madison Park

This 3-bedroom in the Atrium Townhouses on Madison Park at 1380 E. Madison Park in Kenwood has been on the market since April 2011.

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In that time it has been reduced $11,000.

Designed by Y.C. Wong, known as a Mies van der Rohe protege, in 1961, the townhouse has floor to ceiling windows that open onto a private central courtyard.

“It was straight out of the work of Mies, without any of the stylistic mannerisms of Mies’ work,” said George Danforth, professor emeritus of architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology. “In my mind, the difference came in the matter of scale.”

There was consistent use of materials in Mr. Wong’s work. His Atrium Homes in Hyde Park feature severe tan brick walls, beams for cornices and simple doors that earned his designs praise in the American Institute of Architects’ Guide to Chicago as “the ultimate in reticence.”

Mr. Wong came to the United States in 1948, three years after receiving a bachelor of science degree in architecture from the National Central University of Nanjing, China. He studied under Mies at IIT, working on the landmark Farnsworth House in Plano. He earned a master of science degree from IIT in 1951.

“Dear Mr. Wong,” Mies later wrote in his characteristically clipped style, “you know the aims of our work, its principles and its methods. That is all we could give you. To accept them, use and develop them, is left to you.”

Mr. Wong kept the note for the rest of his life.

He worked briefly at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and at C.F. Murphy & Associates before starting his own firm in 1959. His earliest work was the Atrium Homes on East Madison Park in Hyde Park, which won an award from the Chicago chapter of the American Insitute of Architects. He built more than 45 homes around the city, including more than 30 units of public housing in Hyde Park that have become a part of the landscape there. He designed the atrium-style library in Lansing and other distinctive buildings in Chicago and the suburbs.

Y.C. Wong died in 2000. You can read more on him from the Chicago Tribune here.

But the townhouses live on.

This townhouse is unique because only 2 of them were built with basements and this is one of them.

The townhouse also has central air and one car assigned parking.

Will someone with some vision and a love for modernism get a deal on this townhouse?

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Jeanne Spurlock at Century 21 Kennedy Ryan has the listing. See more pictures here.

1380 E. Madison Park: 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, 1400 square feet, 1 car parking

  • I couldn’t find a prior sales price
  • Originally listed in April 2011 for $369,000
  • Reduced
  • Currently listed for $358,000
  • Assessments of $117 a month
  • Taxes of $4588
  • Central Air
  • Bedroom #1: 15×15
  • Bedroom #2: 10×14
  • Bedroom #3: 10×11

56 Responses to “For Modern Fans: A 3-Bedroom Atrium Townhouse Is Available in Kenwood: 1380 E. Madison Park”

  1. If I were looking for a hyde park/kenwood address and have the extra funds for a renovation, I’d take this in a heartbeat. its pretty cool.

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  2. wow this one didn’t age well

    doesn’t help that the previous owners didn’t really keep it updated

    no way in hell this sells for 350k, maybe 200k tops

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  3. weird bendiness to some of those photos. esp the master bedroom

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  4. This is a beautifully-designed modern house. I like the sheltered feel of the atrium, and the way it seems to be part of the living room.

    But the house needs a lot of updating. The asphalt tile, wood paneling, and dreary, dated kitchen and bath need replacing, and the place most likely needs winterization.

    And the place is rather small.

    $300K.

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  5. 1400 + the basement, I hope.

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  6. I love it but would be concerned about safety.

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  7. Price is Delusional,
    total gut and it could be a modernist masterpiece,
    215000

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  8. I love that it has a fortress-like exterior.But I’m anti-social.

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  9. From the outside, the architecture reminds me of some of the public bathrooms in Lincoln Park.

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  10. Yikes…this is a real eyesore. I really don’t understand the appeal of “modernist” architecture built during the post-WWII era, especially when applied to residential structures. Really bland and soulless designs IMO. Way overpriced at the current asking price, although from the comments here I’m guessing there will be someone out there that will like it and will be willing to overpay.

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  11. Interesting story, but your only view for 358K is onto a glorified airshaft? Think of how depressing that would be in the winter.

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  12. This home is way overpriced considering the current condition and neighborhood. If they put this in Glenview and I would buy it tomorrow and put in a ton of cash to make it incredible. A simple second story on one portion of the home with a balcony overlooking that courtyard would be fantastic. That would open up more of the first floor for entertaining areas and a better kitchen space. I have a similar design in my head for a structure in Park Ridge but I’m told that it would never pass their strict architectural committee.

    I think that this type of design is very cool and enjoy the great light from multiple sides of a room. Don’t even get me started about the protected courtyard area. That cross ventilation could be amazing!

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  13. “That cross ventilation could be amazing!”

    Are there actually windows on the other side?

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  14. I love the atrium! Completely private outdoor space in the city is rare. However, this place seems very overpriced for the work that needs to be done.

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  15. “Are there actually windows on the other side”

    Anon – no it does not look like it on this home. But in the home that I’ve designed in my head and on simple sketches it would have them. I have been in similar courtyard homes that added long horizontal operable windows located high on the outer wall that provide excellent cross vent as well as keeping the modern lines. I think that in order to be effective they would need to be motorized which makes them quite expensive.

    Someday I will build that home. Someday…

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  16. “I have been in similar courtyard homes that added long horizontal operable windows located high on the outer wall that provide excellent cross vent as well as keeping the modern lines. I think that in order to be effective they would need to be motorized which makes them quite expensive.”

    A modernist take on a Lloyd Wright Usonian House? But town(row)hous-y rather than sfh?

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  17. This honestly reminds me of 1960s British public housing. It could be an amazing place if updated in keeping with the original design, but it would take a lot of cash.

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  18. This home makes me want to kill myself.

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  19. Bob 2 (Not Bob) on June 8th, 2011 at 12:13 pm

    “This honestly reminds me of 1960s British public housing.”

    from Sabrina’s blurb:

    “He built more than 45 homes around the city, including more than 30 units of public housing”

    I can appreciate Mies, even enjoy his work, but Wong just seems like a bad rip off even if he did work for Mies for a while. Would be a waste to pump money into this place.

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  20. The listing price makes it obvious they are hoping that someone pays for the potential of this place, not its current condition. With that being said, someone with a vision to restore this home into a modern beauty should pay a cent over $250K… the future owner will be charged with the task of undoing 50 years of neglect and poor design, which will cost a pretty penny when it is all said and done.

    IMO it is a great property, extremely unique, has great potential and is in an incredible location. Hopefully the new owner will know what to do with it.

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  21. “anon (tfo) on June 8th, 2011 at 10:24 am

    1400 + the basement, I hope.”

    That is correct

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  22. “BettyBoop on June 8th, 2011 at 10:38 am

    I love it but would be concerned about safety.”

    Why exactly? This is a great neighborhood and the home is essentially a fortress.

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  23. “This honestly reminds me of 1960s British public housing.”

    Because the dude built 1960s American public housing.

    I dunno I am nostalgic for this place because it reminds me of my frat house..and man we beat the crap out of that frathouse.

    Still it’s funny they aren’t even willing to do the basics on this place like take down those hideous, early 1980s styled shelves or clean up the empty pots in the backyard.

    It is Hyde Park, so not the primest of locations. But there are a bit of high earners around here. It just needs one that likes it. I’m gonna guess 280k.

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  24. Whatever you call it, Hyde Park is not that safe. And it’s the most boring neighborhood on the planet.

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  25. Boring, sure. Unsafe? According to what criteria?

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  26. James, you are projecting because you are a racist person yourself, evidently. If I were concerned about black people, I wouldn’t live in old town, I would live in Arlington heights. But, the safety part is all those windows on the first floor and basement. All someone has to do is get in that courtyard that has criminal intent (criminal being the key word here, not black), and game would be over. That is what I am talking about. They could cut that glass and be inside in a heartbeat.

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  27. well point here is that there’s somebody out there who will like this place enough that it should sell. Maybe not at anywhere near asking, but still….

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  28. “All someone has to do is get in that courtyard that has criminal intent (criminal being the key word here, not black), and game would be over. That is what I am talking about. They could cut that glass and be inside in a heartbeat.”

    So all they have to do is scale your house, climb over your roof, jump into your courtyard, cut the glass… then they would be inside in a heartbeat? Come on, you’ve got to be messing with u

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  29. kenwood scores only moderately well on the Ganonies murderdex (higher # = more likely to be murdered over the last 3 years)

    4.10 Pullman
    3.84 McKinley Park
    3.73 Archer Heights
    3.36 Kenwood
    3.16 Ashburn
    2.98 Montclare
    2.70 West Town
    2.60 East Side
    2.55 Rogers Park

    price should reflect accordingly, I’m thinking $150 a sqft is generous for the condition of the property so $210k

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  30. glad i am sitting out this post listing.

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  31. sonies, is that for north kenwood and south kenwood together?

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  32. roma: “sonies, is that for north kenwood and south kenwood together?”

    It’s based on the 77 Community Areas.

    sonies: “I’m thinking $150 a sqft is generous for the condition of the property so $210k”

    Basement is worth something. certainly not the same $psf, but at something like $25k+, depending on how big it actually is.

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  33. that basement is creepy and reminds me of one of my inlaws basements in the north st. louis burbs

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  34. “roma on June 8th, 2011 at 1:21 pm

    sonies, is that for north kenwood and south kenwood together?”

    It is for all of Kenwood. When you look at the location of the incidents they are all concentrated in the 47th and Drexel corridors, both of which are 4+ blocks away from this property. This area of Kenwood is incredibly safe and shares more with Hyde Park than the outskirts of Kenwood. As a result, here is where Hyde Park ranks on the same “murder index”

    1.50 Irving Park
    1.49 Armour Square
    1.30 Clearing
    1.19 Dunning
    1.17 Hyde Park
    1.14 Belmont Cragin
    1.12 Near North Side
    1.12 North Park
    1.01 Lincoln Square

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  35. “that basement is creepy and reminds me of one of my inlaws basements in the north st. louis burbs”

    But, just as a storage unit replacement and root cellar, it has a meaningful value.

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  36. But James you were the only one inferring that black people were the reason someone would be scared to live here. And the only one who suggested someone who would be scared to live here wouldn’t be black. Or that black people are someone to be scared of. Or that non-black people are scared of black people. If that’s not making judgements about people based on race I don’t know what is.

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  37. I thought this particular part of town was much safer than the index showed

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  38. Forget the basement and add the second floor addition on half the unit. That would add space and make it a much more usable location. Also the average passer by has no idea that the middle is open. Sure you can tell that by google maps but many street criminals are not using this technology to case a home.

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  39. Well James, apparently you don’t live in Old Town but you sure do subscribe to “Stupid Cliche Magazine” where you lift all your boring material. Jennifer, thanks for having sense–but dont’ waste any more time on James since he’s 14 with bad acne and lives in his parent’s basement in Calumet City. This is a fact.

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  40. You’re funny,
    I Must have struck a truth nerve there,

    Im in Old Town quite often.
    Usually start with dinner at Orsos
    then over to UpDown for a Cigar

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  41. danny (lower case D) on June 8th, 2011 at 2:56 pm

    Irredeemably ugly! And I love modern homes and Mies.

    Has Sabrina ever done a listing for 860-880 N. LSD?

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  42. Has Sabrina ever done a listing for 860-880 N. LSD?

    http://cribchatter.com/?p=7590

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  43. 2 doors away.

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  44. Wong was one of several devoted disciples of Mies van der Rohe who also taught at IIT into 80s. IIT design instruction closely followed Mies’ original curriculum, to the extreme of seemingly copying Mies’ work.

    Wong built these townhouses for both himself (he and his family lived in unit w/basement) and did several speculative real estate developments much earlier than David Hovey of Optima. (They taught at IIT during same period too.) That courtyard is large enough to provide air, light, and beautiful landscape views for unit.

    These townhouses are within Madison Park enclave, a semi-gated beautiful street of vintage large co-ops and townhouses, within Hyde Park (50th to 51st Streets. Wong also did the larger townhouses/single-family house nearby.

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  45. Ah, Sonies, your in-laws have the misfortune to live in the north burbs of St. Louis, huh? Which one?

    Yes, this house really needs updating. Yet I find myself rather liking it even though dwellings like this are ordinarily not my style at all. Maybe it’s the totally enclosed inner court.

    I don’t think it’s ugly, just rather boring. The interior, though, looks awful. The baths are standard, ugly, and too small and the kitchen needs a gut.

    I’d like to see this place rehabilitated by someone who really loves modernism (not me). I think it could once more be an interesting, attractive house.

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  46. 4.10 Pullman
    3.84 McKinley Park
    3.73 Archer Heights
    3.36 Kenwood
    3.16 Ashburn
    2.98 Montclare
    2.70 West Town
    2.60 East Side
    2.55 Rogers Park1.50 Irving Park
    1.49 Armour Square
    1.30 Clearing
    1.19 Dunning
    1.17 Hyde Park
    1.14 Belmont Cragin
    1.12 Near North Side
    1.12 North Park
    1.01 Lincoln Square”

    It appears as the shades get lighter the murder rate drops. Big surprise.

    You can call me racist–I don’t care and am not a white apologist. I’d take Lincoln Square over Kenwood any day, not just for safety.
    Heck I’d take any predominantly white neighborhood in Chicago proper over any predominantly black one any day.

    Sorry your political correctness was not able to indoctrinate me: back to the drawing board to figure out how to waste more of society’s money to try to prevent future Bobs.

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  47. “developments much earlier than David Hovey of Optima.”

    Architect,

    the same optima over in evanston and skokie? i like the looks of the skokie but question the location. westside units would be the *only desirable ones i would think

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  48. Hovey’s Optima design/build business started in Hyde Park in late 70s. Hovey and Wong were both studio instructors at IIT at that time. By then, Wong had done several design/build projects in Hyde Park and Kenwood, but he remained a modest developer. Wong was very self-effacing and shy, but a nice man. Hovey has a phenomenal product, high-quality but comparably lower construction and development costs. I like his developments, and think they’ll “stand the test of time”.

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  49. What a disaster, this place, especially when all the rest of the long E-W block on both sides is wonderful elaborate old-style three story buildings. The contrast is shocking, and it makes me think that this modern brainwashing really started with the Modernist esthetic–the “less is more” movement, the glorifying of banal walls, the inability to speak about what has really happened to our inner cities. There are similar windowless houses on the S side of 55th W of “the toaster”. Those were rumored, perhaps maliciously but not unreasonably, to be housing for the blind. My dearest wish for HP is for all this crap to get bulldozed one day.

    Hyde Park will be ok as long as the U of C continues to be a good school, which is probably for the foreseeable future. But the U of C police force is the third most sizable in Illinois, after all.

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  50. And of course the Secret Service in fairly close proximity (along with city AND university police) adds to many people’s perception of the “safety” of HP/KW.

    Yes, Madison Park is a sort of “nabe within the nabe” that anyone with nefarious purpose would probably pass right by without even trying to invade. If you’ve lived in the area you’d understand.

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  51. Thanks for posting this listing. I used to live a couple of block from here and would pass all the time wondering what these buildings were. I had assumed they were either very large storage units or public housing considering the lack of windows (as seen from Dorcheste or “trespassing” through Madison Park). However, the yard always let me to believe they were storage units.

    I agree with ChiTownGal, Madison Park is most definitely a “nabe within the nabe” with some rather interesting houses and buildings. Regarding safety in the area, the only problem I had was when someone threw a brick through the front door and my guest bedroom.

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  52. This townhome needs a special buyer, where ideas are most important. This townhome is not a good candidate for adding windows or second stories, as additions would detract from the initial design. And yes, you either love it or hate it.

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  53. If you don’t love it, don’t buy it.

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  54. There are plenty of great townhomes with lots of windows that face the street and backyard designed by brand name architects in HP, that cost far less than this one.

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  55. Sold yesterday for $350,000

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  56. Yes, $350K. Guess some folks on here were just plain wrong.
    I live a few hundred feet from this and the neighborhood blows away many North Side areas. People just knee-jerk react when they hear “South Side”. OOOOOoooo scary. I have a North Side friend who was actually afraid to come to my house until I told her that crime was worse in her neighborhood. Ha. Hyde Park/Kenwood are two of the most exciting neighborhoods as far as what’s happening with development. Mostly because UC has nearly 6 Billion to burn.

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