Vintage Splendor in this East Lakeview 3-Bedroom: 3314 N. Lake Shore Drive
This 3-bedroom in Le Griffon at 3314 N. Lake Shore Drive in East Lakeview just came on the market.
According to Chicago Apartments, Le Griffon was designed by L.G. Hallberg in 1916.
It was the first shoreline apartment high rise constructed north of North Avenue and was designed for the elites of the city.
It originally had just full floor flats which were 18 rooms and 5 bathrooms and were leased to Chicago’s most prominent merchant families.
The building is brick, glazed terra-cotta and gray limestone.
After the Great Depression, the units were split up into smaller units.
According to Chicago Apartments, by 1951, the building had 49 units.
It was converted into condos in 1983.
The listing says there are 28 units today.
This unit is part of the back of the building.
It has many of its original vintage finishes including a paneled living room with unique windows on two sides, built-in shelving, a wood burning fireplace and ornate plaster ceilings.
The unit also has a gallery style hall with a barrel ceiling.
It has a dry bar along with stained oak floors.
There’s a second wood burning fireplace in the primary suite which also has an attached, updated bath and 2 closets.
It has a second vintage-style bath.
The kitchen has white cabinets, stainless steel appliances, light granite counter tops with a full-height backsplash which overlooks the dining room.
It has central air, but no in-unit washer/dryer. There is a laundry room in the building.
This unit does have a rare on-site gated parking spot (it’s in the 2017 listing pictures).
It’s come on the market at $495,000.
Is this the perfect unit for those looking for affordable vintage?
Cairon Dietsch-Jones and Jason Roberts at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices have the listing. See the pictures and floor plan here.
Or see it at the open house on Sunday, Jan 31, from 10 am to noon.
Unit #9C: 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, 1350 square feet
- Sold in February 2003 for $330,000
- Sold in June 2005 for $478,000
- Sold in July 2015 for $434,000
- Sold in July 2017 for $464,000
- Currently listed at $495,000 (includes 1 gated parking space)
- Assessments of $1425 a month (includes heat, a/c, security system, cable, exterior maintenance, lawn care, scavenger, snow removal)
- Taxes of $7524
- Central Air
- No in-unit washer/dryer. Laundry room in the building
- 2 wood burning fireplaces
- Bedroom #1: 13×14
- Bedroom #2: 10×16
- Bedroom #3: 10×11
- Living room: 15×13
- Dining room: 11×12
- Kitchen: 13×9
- Foyer: 5×9
- Walk-in-closet: 6×3
Do we think the kitchen and baths were updated in 03/04?
If not, then it must have been the ’15 seller who lost $40k + the cost of the reno + realtor commission. OUCH!
The good: Gorgeous building. Lovely unit. Charming vintage features. Good Layout. New kitchen. Parking!
The bad: No in unit W/D. Mostly views of brick walls. Dated bathrooms.
The ugly: That assessment
I really like it, but I think it would bother me to live on LSD and NOT have a view of the lake.
“The ugly: That assessment”
While I would never purchase something with such a high assessment, it is pretty in line with other 3/2’s in highrises in the Lakeview and Lincoln Park area.
This appears to have some charm and perhaps be a bit of a bargain in a great building and location. A pity it’s not a front unit. I seldom see any front ones available at 3314, and can’t figure out why.
My wife and I toured one of the back units in the late 1990s and were unimpressed. It was quite obvious it had once been part of a bigger unit that got chopped up. The photos from the unit presented here make it hard to tell if that’s the case with this one. I’d have to be there to see.
The problem with this unit, to me anyway, is to live on LSD and have no lake view. I guess that explains the discount. A front unit like this would probably fetch over $700,000.
About the assessment – it’s a bargain for a unit and building like this. Check the ones down the road at 3750 and 3500, for instance. And this unit includes deeded parking, a real rarity for vintage in the neighborhood and to me an incredible bargain.
“My wife and I toured one of the back units in the late 1990s and were unimpressed. It was quite obvious it had once been part of a bigger unit that got chopped up. The photos from the unit presented here make it hard to tell if that’s the case with this one. I’d have to be there to see.”
Dan #2: As it says in the post, the building was originally full floor units with 18 rooms and 5 bathrooms. So, yes, this one had been part of a bigger unit.
I’ve cribbed on a front unit at least one time before but it was a number of years ago.
The layouts are difficult because the front rooms in the original floor plan were literally like ballrooms for very rich families.
So the front units are mostly 1-bedrooms with a huge living room and the dining room on the curve. And a second 1-bedroom with the living room on the other curve.
They couldn’t be chopped up easily so the layouts are all somewhat awkward.
“Do we think the kitchen and baths were updated in 03/04?”
I doubt they would have chose the white with light granite in 2004 as that wasn’t in then. So I would bet on 2015.
“So I would bet on 2015.”
My thought as well–hopefully they did it at the front of the trend and enjoyed it for a couple years, rather than just putting the $$ to sell.
“I seldom see any front ones available at 3314, and can’t figure out why.”
Sold in ’17, Combined front unit with pix:
https://www.redfin.com/IL/Chicago/3314-N-Lake-Shore-Dr-60657/unit-4AB/home/13374699
“I seldom see any front ones available at 3314, and can’t figure out why.”
Sold in ‘198, a 1bed front unit with pix:
https://www.redfin.com/IL/Chicago/3314-N-Lake-Shore-Dr-60657/unit-8B/home/13375176
If your search is for units with more than one bedroom, and less than $1m, I think that excludes almost every front unit.
Here’s an (the?) exception:
https://www.redfin.com/IL/Chicago/3314-N-Lake-Shore-Dr-60657/unit-8A/home/13375177
Sold in ’16–was contingent 17 days after list. Includes a floorplan!
“Do we think the kitchen and baths were updated in 03/04?”
Based upon the MLS history photos, this kitchen isn’t new. They painted the dark cabinets, replaced dark granite, lowered the peninsula bar height, and replaced appliances, but that’s it. The kitchen dates at least to the early 00’s.
“They painted the dark cabinets, replaced dark granite, lowered the peninsula bar height, and replaced appliances, but that’s it.”
Interesting!
But that’s still…with that amount of stone…$15k? More?
Wow! Love the building. Certainly charming with dual fireplaces. Seems like the bathrooms both require some renovation work and the place needs a top to bottom repaint to lighten it up. I wonder why sellers don’t bother to repaint to freshen up before a resale to make it more appealing, especially for a $500k property. Does anyone know when the kitchen and bathrooms were last updated? Is the outdoor parking covered? The assessments do seem a bit pricey for a1350 sq. ft. unit. I like the high ceilings too but are the bedrooms small? Other units in the C tier seem to have 2 bedroom floor plans. Is there a doorman as well? Seems like there should be for the amount of the monthly assessment. The lack of an unit washer dryer could be a deal breaker for me and it doesn’t seem like the building allows them which is unfortunate. Excellent points on the lack of views from the forum but if the unit was updated and the price a bit lower I might be onboard!