Hidden Mansion With a Pool and 2 Kitchens in the Middle of North Center: 3540 N. Ravenswood

This 6-bedroom home at 3540 N. Ravenswood in North Center may appear to be a warehouse or industrial building from the street (if you look on google maps) but once you step inside you’ll find a contemporary mansion with amenities nearly unheard of in the middle of the city.

Built in 2007, the steel and masonry 9000 square foot house has 10-foot ceilings and central air.

It also has 2 kitchens that, as you can see from the pictures, are decked out with luxury finishes including stainless steel appliances.

The buyer can also enjoy the master suite which measures 22×50.

But what sets it apart is the indoor pool, hot tub, sauna and the outdoor basketball court in the backyard.

No need to join a gym if you live here.

It also has a 4-car attached garage.

The property is on a 50×125 lot.

Sophia Klopas at Koenig & Strey has the listing. See the pictures and a virtual tour here.

3540 N. Ravenswood: 6 bedrooms, 6 baths, 9000 square feet, 4 car parking

  • I couldn’t find any original sales price but it appears to have been built in 2007
  • Currently listed for $3.75 million
  • Taxes of $13,329
  • 2 Kitchens
  • Indoor Pool

55 Responses to “Hidden Mansion With a Pool and 2 Kitchens in the Middle of North Center: 3540 N. Ravenswood”

  1. Very swank bachelor’s pad. Billy Dec’s?

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  2. THIS is a Crib, MTV style.

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  3. Here are some more pictures – cool place.
    Wonder if being sandwiched between the Metra and the el is an issue here.

    http://chicagohomeaddition.com/?p=4

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  4. This place must be owned by an athlete!

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  5. Very sweet place for someone who wants to have a crapload of kids.

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  6. Is that an entire family of polar bears on the floor in the MBR?

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  7. I guess this answers the question of what to do with the 7000 sq-ft firehouse on Roosevelt.

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  8. GIMME

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  9. Is it a house or small grade school?

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  10. a rooftop basketball full court=SOLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  11. That’s a lottery home.

    Haven’t fully scrutinized all the photos, but seems maybe a little lacking in outside light. Maybe there are skylights etc. that are not always visible.

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  12. it looks like almost full size, too! I bid 4 million of someone else’s money.

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  13. Wonderful! Although, the lack of full sized windows would eventually make me go crazy. I understand the slot windows are needed for privacy, but for $4M, I want windows!

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  14. “Haven’t fully scrutinized all the photos, but seems maybe a little lacking in outside light. Maybe there are skylights etc. that are not always visible.”

    Who cares, you’ll be sleeping all day with all the orgy parties you can throw at that place every night…

    yeah if I win the mega millions I know what pad i’d have in Chicago… full basketball court, indoor pool, oh my god!

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  15. can’t believe the court is on the roof. That is so awesome…

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  16. I really like modern, but some of those rooms feel a little too cold.

    Surely those taxes are going to get reset much, much higher.

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  17. yeah, something is totally wack about those taxes. they should have a big fat honkin’ disclaimer on that. shouldn’t this place been re-assessed when they got building permits?

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  18. Also I want to add this whole place looks like the entire ‘Florense’ showroom.

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  19. That’s not a house for kids, unless you’re talking about 25-year-old kids. It’s for a dude with an entourage.

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  20. “can’t believe the court is on the roof. That is so awesome…”

    I wonder how bad the sound transfer is/isn’t.

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  21. As much as my husband would kill for that pool, even with the cash, I couldn’t live without windows and that close to the L.

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  22. This is clearly one of the most bubble of the bubble properties featured on CC.

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  23. HD- Its a private pimped out compound, what should the price be on this place? (probably geared towards an NBA player or rapper)

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  24. Or actually most likely a very highly paid Cubs player…

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  25. “I couldn’t live without windows and that close to the L”

    i SEE THE LESS WINDOWS = POSITVE!

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  26. I don’t know the price but it probably should have never, ever, been constructed; especially West of Ashland. I could maybe see this built near the rest of the batcaves featured in CC in West town, or maybe in the west loop, river west, or south loop; or maybe even in wrigley for the i-banker types as a pimped out bachelor pad in a party athmosphere. This place is just flat out in the wrong neighborhood. Maybe even on a compound in humboldt with security gates and a fence; but and old factory at ashland and lincoln? I don’t konw, it just doesn’t seem right to me. I think that the 2007 conversion shows how easy money was back then.

    “#Sonies on March 31st, 2010 at 2:47 pm

    HD- Its a private pimped out compound, what should the price be on this place? (probably geared towards an NBA player or rapper)”

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  27. How many rappers or NBA are going to want to live near roscoe village? Is that area diverse and trendy enough to attract rappers and NBA players?

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  28. good luck to whomever owns this place…i don’t see how this ends well.

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  29. 2.5 mil at the most; its nice; if I won the lotto too, but there could be better for that kind of money. The bb court could double as a helicopter pad so this has been the place I have been waiting for, but HD is right location matters.

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  30. Like I said HD, its probably best suited for a Cubs player since its less than a mile from Wrigley Field and is a very private, yet city residence.

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  31. danny (lower case D) on March 31st, 2010 at 6:40 pm

    The “endless” pools kind of freak me out. It’s like a treadmill type nightmare that you can never win.

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  32. My questions is do the windows function? I can live with the limited light coming into the LV and DR but an inabiiity to get fresh air in the home is a major drawback. One end of our loft is located directoly on the Lake Street el. We are 30 feet aboove the train which helps lower the echo noise from below but we still keep the windows open as much as possible. They were open last night and this morning I learned that I slept better than my 6 month old baby. (she was up twice) To me there is nothing better than feeling that beautiful spring air while you sleep. FYI CCer’s you have all beaten back another winter in Chicago!

    Although the neighborhood is pretty unusual for this kind of development there are a number of unique properties along that stretch of Ravenswood. $3.75 seems but of touch but if I could I would. I’d immediately change out the B.B court in fear that O’Bama and Rahm Emanuel would be calling to come over for a pick up game.

    Maybe I could borrow that outdoor hot tub from the rooftop pad on Addison. The new owners of both pads should host a competition to see who could have a better after party when Tai’s till 4 closes. They are each located about the same walking distance from that bar.

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  33. I live near here and have been dying to see the inside. Wow. Love it. Tons of cubs players in the neighborhood already and I definitely see one of them going for this. There are several very interesting homes up and down Ravenswood so I don’t think it’s the ‘wrong’ neighborhood for this.

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  34. Such a small niche market to be targeting primarly and specifically Cubs players, NBA players or rappers. The guy who currently owns this is a kool-aid drinking RE guy himself, not an athlete to whom everyone thinks he should sell.

    To put this into perspective, Rex Grossman, the former Bears QB, spent only $2.68 million to buy his Trump Tower condo. As you already know, that didn’t end well, and he eventually sold it for a loss, recouping only $2,000,000. So, I think that $3.75 for a Cubs player is wishful thinking.

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  35. Really honedelete? I don’t think 3.75 mil is much of a stretch for many of these cus players…..

    http://www.sportscity.com/MLB/Chicago-Cubs-Salaries

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  36. No way taxes are that low- they appear to be “new.” PIN is 14-19-404-001-0000. Shady sales history, too. No tax info- at all- shows up when you type the PIN into cookcountytreasurer.com

    Strange….

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  37. Alternate address is 1804 W Eddy. PIN is 14-19-402-032-0000. 2009 assessment went *down* from the ’08 assessment. Still listed as a multi-unit with the assessor.

    “shouldn’t this place been re-assessed when they got building permits?”

    Why–even if they got permits–would they get permits that say it’s being converted? Have you never had the “this will be harder and more expensive if you get permits” conversation with a contractor?

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  38. that hipster bike in the pictures from the link above says it’s not a rapper or sports type.

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  39. 2009 Chicago Cubs Salaries

    Player

    Salary
    Alfonso Soriano $19,000,000
    Carlos Zambrano $18,875,000
    Aramis Ramirez $16,750,000
    Kosuke Fukudome $14,000,000
    Ryan Dempster $13,500,000
    Derrek Lee $13,000,000
    Ted Lilly $13,000,000
    Carlos Silva $12,750,000
    John Grabow $3,750,000
    Xavier Nady $3,300,000
    Marlon Byrd $3,000,000
    Ryan Theriot $2,600,000
    Carlos Marmol $2,125,000
    Jeff Samardzija $1,000,000
    Mike Fontenot $1,000,000
    Aaron Miles (team owes) $1,000,000

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  40. Riz: Maybe the Realtor(tm) should get out the phone book and start cold calling the 16 players who make over a mil? Hang outside the stadium and pass out MLS hotsheets on this house? Throw an invitation only party for the players in the house with a hard sell, sort of like a time share in Mexico does?

    I never said that Cubs players couldn’t afford a $3.75 mil house, I said that to put things in perspective, Rexy lost $680k on his real estate purchase of only $2,68, which he bought for over a million less than this home is listed for.

    I love the ridiculous comments that “rich people this” and “rich people that”, or when some poster says “this million dollar home is perfect for a rich person who does ________________ (fill in the blank)”, I will always post my favorite quote from Only Yesterday, by F.L. Allen, when he speaks of the Florida land boom which preceded the Great Depression:

    ‘Home, Sweet Florida’

    “And exactly as the developers of the tropical wonderlands of Florida had learned that there were more land- speculators able and willing to gamble in houses intended for the polo- playing class than there were members of this class, so also those who carved out playgrounds for the rich in North Carolina or elsewhere learned to their ultimate sorrow that the rich could not play everywhere at once. And once more the downfall of their bright hopes had financial repercussions, as bankrupt developments led to the closing of bank after bank.”

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  41. And how many 9000 sqft completely newly pimped out, secluded private residences are there within city limits?

    This isn’t some POS McMansion in OIP or Bronzeville, not that I would think it will sell at nearly 4 million bucks, but you’d be surprised

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  42. homedelete, i see your point. it’s just that i feel whether it sells to a cub or not, there are probably plenty of people who could afford this place. it’s much more unique than your typical 3 mil property SFH that pops up on cribchatter or on the MLS.

    4 mil is a stretch, but i think 3 mil will definitely move this thing. 9k square feet with a pool and a basketball court in the city? that’s a tough find. especially with such well done construction. grossman definitely took a bath, but he also bought a unit in the most overhyped building in this city. if someone goes and buys a similar unit in the ritz development today, they will take a bath too.

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  43. The number of properties in the city like this is virtually unlimited at 3.75 mil. All you need is 3.75 mil, a 50×125 lot, a hefty donation to an alderman for a zoning change, and, the will to build such a monstrosity in such a location. Really. This seller won’t be losing money at 3.75 mil.

    There is the worlds largest and most luxurious mall built in china right now. Its been 99pc empty for 5 years now. Just bewcause you build something doesn’t mean its a good idea. This property is the same as the mall except on a smaller scale.

    The developer of this properties built strip malls for gods sake and its no surprise he developed this 3.75 mil disaster too.

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  44. Surprisingly, I totally agree with HD on this one. For $3.75 million, you could pretty much build yourself this place (or one exactly tailored to your crazy whims) almost anywhere in the city, and definitely in North Center/Ravenswood. No, I have no basis to really make that statement, but please — $3.75 million?!

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  45. http://www.chicagobreakingbusiness.com/2010/04/former-bull-ben-wallace-loses-1m-on-lake-forest-home.html

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  46. HD:

    The Tribune’s Elite Street column has been documenting all of the losses of professional athletes since they started that column a few months ago. It makes for an interesting read.

    I don’t recall them ever writing about an athlete who MADE money. They have all lost (some more than others.)

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  47. Matt Garrison on April 2nd, 2010 at 2:51 am

    It generally doesn’t make sense for an athlete to buy. Unless they plan on residing in city after their playing days are over. Renting makes more sense given the short time horizon. I helped an athlete weigh his options last year, ended up renting a unit at Trump for 50% of cost of purchasing similar unit (even at 40% off peak pricing).

    Of course most of these athletes get real estate agents pushed on them by people around them who do not give them good advice.

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  48. I like photos 8 & 7, the bookshelves with no books. Reading is for nerds!

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  49. Damn this place still gets my heartbeat into overdrive each time I see the photos. I’d take this over the place featured today at Irving and Western Ave 100 out of 100 times. Super cool place with an excellent layout. This rooftop would even be cooler than the EBC club on a sunny Friday afternoon!

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  50. I am the listing agent on this property, the home was NOT built by strip mall developer nor owned by one. The home was not and is not being targeted to athletes of any variety (although several have come through) … It is a hip family with 4 children. The windows DO open and there is very little sound transmission when playing BB on roof-deck. The building existed and the foundation remains in tact from its original nail factory history. The 2009 property taxes ARE assessed.
    From it’s location you are smack dab in the middle of Southport Corridor and ROscoe Village, take your pick. You are 3 minute walk to the blue line annd a 5 minute bike ride to Wrigley. It may not be the home for everyone, but it’s way cool….
    Happy New Year

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  51. The three most important things when marketing real estate: location, location, location!

    And when that doesn’t work, its price, price and price.

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  52. danny (lower case D) on December 26th, 2010 at 11:56 pm

    Sophia… I think you meant the Brown line.

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  53. Yes Danny, Thank-you Brown Line….

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  54. Hey, this one sold for $2.4m in Jun-13.

    Taxes up to $17,500 last year.

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