2 1/2 Years Later, This Vintage 2-Bedroom Returns to the Market: 257 E. Delaware in the Gold Coast
We last chattered about this 2-bedroom in the small vintage building at 257 E. Delaware in the Gold Coast in December 2008 when it was bank owned.
See our December 2008 chatter here.
At that time, Laura thought it would sell between $300k and $350k.
It ended up selling for $375,000 just a month later.
Built in 1926, in a building with just 21 units, it has returned to the market and has many of the same vintage features as the prior listing.
If you recall, much of the wood paneling is still intact, including in the hallways, the dining room and a completely paneled second bedroom.
The kitchen even appears to have knotty pine cabinets. It also has stainless steel appliances.
There are 10 foot ceilings and herringbone floors.
The 2 fireplaces are decorative.
While there is no central air or deeded parking, there appears to be a washer/dryer in the unit.
The unit also may still have the rather unique second 1/2 bath (featured in the 2008 listing- but not present in any of the pictures this go around. Does it still look like this?)
Listed at $114,000 more than the January 2009 sale, will this unit command a premium to its 2009 price?
Patrick Lynch at Prudential Rubloff has the listing. See the pictures here.
Unit #2BD: 2 bedrooms, 1.5 baths, no square footage listed
- Sold in February 1988 (I couldn’t find a price)
- Bank owned in July 2008
- Was listed in August 2008 for $521,900
- Reduced several times
- Sold in January 2009 for $375,000
- Sold again in April 2009 for $395,000 (?)
- Currently listed for $489,000
- Assessments of $1110 a month (includes heat)
- Taxes of $5841
- No central air
- Washer/Dryer in the unit
- No parking
- Bedroom #1: 16×15
- Bedroom #2: 16×12
“Does it still look like this?”
I hope they at least installed a toilet seat. Unless that is for a bidet only?
How do you flush that thing? And please tell me that the water does not look yellow? (Maybe I need to adjust the settings on my screen?)
so ho many owners lived here in two years?
Beautiful – like a cabin in the city!!
needs to be gutted except for the floors and ceiling in that bedroom with the fireplace. Does nothing for me. PASS
Question you gold coasters,
Do you get a good enough lake breeze to keep a comfortable in unit temp on the hot and humid days? or comfortable enough where you just need a small window AC in the bedroom?
“Do you get a good enough lake breeze to keep a comfortable in unit temp on the hot and humid days”
No – the new owners need to/should put in central air (it probably will cost 10-20k) but can be negotiated with the price when buying the unit.
“Groove77 on May 3rd, 2011 at 6:56 am
Question you gold coasters,
Do you get a good enough lake breeze to keep a comfortable in unit temp on the hot and humid days? or comfortable enough where you just need a small window AC in the bedroom?”
having lived along the lake, every summer will have at least a few days during which you’ll want an AC especially since given the vagaries of the wind, canyon wind tunnel effect, etc. you may never get a breeze through your windows no matter which way the wind blows.
(whether you’re happy with just a small unit in one room is your preference. for me, i was generally happy keeping the AC on at 78 and cracking open my front door….that would create a nice cross-breeze—though your guests/significant other may disagree.
“And please tell me that the water does not look yellow? (Maybe I need to adjust the settings on my screen?)”
That picture of the bathroom is from the foreclosure listing. Those who look at foreclosures can attest to seeing much worse things than this.
At most: 2 X per month during peak summer have I needed air-conditioning with lake breeze more than adequate. Mostly it is needed to keep the humidity more under control. With windows open however there is more grime.Central air would be a must for most people however.
Oh yes: I think this unit is very interesting and will go for 400-430 range rather quickly
Thanks Ed, Clio, and I Dont Comment Often,
I know my buddy in the early 2000’s lived on LSD further up north and he only had a window unit in his bedroom for sleeping.
the place was always comfortable only once i went there on a 100+ heat advisory day and it was rough so i left to eat dinner in a nice AC restaurant then went home. He said it didnt bother him, but F-dat i dont want to sit around with soaking ballz technology is so far passed a humans having swalls.
This is a great looking unit. I disagree with the poster who said it needs to be gutted. The only thing I’d change are the kitchen cabinets.
Given that this unit is probably about $150,000 overpriced, and that the owner is an LLC (414 DEV LLC) with a $102,000 recorded mortgage, I imagine this will sell rather quickly after numerous quick price drops to generate some interest. $380k by the end of the summer. And that’s being generous.
its
“swass” groove… not swalls LOL
as for this place, yeah its nice but I wouldn’t pay 4k a month to live here
lot of potential to be a nice place, very spacious but the killer with this unit is you’re paying almost 500k + 1100 a month assessments for 2 bedrooms and 1.5 baths
i wonder why this building is “truly landmarked”
Groove: Lived at 900/910 LSD for many years. Vehicle noise from LSD discourages using opening windows for ventilation, and windows alone won’t cool or dehumidify apartment. Hum from all the air-conditioning units creates its own ambient background noise during summer. We rarely opened windows; some buildings’ windows are hardly operably anyways and may have only ventilation grilles.
This featured unit looks like it’s been chopped out of a grander original unit. Look at the room configurations; seem more appropriate to a 50s/60s high-rise building.
It looks like a pine tree threw up in that unit.
“This featured unit looks like it’s been chopped out of a grander original unit. ”
A full-floor also on the market:
http://www.redfin.com/IL/Chicago/257-E-Delaware-Pl-60611/unit-3/home/12963082
$1.55m
anon – when I was looking for my in-town I saw that unit – it WAS beautiful – but the layout was very strange (the bedrooms were in a maze of a hallway and interconnected through weird passages). However, most importantly, were the facts that there was absolutely NO view, NO private outdoor space, NO parking, NO great building amenities, and the price was very high – it would make a great in-town for someone who didn’t care about value/money, etc. – but there are much better deals out there.
Is this a garden-level condo?
Architect,
I agree the noise and silt/grime are a pain with open windows on low floors on a main street. I rented a apartment one building off a four coner main street intersection that was one mile up from a hospital. I KNOW NOISE, DIRT AND GRIME.
the thing though was on LSD it wasnt that bad the noise and soot, but then again it wasnt my place and i didnt live there so i cant say what the day to day was like.
just always wonder why many condos closer to the lake havent upgrade to C/A? i just assume its the lake breeze?
“its
“swass” groove… not swalls LOL”
We use SWASS only for humid rainy days, swalls for all other applications. LOL now we hit the off topic pinnacle.
I looked at a rental further close to Belmont on LSD this past weekend. It had central AC, but was really hot due to the sunlight. Have any of you lived in those kinds of places? While the view was great, how do you manage the sun and temps with window to floor windows from the 70s?
err, *floor to ceiling windows*.
“While the view was great, how do you manage the sun and temps with window to floor windows from the 70s?”
Uhhhh – only five choices:
1. Close the blinds/drapes
2. Buy partially see-through drapes/blinds and keep them closed.
3. live with the heat
4. turn your thermostat to 60 and pay 500/month in electricity.
5. move
Like everything else in life, the answers are not that hard for even a simpleton to figure out – and there are no magic answers that will let you have your cake and eat it too.
The agent’s listing says 1.1 Bath. What is .1 Bath?…lol
This unit might work in Paris, but not sure it will have much appeal in Chicago. I’d say it will sell south of 400K. Also it has a pretty big assessment for not much. Maybe an old person who does not drive any more would like this place?!
“The agent’s listing says 1.1 Bath. What is .1 Bath?”
Half bath, done so that if you have two half baths, it’s .2, rather than a misleading “1”.
I am tired of looking at shabby units. Looking at CC, one gets the feeling Chicago only has old condos with no parking, A/C or W/D or unattractive worker cottages.
miumiu – old people are very careful with their money – and rich old people would not live here. I think this place is best for some “non-traditional” single or childless couple still into the city life with definite unique style identities….
This building was originally built having one unit per floor. In the 60s or 70s it was divided into 3 units per floor as rentals. After it went condo some owners began buying their neighboring units and putting them back together as designed. I think about 5 floors are completely reassembled.
“now we hit the off topic pinnacle.”
yeah its pretty much downhill from here
Interesting condo, I love woodwork, but pine woodwork and trim was traditionally painted (oak and other hardwoods were stained), so this unit looks odd with unpainted, unstained (?) woodwork. Pine kitchen cabinets are a nonstarter, as they are much too soft for daily use and soon look grungy.
I love the floors. I wonder how much it would cost to do herringbone these days rather than just straight or god forbid – diagonal. That pine panel front dishwasher has me chuckling though. It is really silly looking.
This place is great.
Groove and Sonies – now you triggered memories of Alec Baldwin as baker Pete Shwetty on SNL…
http://meatyballsmobile.com/
roma,
have you had the tied balls oops it Thai’d balls? they are awesome!!
he has been hitting the north and NW side. a buddy that works on the northside called me up and said meet him for a meat ball lunch. I was happy i drove up that way!
Didn’t see this post until just this minute.
I see that not only did someone pay $25K to $50K more than I thought it would sell for, but that someone paid $20K more a year later. But I wonder at $489K. Will someone really want to pay nearly $100K more for the place, seeing that it sold for $395K in a falling market.
Admittedly, this really is a beautiful apartment in a lovely building in the best location in the city, and that is worth a lot. A stable condo or coop association is worth a lot, too.
Love the well-proportioned rooms, the herringbone parquet, and the huge, beautiful master bath.
Really would show better if somebody would be bothered to install a seat & lid on the half-bath WC. Why doesn’t the agent do this? It would cost about $15 and a half-hour’s work. The maintenance guy would do it for $20, no doubt. Amazes me that the agent would post a lavish photo spread and ignore this, very sloppy.
I don’t know what this will sell for, but I’ll be interested to see if it sells for anywhere near the ask.