A $5.5 Million Penthouse in Chicago’s Hottest Neighborhood: 900 W. Washington in the West Loop
This 5-bedroom duplex penthouse at 900 W. Washington in the West Loop came on the market in April 2019.
900 W. Washington is a new construction luxury building which has 22 units and a parking garage. It doesn’t have a doorman and no other amenities (such as an exercise room, pool etc.)
There are 2 penthouses.
Unit PH-902 sold in September 2019 for $5,719,999.
This penthouse has 2 massive terraces including a 43×10 south facing terrace and a 10×34 west facing terrace.
Four of the bedrooms are on the second floor with the fifth on the main level. The living/dining rooms and kitchen are also on the main level.
The kitchen has Scavolini cabinets and Subzero/Wolf appliances.
The baths are marble and Silestone with radiant heated polished concrete floors.
It has private elevator access.
The unit has central air and washer/dryer in the unit. Parking is available for purchase.
We first chattered about this building when the units were listed in April 2019. Back then, some of you thought the price points in this building, which were all above $1 million, were silly for the neighborhood.
See our April 2019 chatter here.
But the Unit PH-902 sale was the highest closing price ever for a property in the neighborhood.
Additionally, Dennis Rodkin at Crain’s just reported that a new construction luxury condo building on Peoria across from Mary Bartelme Park called “Peoria Green” originally was to have 20 units with 5 priced at $3 million to $3.5 million and 15 were to be much cheaper at $1.2 to $1.9 million.
But the developer sold 4 of the expensive units with weeks and late last year decided to redesign the building, adding 3 more expensive units over $3 million and are now selling just 9 at the lower price point.
With the 8 expensive units, they have sold all but one of the units over $3 million and haven’t even broken ground yet on the building.
At Peoria Green, the $3 million-and-up condos are 4,700 square feet with five bedrooms and 1,300 square feet of outdoor space. At under $2 million, they’re 2,350 square feet with four bedrooms and 240 square feet of outdoor space.
The larger units drew mostly buyers who have been living in the West Loop for a while and now have families, Robertson said. “They’ve been coming to us saying they want to stay in Skinner, but they can’t find something they like for north of $3 million.”
When the redesign was done, Robertson said, the sales team called some buyers who had previously missed out on the $3 million units and sold one quickly.
After a few early-January sales of lower-priced units, one Peoria Green unit is left to sell at $3 million-plus and one at a little over $1.67 million, Robertson said.
If the West Loop is the hottest luxury neighborhood in the city, which neighborhoods are they stealing upper bracket sales from?
Amy Pritchard at Jameson Sotheby’s has the listing. See the pictures here.
Unit PH-901: 5 bedrooms, 5.5 baths, 4949 square feet, duplex up
- Originally listed in April 2019 at $5.5 million
- Currently listed at $5.5 million
- Assessments of $1806 a month (includes security, exterior maintenance, scavenger, snow removal)
- Taxes are “new”
- Central Air
- Washer/dryer in the unit
- Parking is available
- Bedroom #1: 23×22 (second floor)
- Bedroom #2: 15×16 (second floor)
- Bedroom #3: 16×22 (second floor)
- Bedroom #4: 14×11 (second floor)
- Bedroom #5: 13×12 (main floor)
- Living/dining room: 32×33 (main floor)
- Kitchen: 28×16 (main floor)
- Walk-in-closet: 12×18 (second floor)
- Laundry: 8×5 (second floor)
$5.5MM for this??? And parking NIC?
I like polished concrete, but at this price point GTFO
Also if I’m dropping this much coin, a doorman is a must
These won’t age well. The new construction features inside them look nice but in 15 years they will have aged. There’s also basically unlimited land out in this area so developers can always just build more if the neighborhood keeps doing well.
That being said it’s human nature to want to be near water. It’s actually a key evolutionary trait and a big reason why by the water in almost all urban areas is the expensive land. I’d feel way more comfortable betting on gold coast streeterville maintaining value than west loop long term.
that is one seriously boring unit, for that price I would expect some sort of craftsmanship… polished cement floors, really? White paint? a few slabs of marble? GTFOOH!
Also the buildings exterior is ugly and boring. It would be depressing to live in this ugly box especially for that ridiculous price.
“The new construction features inside them look nice but in 15 years they will have aged.”
umm, isn’t that with everything.
Peak insanity in the West Loop here. $1800/month HOA just for the basics? No utilities included? No pool? No exercise room? No party or office room? Renting seems like such a better value than buying in this building.
Love the place, but can think of way better things to do with $5.5 million in Chicago. This ain’t New York…
“The larger units drew mostly buyers who have been living in the West Loop for a while and now have families, Robertson said. “They’ve been coming to us saying they want to stay in Skinner, but they can’t find something they like for north of $3 million.””
1. I question the judgment of any parents who earn enough to afford a $3,000,000+ home but choose to send their child to CPS;
2. This unit is not elementary school kid friendly, at all. Sharp corners, dangerous balcony(my kids would be throwing stuff off the balcony), concrete floors where my kids would smash their head and break their bones, and so on.
3. This is a very high end bachelor pad, and a nice one too, especially for this neighborhood with slightly older professionals, recent divorcees and the consciously uncoupled.
I seriously don’t understand the allure of the West Loop if you are not working for google/mcdonalds or one of the other companies located in the west loop. The place is still somewhat nasty/seedy with warehouses. The only draw is the bars/restaurants out there. No great parks, no great schools.
For the avg. professional working downtown, Gold Coast, Streeterville are much better locations that will hold their values or appreciate better (near work, near shopping on Michigan Ave, and near the Lake – assuming the water levels don’t continue flooding with global warming)
Love the place, but can think of way better things to do with $5.5 million in Chicago. This ain’t New York…
Not justifying the price but there isn’t a lot out there in the $4-6MM range and very little for Hi-rise.
“…assuming the water levels don’t continue flooding with global warming)…”
As little as 11,000 years ago, ‘gGlobal warming’ melted the the mile high glacier that became Lake Michigan. In fact, the shoreline of Lake Michigan used to be miles inland and retreated a little of the ensuing millennia. Most of the lake front used to be wetlands, as it still is in many places along the other Great Lakes, except for Chicago, which was swamp land at the confluence of the Chicago River and Lake Michigan that regularly flooded, as up further up north the lakeshore has more bluffs and hills and south and east were high sand dunes. Our early founders decided that it was best in the best interest of the growth of the city to fill in the swamp land. All that’s happening today is mother nature reclaiming was has been hers for thousands of years.
As for the west loop, it’s close to downtown with a vibrant scene of more often than not childless professionals with an urban, rather than neighborhood feel. I’ve known quite a few people over the years in the west loop, and it’s been 1/2 young couples and 1/2 divorcees returning to the city, looking to work long hours and be close to home and food.
HD, Lake Michigan used to be about 9 miles inland… In fact, Ridgeland Ave in Oak Park is named so because it used to be the shoreline of Lake Michigan.
“The entire village of Oak Park lies on the shore of ancient Lake Chicago, which covered most of the city of Chicago during the last Ice Age, and was the forerunner to today’s Lake Michigan. Ridgeland Avenue in eastern Oak Park marks the shoreline of the lake, and was once an actual ridge.”
Lake Michigan fluctuates greatly year after year, the water level was actually this high back in 1986
https://www.weather.gov/images/lot/events/LakeMI/LakeMIHighWater.png
NWS covers this and you can look up any historic charts from them
cold & Wet go together like hot and dry, Chicago is in a cold and wet period right now
The exterior of this building doesn’t say “home” to me. It looks like the suburban headquarters of some mid-sized industrial company. No thanks.
“The exterior of this building doesn’t say “home” to me. It looks like the suburban headquarters of some mid-sized industrial company. No thanks.”
Hahah, that’s right, I see buildings like this out by woodfield mall.
“I question the judgment of any parents who earn enough to afford a $3,000,000+ home but choose to send their child to CPS”
GTFOOH. Especially with this:
“my kids would be throwing stuff off the balcony”
Your kids sound like perfect candidates for CPS. Would have lots of friends.
Keeping in mind that “afford” $3m is what, a CPS principal + CPD/CFD lieutenant with a bunch of OT/side business. bc fakin it is a-ok.
“No great parks, no great schools.
For the avg. professional working downtown, Gold Coast, Streeterville are much better locations”
Skinner is better than Ogden, and WL is as good or better for accessibility to WY and Jones, and not much worse for Payton (compared to Streeter. GC best there, of course). What’s the “great school” in Streeterville?
Yes, you have the beaches for ~4 months a year, but the parks (aside from N portion of GC) are not actually that different.
And it all depends on what part of “downtown”. Standard Oil Blue Cross? Sure. East of State? Yeah, mostly. South Wacker/Sears Tower/Old Post Office? WL wins for a lot of specific location pairs.
“I question the judgment of any parents who earn enough to afford a $3,000,000+ home but choose to send their child to CPS”
Home Delete you talk a whole lotta shit but can you back it up?
I have to agree with HD….who the F is spending 3 million dollars on a condo and sending their kids to a public CPS school? LMAO.
“I have to agree with HD….who the F is spending 3 million dollars on a condo and sending their kids to a public CPS school? LMAO.”
Lots of people. Private schools aren’t as good as many of the CPS. The improvement in the schools has been a game changer. As I’ve said before, the quality of the schools wasn’t even an election issue in the last mayoral race.
My question is what do you do after Skinner?
“Chicago is in a cold and wet period right now”
Actually…no. We’re not.
Last year had the polar vortex and the record spring rains. But since then, not so much.
This winter is way above average for temperatures and we’ve hardly had any rain/snow. I don’t know if we’re under the average now, but we might be. (And I hope I’m not tempting the gods by what I just wrote as I know February is approaching. ha!)
But computer models are showing warmer than normal temps well into the first week of February.
“As for the west loop, it’s close to downtown with a vibrant scene of more often than not childless professionals with an urban, rather than neighborhood feel.”
It’s not childless. Not even close. You’re living in a world that existed 10 to 15 years ago.
The new building that is adding more $3 million units is across from a great children’s park that is crowded every weekend.
There has been demand for larger units in the West Loop for years because many of those urban professionals who first moved to the neighborhood wanted to stay but wanted more space. The townhouses are always really hot properties. There were bidding wars before they started building all the 3 and 4 bedroom condos which are “newer.”
“For the avg. professional working downtown, Gold Coast, Streeterville are much better locations that will hold their values or appreciate better”
Gold Coast is old. What’s the average age there now? 60? 65? 70? Somewhere in there.
No 9 Walton is one of the few “younger” buildings but even that likely skews much older (although the professional athletes who bought in there will at least bring the age below 50. Maybe.)
Streeterville skews younger, for sure. But it lacks any of the hot restaurants and has almost no bar scene.
“This is a very high end bachelor pad, and a nice one too, especially for this neighborhood with slightly older professionals, recent divorcees and the consciously uncoupled.”
Do you honestly think everyone working at Google, Dyson, McDonald’s and other businesses in the neighborhood are older?
Have you walked around the neighborhood lately?
I’m guessing the answer is “no.” That you have no idea who is hanging out at the Soho House or in the Hoxton lobby/coffee shop or in the new Timeout food hall.
But that’s what happens when you haven’t visited Chicago in several years. Neighborhoods change. In fact, many of the neighborhoods have changed dramatically since I first started writing this blog in 2007.
“There’s also basically unlimited land out in this area so developers can always just build more if the neighborhood keeps doing well.”
Where’s the “unlimited land”?
If you go much further west? Like past the United Center?
They are building all over this neighborhood but it’s mostly apartments or commercial buildings. The land prices are so high now that “affordable” condos are a thing of the past.
They’re building a 40-story building right on Randolph next to the new NOMI. That’s really going to change the nature of this neighborhood.
“Also if I’m dropping this much coin, a doorman is a must”
Agreed. I couldn’t imagine paying this much on a condo and NOT having a doorman.
“But that’s what happens when you haven’t visited Chicago in several years.”
I will commute to downtown Chicago nearly every day until the day that the Dirksen building is relocated to Arlington Heights. Which is basically never.
Its been a few months since I’ve been to the west loop, but not every Google employee lives in the west loop. I personally know people who work at both McDonalds and Dyson, as they live in my community and i see them on a regular basis at my childrens’ school functions, and they get to work at home 2x – 3x a week, because open office sucks, and those buildings aren’t large enough to accommodate all their staff in the same place at one time, and it’s such a pain to get to the office, especially for suburban people.
“Lots of people. Private schools aren’t as good as many of the CPS. The improvement in the schools has been a game changer. As I’ve said before, the quality of the schools wasn’t even an election issue in the last mayoral race.
My question is what do you do after Skinner?”
True, some schools have improved, but it’s still CPS. I seen them nutjobs protesting in the streets a few months ago, walking in front of my office building (I gave them the finger and told them to get back to work, they didn’t like that very much). No way I’m going to let those people indoctrinate my children with their nonsense.
The fact that you have to ask ‘what to do after skinner’ tells me the answer is not skinner in the first place. I already know where my kids are going to Jr high and high school. and on a weekly basis I meet people who themselves attended the very same schools, and moved back ‘home’ to send their own children to the same schools, because it works, there’s no CPS game playing. My children will have friends for life they met in Kindergarten that they will follow throughout all 12 years old schooling and probably follow half of them to U of I, at least the half of college students that stay in the state…
““I question the judgment of any parents who earn enough to afford a $3,000,000+ home but choose to send their child to CPS”
Home Delete you talk a whole lotta shit but can you back it up?”
I’m sorry, you’re right. I shouldn’t have used the plural of parents. ‘Tis not inclusive to assume that a child would have ‘parents’ in this day in age. It was presumptive of me to assume that a child has two parent(s) rather than just a single parent, like a single mom, or father who adopted a children, or even an individual who doesn’t identify as a parent, but instead identifies as a caretaker, guardian, or friendship/counseler, or even those families that have three parents, such as in cases with one sperm donor, one egg, and the third individual that carries the fetus to term. So presumptive of me to not be inclusive enough of the different types of families. I’m sorry if I offended, I will make sure to be more inclusive of the different family types next time I question the judgment of those that earn enough to afford a $3,000,000+ condo.
Man, HD, I once again feel your straight white man pain!
“Actually…no. We’re not.
Last year had the polar vortex and the record spring rains. But since then, not so much.”
wow you’re an idiot, yeah its been warmer for a few days here and there but do you remember the temperature on Halloween? Hint – it was snowing
how about November 12th when it was below 10 degrees? I’m sure there’s been a few more cold spells here and there but whatever, I’m sure you’re super up to date on weather facts.
and did you look at the fucking picture I posted from NWS? Chicago has received 18-24″ MORE precipitation than normal since March 2018
And I sincerely hope the weather stays at least average when I visit in early February, but I’m sure it won’t… lol
“My question is what do you do after Skinner?”
without doing any digging, and addressing *only* the attendance area kids, I would guess that any given year 1/4 to 1/3 get into WY, Jones of Payton, those headed to Ignatius or other ‘quality’ privates take it up to about half, and the other half have some serious challenges, as Lane is a serious hike (tho I’m sure more than a few deal with it), Westinghouse is still a little too far west for most (tho again some will), and the neighborhood HSs are completely unacceptable. In the $3m condo owner category, renting a place in a suburb (as was featured in the Trib recently) is a legit option–aka, the inverse-Rauner.
“yeah its been warmer for a few days here and there”
Um, see this:
https://wgntv.com/2020/01/21/long-duration-winter-precip-event-predicted-for-a-3rd-consecutive-week-snow-starts-wed-night-1-3-by-late-thursday-night-still-more-accumulations-possible-friday-into-saturday/
Average temp for all of December? 6.3 degrees above “normal” average.
Average temp for Jan 1-21, 2020, 5.3 degrees above “normal” average.
there used to be easily accessible temperature charts but the NWS/NOAA page did away with them, spent a few minutes looking for them but gave up
enjoy the snow, wish we’d get more out here 🙂
And yet a few short years ago, this:
A LOOK BACK AT THE CLIMATE FOR METEOROLOGICAL WINTER 2013-2014 FOR CHICAGO AND ROCKFORD… AT CHICAGO… THE AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE FOR THE WINTER SEASON WAS 27.1 DEGREES WHICH IS 6.5 DEGREES BELOW THE 1981 TO 2010 AVERAGE. THE AVERAGE LOW TEMPERATURE WAS 10.4 DEGREES WHICH IS 8.1 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL.
https://www.weather.gov/www.weather.gov › lot › 201314_3rd_coldest
Winter 2013-14 Ranked as Third Coldest Winter for Chicago
(All caps was cut and pasted).
How does this happen, how does this happen?
ah ha! found it
https://www.weather.gov/images/lot/cliplot/KORD2019plot.png
looks pretty freakin wet and cold to me, and considering Jan-June was pretty much below normal, most of october some of november looked below average, clearly december is warmer than normal but thats it
Chicago has had like what one 100 degree day in the last 5 years? Overall its been cold and wet, especially since 2018 like my point was… and thats why the lake is so full…
“Chicago has had like what one 100 degree day in the last 5 years?”
Um, that’s only slightly below long term average:
https://www.weather.gov/lot/Chicago_Temperature_Records
1872-1879 0
1880-1889 2
1890-1899 0
1900-1909 2
1910-1919 8
1920-1929 0
1930-1939 9
1940-1949 10
1950-1959 8
1960-1969 1
1970-1979 3
1980-1989 12
1990-1999 5
2000-2009 1
2010-2012 4
141 years, 65 days of 100 or more. 1 every 2.2 years.
So, IF (and I didn’t check) there has been only 1 in 5 years, that is exactly 1 behind the historic average. WOW! HUUUUGE swing.
I’m going to stick with HD on the school issue.
To those parents on here who are offended because your kids go to or went to CPS schools – I get it, not everyone can fork over 40 grand a year for private schools. I went to public schools myself.
My point is simply that if you’re buying a 3 million dollar home – and you’re a sensible person, it’s VERY likely you’re trying to send your kids to Francis Parker, latin, U Chicago lab schools, British schools etc etc – unless you luck out with a magnet school.
I’m not saying this is every millionaire – but I know many in this city, and nearly all of their kids go to private schools.
so what you’re saying is that and things are pretty much status quo?
I’m actually surprised the temperatures haven’t been hotter due to the urban heat island effect
looks like we haven’t had a 100 degree day since 2012… where we had a whopping 4 of them and one day in 2005, and 1999 as well so 6 in the last 20 years
vs 16 100 degree days in the 20 years prior (1978-1998)
vs 4 100 degree days 20 years before that (1958-1978)
vs 19 100 degree days (1938-1958)
vs 11 100 degree days (1918-1938)
vs 9 100 degree days (1887-1918)
so anyway… look at the prior years of the cliplots from the last 10 years almost every year is above average precipitation
Above and beyond those private schools in the city, there’s these wonderful, but secret and not very well known excellent and over-performing public high schools virtually no one has ever heard of, unfortunately they are outside of the CPS district:
New Trier
Stevenson
Prospect
Hersey
Libertyville
Main South
GBN
Deerfield
Hinsdale
“My point is simply that if you’re buying a 3 million dollar home … unless you luck out with a magnet school.”
The point here that they ARE in a magnet school, and want to stay in the area, but in a bigger/nicer place:
“They’ve been coming to us saying they want to stay in Skinner, but they can’t find something they like for north of $3 million.”
Am I somewhat dubious that there are “they” asking this question, instead of one family? Yeah. But who knows.
The one thing that is certain is that NO ONE (other than HD and apparently you) is talking about about this in the context of ‘average’ CPS attendance area schools.
There are 69 schools with ‘low income’ percentages below 50%. About half of them are either are all or partial “magnet” schools. at least 90% of them are acceptable to families who have the resources to send their kids to whatever private school. There are another dozen or two magnet/selective schools with higher low income percentages which also might be acceptable to a given family with resources for their specific reasons. So we have maybe 100 good schools. And another 550 that are not schools of choice for people with options–not that they are all terrible, many of them are fundamentally ‘good’, but held back by the student body.
NONE of the discussion on theCC of CPS’s progress and it being a “real option” is directed at the schools outside that 100.
You know how many cook county suburban school districts there are? 121. You know how many I’d move my kids to? About 20%–a little better than CPS, but not so much. And my property taxes would be higher in everyone of them.
I would all but guarantee that people buying over 5 million dollar properties in the city are sending their kids to Latin or the British school or anywhere but CPS, unless yeah they get accepted to Payton or something, even then I’m not so sure
“…at least 90% of [the 69 schools with ‘low income’ less than 50%] are acceptable to families who have the resources to send their kids to whatever private school.”
I’m sure the schools are great, the student body is just fine, the principals and teachers care. My issue, and why I question the judgment of any one who sends their children to CPS, is that, ultimately, is that you are relying on CPS to educate your children. Education is just too important to trust it to CPS. Maybe I’m wrong, or biased against CPS, but I’ve seen those striking teachers, and I don’t want those teachers anywhere near my children. They’re the biggest bunch of goofs, and I don’t want them teaching my kids, and we can agree to disagree. I mean, people I know disagree with my view and send their kids to CPS; and I even know parents in my suburban area who refuse to send their children to public schools at all, and instead, send them to local parochial schools for a Catholic education, so the kids don’t get corrupted in public schools.
We can agree to disagree, but if you’re buying a 3 million dollar home,
you better have a household income of 1 million dollars a year.
If you’re earning 1 million dollars a year, and sending your kids to a CPS school – you’re an idiot. That is my opinion. If you’re earning 100, 200, or 300 k a year, different story altogether.
If you can’t see my point, chances are we would never get along on a lot of issues.
I value my children education more than a slightly fancier house or condo.
Chicago is an incredibly ‘livable’ city still. If your household income is 500k, there is no reason in this world your kids should be going to public CPS schools, at all. That’s my opinions.
And yes, I typed this on my phone in a hurry, hence all the typos.
My end point is simply that, if you’re THAT desperate to be in the city, and can afford a 3 million dollar home – why would you not invest in the best for your kids education as well?
To play devil’s advocate on the school topic, I agree that if you are buying a $3MM house, you can afford to send your kids to private school. Heck, if you’re buying a $1.5MM house, you can probably “afford” to send your kids to private school. But there are many more people who can afford Latin/Parker/Lab than people who are admitted to these schools. British is not really in the same league. Parker for example, has maybe 60 spots in their PK4 class. I’ve heard as many as 45 can go to siblings/affiliates, so then there are 15 left, half boys, half girls. The school will look at diversity, the uber rich, or the uber exceptional. The average $2-3MM homeowner that doesn’t have much more differentiating them is going to struggle to get admitted.
So what are the alternatives? You have your next tier down of privates, Catherine Cook, British, FXW, maybe Bennett although it’s still so new so TBD. Those schools are nice, comfortable, and offer a lot of “extras” but you’re still playing the high school admissions game (save for Bennett although I would argue their high school is extremely unproven). Catholic schools offer small class sizes and a religious community, but quite frankly I don’t believe their education is superior in any way. Plus, there are those who would refuse to ever consider Catholic schools for moral/political reasons.
What is left? CPS. This is why many affluent families who chose to stay in the city are sending their children to CPS. This is why many northside elementary schools (Burley, Lincoln, Coonley) are becoming overcrowded. Is CPS perfect? Absolutely not. Do I have reservations? Absolutely. Would I move the suburbs and sacrifice commute and quality of life just because I don’t believe my five year old special snowflake can hack it in a class of 30 kids? No, I’m not there yet. Ask me again in 5-10 years.
Riz: Marie just made the point I was about to type: there are way more people in Chicago who could afford Latin or Parker than there are spots (and an even greater number of people who really can’t afford it, but will try to do so anyways, like I did). The number of spots varies, and I believe it’s typically easiest to get in at the pre-k level. That’s when we got in to one (but not the other). And it felt like a miracle (I believe the scales were tipped in our favor by a family friend – the parent of four Latin students who was pretty involved at the school). I’ll be curious to hear where your kids go to school pre-k through 12th (I promise not to be too judgmental if your kids aren’t attending Latin or Parker and you’ve either committed to making the most out of the CPS options or you’ve moved to the burbs).
“accepted to Payton or something, even then I’m not so sure”
Rauner *bought* a $2.5m+ condo in order for one of his kids to attend Payton. Not just “owned”, but bought new after he clouted her in so that she could attend.
So, yeah, people who own $3m houses send their kids to Payton. And there are kids every year who leave Latin/Parker after 8th grade for Payton (and other SEHS)–tho some of them do revert back.
“I’ll be curious to hear where your kids go to school pre-k through 12th (I promise not to be too judgmental if your kids aren’t attending Latin or Parker and you’ve either committed to making the most out of the CPS options or you’ve moved to the burbs).”
My kids are going to the Lab school. My wife works for the University and we get half off tuition and preferential admission. Crazy, but preschool for my son will still cost around 12 or 13 k, even with half off.
And I get the points about there being a lot more rich people than space available at the top tier schools…But I think there are plenty of second and even third tier private options that are a lot better than CPS.
And Yes, maybe it won’t matter when they are in kindergarten, but it sure as heck will matter when they are in junior high and high school – and from my understanding, it’s a lot harder to get your kids in at that level.
Funny about Francis Parker.
I attended for 14 years, pre-K to 12th grade. Graduated in the late 80’s. Still wonder how I made it into one of the 48 coveted spots for pre-K back in the mid-70’s. I had no siblings or other relatives at the school. They must have seen something in me, because I was a shy wallflower of a kid. Not dumb, though. (Yeah, I know, what happened?)
Anyway, once I got in, so did my little brother 2 years later. Everyone’s brother/sister got in. Half of the class two years behind mine was made up of our younger siblings. I see little has changed. Of course, when I began pre-K there, the annual cost was $2,500 (about $11,000 in today’s money). It seemed like a lot to my young parents at the time. They had to pay in installments.
“plenty of second and even third tier private options that are a lot better than CPS”
At the high school level? Better than Payton and Northside?
(yeah yeah, no one’s kids get in to those schools. indeed, they don’t actually have any students!!)
It’s like saying there are a lot of third tier private colleges a lot better than Cal and Michigan. It just doesn’t have a basis in reality.
“And I get the points about there being a lot more rich people than space available at the top tier schools…But I think there are plenty of second and even third tier private options that are a lot better than CPS.”
It won’t matter for the schools your kids are going to Riz. You’re not in Englewood so your local school will be quite good.
In fact, a friend of mine put his kids through CPS for their entire schooling on the far north side. His son’s best friend scored the highest score in the city on the testing and basically could pick whatever high school he wanted to go to. Instead of picking one of the big 4, which most of the kids now know are awful for your social life, he did the honors program at Lincoln Park High. Still got into a top 10 college all the same. Was very happy.
Most kids will go to state colleges or Big Ten schools. Nothing wrong with it. They’re all great schools. Your kid will be fine going to Northern Illinois, Illinois State or Western Michigan. Harvard takes, what, 20 students a year from Illinois high schools? If that?
Your high school isn’t going to matter if you’re truly Harvard material. They will take you from Elgin’s high school if you have that much to offer.
The obsession over the schools is overdone. Most of the private schools aren’t anywhere as good as the good public schools. The teachers aren’t as good and they’re not as competitive. And I caveat that that if your child has a learning disability, then the suburban public schools are the place to be. They are awesome in the suburbs for those kids. CPS not so much.
“So, yeah, people who own $3m houses send their kids to Payton. And there are kids every year who leave Latin/Parker after 8th grade for Payton (and other SEHS)–tho some of them do revert back.”
I know plenty of kids who have gone to Northside College Prep. Most of the kids there are not from rich families.
Not all rich kids are smart. Sorry to tell you. This is why Lane Tech is so popular. Even Lakeview High School has really turned itself around. The homes surrounding that high school are all $1 million+. Literally hundreds of families. All of them won’t be able to get their kids into the 4 “great” high schools. Simply too much money in Chicago now.
It’s trickling down to the other high schools now and improving them.
Lol.
“why would you not invest in the best for your kids education as well?”
What’s the best?
Just because it’s “private” doesn’t mean it’s any better. The Catholic schools, for example, suck. (speaking from experience.) The kids are behind by the time they get to high school.
And several of Chicago’s public high schools are now the best in the nation. And the others are fine too because most kids aren’t geniuses. Sorry.
One of my friend’s sons went to Kenwood Academy and got 5 full ride scholarships for college at good quality schools all over the country. And good for him. He’s currently getting his PhD in Math. Lol.
There’s SO MUCH MORE in this city than the private schools.
But, again, this is how much the schools HAVE improved. It’s really not an issue for someone to buy a $2 million house on the north side and for their kids to go to the public school.
“I value my children education more than a slightly fancier house or condo.”
But what’s that “education”?
Going to school with rich kids at Latin?
One of my friends sent both of her kids to Latin. Her husband was an attorney. She lived in a $1.5 million house in Lakeview. She went to public high school in Colorado.
This was 10 years ago but it was really hard for her to keep up with those mega-rich families there. They literally flew their 12 year old daughters to Paris to buy their fall clothes for school. She considered it really disturbing and regretted sending her kids there but it was too late as they were already in the system (and 10 years ago CPS wasn’t as good as it is now.)
There’s little diversity. And, again, the actual education just isn’t that great. The public high schools are much more competitive, especially in honors programs at schools like LP. They offer more classes. More AP courses. More social activities like sports and clubs. All these things matter for your child’s high school experience.
“send them to local parochial schools for a Catholic education”
Catholic schools. Ugh. Subpar teachers. And they kick out all the “troubled” students to make their stats look better.
“I would all but guarantee that people buying over 5 million dollar properties in the city are sending their kids to Latin or the British school or anywhere but CPS, unless yeah they get accepted to Payton or something, even then I’m not so sure”
How many 5 million properties are there?
50?
100?
150?
Certainly not more than that. And many of those will be owned by older people who are later in their career and who likely won’t have their kids in the schools.
Although, we could ask the Blackhawk players paying $7 million in No 9 Walton and those who just paid $4 million in that other West Loop building where they’re going to send their kids to school. They’re young enough to have younger children.
“Above and beyond those private schools in the city, there’s these wonderful, but secret and not very well known excellent and over-performing public high schools virtually no one has ever heard of, unfortunately they are outside of the CPS district:”
HD: you can add another 10-20 high schools to that list that are all great in the suburbs.
But most of those aren’t even as good as the Big 4. In fact, I would argue that neither Hinsdale Central or New Trier are anywhere close to the Big 4 in quality. Sorry. Things have changed. The money, and young families, are in the city now. That’s why the schools have really improved.
No one needs to move to the suburbs for the schools anymore unless you want to be sure your kid goes to one of the top 20 and then you can just move to Downers Grove, La Grange, Naperville, Highland Park and enroll your kids in those excellent high schools without having them test in.
“so anyway… look at the prior years of the cliplots from the last 10 years almost every year is above average precipitation”
It’s not colder and we don’t have too much precipitation. Not for months. Maybe that will change in the coming months. I don’t know.
Chicago’s weather hasn’t changed much over the decades. Sometimes its hot. Sometimes it’s not. We had really bad winters in the 1970s with record snows and then the 1980s saw none of that. Lots of people left town after those bad late 70s winters (lol).
A few years ago, the winters were mild. Last couple of years, we’ve had more snow and several bad polar vortexes.
Shrugs.
And the powerful play goes on.
Climate change is subtle. It’s happening but the scientists say we’ll have St Louis’ weather. That won’t be that bad.
Buffalo, by the way, is ground zero for the best city to move to for climate change. It’s not expected to get really hot, nor will it have extreme cold. Buffalo could be booming in the next 30 to 40 years due to geography.
“To those parents on here who are offended because your kids go to or went to CPS schools”
My kids had a great time at CPS and so did their friends. Every child is different. Like I said, if there are any learning disabilities involved, then I really recommend the good suburban public schools. They’re so much better for that situation.
“looks pretty freakin wet and cold to me, and considering Jan-June was pretty much below normal, most of october some of november looked below average, clearly december is warmer than normal but thats it”
Sonies, you don’t live here anymore. Get over yourself.
January is running 6 degrees above normal which is enormous. And the computer models are showing February running warm too through at least the first week.
This winter has been warm and mild. It’s not over yet but the days are getting longer once you get into February which makes it harder to have sustained cold periods.
We’ll take it because you never know what next year will bring. Lots of people are complaining though. There’s been no pond skating this year although I do know someone who fit it in on Sunday for one day when we did get that cold blast (but, alas, it’s now too warm again.) Also, it was so warm in December, Villa Olivia had to close during the holidays which is its big money making week. Even the fake snow was melting. So the ski resorts aren’t liking this weather. Nor are the winter buffs.
“How does this happen, how does this happen?”
I’ll bite. Because there was a first and a second coldest?
There is a lot of official weather data- going back to 1879 or so, I believe. What always amazes me is the original European settlers who came to the Midwest (ala Little House on the Prairie) and sitting out in the middle of some huge farm with little heat in these long, cold winters. They were so brave!
“wow you’re an idiot, yeah its been warmer for a few days here and there but do you”
I’m not an idiot sonies. YOU ARE.
My god. It’s been a really warm and mild winter. Well over the averages which is incredible because even a 1 degree average above the average is big stuff but a 5 or 6 degrees above the averages is HUGE. But we’re not the only ones. It’s been so warm in Florida that they kept breaking records all during early January for the warmest January days. They aren’t getting the cooler winter air because there aren’t any cold blasts coming from the Midwest. They only just recently got their first cool down (and then record cold in Miami.) But that will go away quickly as Chicago will be 40 on Sunday again. And most of next week.
If you’re coming the first week of February, it will be warm.
“got into a top 10 college all the same”
You tell us ALL.THE.TIME. that no one’s kids get into the top colleges, so there’s no reason to bother thinking about it.
So one or the other assertion is not true.
“the Blackhawk players paying $7 million in No 9 Walton”
Toews flipped his (not married, no kids). And Kane is also at least 7 years (and probable retirement) away from having school-aged kids.
So, no, I don’t believe that they’ve bought their places in Trump or 9 Walton or wherever is next with any thought to schools, and asking them would be pointless.
“I know plenty of kids who have gone to [fill in almost any school, including privates]. Most of the kids there are not from rich families.”
I love the anecdata.
Yes, that particular piece is pretty true, in no small part because the “rich” folks in Chicago don’t live anywhere near NSCP (Jesse Sharkey excepted), and if your kid can get into NSCP, s/he can get into Payton, too, and it’s a rare kid who wants to hike from their rich hood to gd Peterson Park, if they can rank Payton first.
interesting video on effects of home ownership on economy and supply of housing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkVEt5tC2xU
Rauner *bought* a $2.5m+ condo in order for one of his kids to attend Payton. Not just “owned”, but bought new after he clouted her in so that she could attend.
Thank you for using this word correctly using standard Chicagoese.
“Buffalo, by the way, is ground zero for the best city to move to for climate change. It’s not expected to get really hot, nor will it have extreme cold. Buffalo could be booming in the next 30 to 40 years due to geography.”
This goes down as probably one of the stupidest fucking things I have EVER read on this site and thats saying something. Nothing funnier than climate alarmists IMO. Especially when the data shows the opposite is actually happening. Yeah go ahead and buy up all the lakefront properties in buffalo, its sure to turn into Miami by the time we’re retired… lmfao
“It’s not expected to get really hot, nor will it have extreme cold.”
You know what that equals in the lake-effect precipitation zone? Near constant clouds and precipitation. Buffalo will just become even more like the Pacific Northwest, but still without the mountains, and saddled with a state government where it ranks about 5th in metro area importance, notwithstanding being the #2 metro by population.
Plus, if certain Rs get their way, there will be a wall between Buffalo and Canada.
I have to admit I’m a little confused seeing people sound like Lane Tech is a sure thing or easy to get into. It’s also Selective Enrollment, just like Payton/NSCP/Jones/Young. It’s much bigger than those 4, so it is slightly easier to get into, but not by much. The score cutoffs put it 5th and the tier 4 cutoff is a whopping 12 points less than Young.
https://cps.edu/SiteCollectionDocuments/gocps/GoCPS_Cutoff_SEHS_2019.pdf
Depending on the ranking you look at, it’s also clearly no lower than the #5 HS in CPS. The US News rankings this year actually put it 3 in the entire state, only behind Payton and NSCP, ahead of Jones/Young.
“Buffalo will just become even more like the Pacific Northwest, but still without the mountains, and saddled with a state government where it ranks about 5th in metro area importance, notwithstanding being the #2 metro by population.”
It is expected to remain very green and easy to grow food. Also will have plenty of water. Not expected to have many days over 90 degrees. Even with recent warming, it still only has one or two days a year over 90.
“Especially when the data shows the opposite is actually happening.”
Denial is a crazy thing. The data is actually telling us it IS happening. The earth has already warmed over a degree and it will continue. Storms will get more severe.
Chicago, by the way, is expected to have St Louis’ weather. We’re actually in a pretty good location. I wouldn’t want to be in Miami. It is already being flooded. If you’re in Orlando, you may be okay though but you’ll have to deal with more severe hurricanes.
Frankly, I wouldn’t want to be on any coast in the hurricane belt.
“Denial is a crazy thing. The data is actually telling us it IS happening.”
but its not happening any more than it has in the past! Even with China, India, Africa belching out C02 like never before… the media is warping things to create an alarmist agenda, and of course I love how more taxes and socialist programs are always the solution
JFC this is like arguing with some religious nut
““Denial is a crazy thing. The data is actually telling us it IS happening.”
but its not happening any more than it has in the past! Even with China, India, Africa belching out C02 like never before… the media is warping things to create an alarmist agenda, and of course I love how more taxes and socialist programs are always the solution”
———————————-
Sonies, there’s a difference between a fire caused by a lightning strike and a fire caused by arson. The mere fact that the earth was warm before — without human intervention — does not excuse, or permit denial of, global warming due to human intervention and mismanagement.
“I have to admit I’m a little confused seeing people sound like Lane Tech is a sure thing or easy to get into.”
At least half the people who have ever commented on CPS on tehCC have absolutely no f’ing idea what they are talking about (or are just shitposting).
But it’s a milieu where Realtors get away with putting Northside or Payton in the MLS as the attendance area school.
“Sonies, there’s a difference between a fire caused by a lightning strike and a fire caused by arson. The mere fact that the earth was warm before — without human intervention — does not excuse, or permit denial of, global warming due to human intervention and mismanagement.”
You’re correct, but the fact that the earth was warmer before, and much colder only recent, is a reasonable basis to doubt the premises that plant food aka C02 is somehow responsible for today’s minor temperature increase.
The glaciers that formed lake Michigan (and the other great lakes) melted a mere 15,000 years ago. The cave men art in caves is much, much older than that. The European cave art is 40,000 years old and the art in African caves is up to 100,000 years old.
And scientists don’t know why the ice age ended. They have theories, and models, but they’re all very incomplete and they are just working ideas. Some say it is related to CO2, others say it’s related to sun patterns, some even say it’s related to greater hundred thousand year long cycles that regularly plunge the planet into ices ages.
Everything is just fine, stop being a global warming conspiracy theorist.
“Everything is just fine, stop being a global warming conspiracy theorist.”
————————
Everything is fine ONLY if one posits that current global warming is not caused by humans. Arson is never “fine.”
“Everything is fine ONLY if one posits that current global warming is not caused by humans. Arson is never “fine.””
OK Boomer.
“OK Boomer.”
Shut it, Gen-X scum. Exactly no one (boomer, millennial or zoomer) gives a flying fig what you think.
We’re the Silent Generation, Part Deux: Shut up and get me a sandwich.
Actually, I’m a Boomer who takes global warming seriously. Homedelete is using his head for a hatrack.
Q.E.D.
“Actually, I’m a Boomer who takes global warming seriously. Homedelete is using his head for a hatrack.”
Really? Because all I read is you parroting global warming talking points. But for the sake of argument, let’s just say global warming IS happening. That’s a great thing! Longer growing seasons around the world, vast expenses of formerly cold, uncultivated land in northern candada, alaska, russia, scandanavia, and so on, will be used to feed the world. Some of the largest crops in the world have been grown in these northern climates…now imagine longer growing season, more arable land that isn’t covered by Tundra, it will be amazing for the human race. There’s basically an accepted theory in academia that ancient Rome and Greece grew the way they did because of something called the Roman Warm Period, when civilization exploded because of the ability to grow crops in former non-arable land.
https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2014/08/20/341884706/why-vegetables-get-freakish-in-the-land-of-the-midnight-sun
I think we should be focusing our efforts on battling pollution and not taxing our affordable energy supply!
For example, the plastic in the ocean, mercury, lead, pharmaceutical chemicals and all sorts of other crap in our air and drinking water supply, rather than C02 as it is still not proven to actually be a pollutant.
How many of you know that WATER VAPOR is the most powerful green house gas? I would guess 90% of people don’t even know that
“Roman Warm Period”
But see: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-019-1401-2
“But for the sake of argument, let’s just say global warming IS happening. That’s a great thing! ”
===============
Not if it’s happening for the wrong reasons. Nature’s cycles have developed over eons. Man-caused cycles throw a spanner in the works.
“For example, the plastic in the ocean, mercury, lead, pharmaceutical chemicals and all sorts of other crap in our air and drinking water supply, rather than C02 as it is still not proven to actually be a pollutant. ”
———————————-
The effect of CO2 on temperature has been known since the 1890s.
“But see: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-019-1401-2”
I tried to read the article, but unfortunately, I stopped reading at the fake phrase ‘Common Era’. There’s nothing to learn from ‘scientists’ who are more concerned with virtue signaling political correctness in their journalistic research than actual science. There is literally no evidence, zero evidence, whatsoever, showing that anyone has ever been offended by BC/AD, and the only reason why it has fallen out of favor (in some politically correct quarters) is because BC/AD ‘might’ offend peoples of non-christain faith. Even though whomever made this determination did so without any evidence than anyone had ever been offended.
“I tried to read the article, but unfortunately, I stopped reading at the fake phrase ‘Common Era’.”
—————————
Funny how the guy who wants to use “science” is thrown off by an utterly irrelevant nomenclature.
I know for a fact that BCE and CE were used in the early 1970s — before the issue of global warming was even heard of by mainstream scientists, let alone the man in the street. How? Because my college text books were using the terms.
The only “virtue signalling” going on here is your using this gossamer tripe of an insult to your oh-so-sensitive sensibilities to signal your bona fides to science deniers and global warming hoaxers.
At least the tobacco companies only killed their customers and maybe a few others. Global warming deniers will wreck catastrophic damage on us all.
Start addressing the merits, homie, and for the love of God, stop whining. The science does not depend on the use of BCE and CE, and I absolutely defy you to show us where it does.
Your silence will be deafening.
“Global warming deniers will wreck catastrophic damage on us all.”
This is literally the dumbest thing I’ve read all day. You’re a climate alarmist, climate conspiracy theorist spreading fake news. In China, they’d throw you in a camp for your intentional speaking of misinformation.
https://www.realclearenergy.org/articles/2019/08/23/climate_alarmists_foiled_no_us_warming_since_2005_110470.html
The silence is deafening, boomer.
Keep drinking the kool-aid, homedelete.
Who knew there were so many Scientists, Mathematicians and Engineers on the Ol Chatter that aren’t just simply regurgitating the pro/con talking points.
What makes this worse is one of the few groups dumber than Realtors is in charge of “informing” the populace