A Romanesque Historic Mansion With 3 Kitchens at 2142 W Caton in Bucktown
This 4-bedroom vintage mansion at 2142 W Caton in Bucktown came on the market in June 2018.
Built in 1891, it’s on a larger than standard Chicago lot but there isn’t a lot size in the listing.
The listing says it was built in the “Romanesque” style.
It has many of its vintage features intact including several original stained glass windows, wood pocket doors, brass hardware, Carpenter’s lace, in-laid wood floors and original working fireplaces (it doesn’t say how many).
The house also has its original staircase.
The listing is a little confusing. It says that main 3 levels have 4 bedrooms and 3 baths.
But the top floor, which is apparently also a ballroom, has a kitchen and a living area.
There’s also an in-law suite in the basement and that floor has a kitchen, living room, bedroom, storage and utility room.
It also has a bathroom that isn’t included in the bathrooms that are in the listing. I count 4 bathrooms total, not 3 as the listing states:
- The first in the basement
- The second off the first floor kitchen
- The third on the second floor with the bedrooms
- The fourth on the third floor in the ballroom
There’s also a kitchen for the main levels, with modern white cabinets and white and stainless steel appliances.
There’s radiator heat. I can’t tell if there’s central air or not.
There’s gardens and a deck off the back of the house.
Yes, that’s also the El tracks in the backyard.
There’s no garage or parking.
This house is located in the Wicker Park District, which is a city landmark district. This is different from the Wicker Park Historic District, apparently.
Who’s the buyer for this type of property with what amounts to as 2 in-law suites?
Joseph Bergman at Courtyard Investments has the listing. See the pictures here.
2142 W. Caton: 4 bedrooms, 3 baths (but it looks like there are 4 baths), 4093 square feet
- I can’t find a former sales price going back to 1986
- Listed in June 2018 for $1.425 million
- Currently still listed at $1.425 million
- Taxes of $14,630
- No parking
- Central Air? (I can’t tell for sure)
- Radiator heat
- Original fireplaces (not sure how many)
- Bedroom #1: 14×14 (second floor)
- Bedroom #2: 11×27 (second floor)
- Bedroom #3: 12×12 (second floor)
- Bedroom #4: 26×34 (third floor)
- 2 other full kitchens, one in the lower level and one on the third floor
I think you purposely picked this Bucktown property because it’s south of Armitage.
Sabrina does like to troll us
“This house is located in the Wicker Park District, which is a city landmark district. This is different from the Wicker Park Historic District, apparently.”
In light of the above, I wait with bated breath for the r.e. agents to justify “Bucktown” on this one.
At least Gary has a sense of irony.
El aside, Caton has some really beauties on it and does feel more like a Wicker Park Street though I’d call it Bucktown since it’s north of North Avenue. No complaints about painted woodwork with this one. I hope this home gets the love it deserves from a new owner.
I guess Sabrina has been AirBnB it in Bucktown/Wicker Park this week
That district was defined in 1991. Things change. Also, the city has numerous geographical areas defined. So, Lake View Township includes parts of Lincoln Park and Uptown. Townships, districts, wards, neighborhoods, community areas. They are all independent.
“That district was defined in 1991. Things change.”
Gary, the only thing that changed was r.e. agent marketing materials.
“So, Lake View Township includes parts of Lincoln Park and Uptown.”
Gary, correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t Lake View Township simply a tax district, nothing to do with communities or neighborhoods? I must admit, though, I’ve never seen an r.e. agent advertise a house as “it’s in the XYZ Ward, with Alderman _______!!!!!!” — so I guess r.e. agents have SOME sense of shame.
Well, apparently public opinion changed also so it’s not just real estate agents.
Yes, Lake View Township is a taxing district just like Wicker Park Historic District is a historic district.
despite some stupid neighborhood naming… this place is half awesome and half ikeaWTF
no parking and the el nearby is really going to hurt this house, just as much as the lack of coherence in the motif
I’ve seen disagreements for years as to whether the Bucktown/Wicker Park boundary is Armitage or Bloomingdale. Either way Caton definitely isn’t Bucktown.
Super confusing but intriguing place. Lots of great details, really needs to be reno’d in other ways. I can’t imagine the extra kitchens are a feature, seems it would be better was a more coherent SFH. Price seems high given that it needs work and despite the size of the place and larger lot the L is a problem.
Another one where I’d like to have a floor plan.
Love the woodwork, though the lace is a little too Foo-Foo
The mirrored ceiling is a WTF
This home is eye candy for the vintage lover (me), both inside and out. Does that outweigh the lack of parking and the El in the backyard? Not sure. The lack of parking is probably something I could deal with, but not sure I could ever get used to the el. But if I had to live in a place with the el behind me, this would be tops on the list. Probably plays into the relatively reasonable price.
“Well, apparently public opinion changed also so it’s not just real estate agents”
I am given to understand that you are a STEM major, Gary, and my 8th grade English teacher told me to never use a pronoun before a noun in an argument. So, by what authority do you state that “public opinion” changed, and when? Please give us the courtesy of giving us data independent of r.e. agent marketing material.
South of Bucktown. Wicker Park districts. I only got one question, which we asked in the Marine Corps infantry (Sergeant, thank you, 0311):
HOW’S IT FEEL TO WANT!?!!?!
I’m not clear on the relevance of my major or your 8th grade English teacher to this discussion – unless she also lived in Bucktown.
I’m referencing public opinion as documented in the DNAinfo survey. I could also conjure up JZ if I wanted but that might piss off Sabrina. But I do think he knows a thing or two about Chicago neighborhoods. And as you know there is no real documentation on any of this.
But back to your questions. Public opinion is not an on/ off switch. It evolves. So I can’t answer your when question. But here is some more historic perspective: https://patch.com/illinois/bucktown-wickerpark/where-do-you-draw-the-line-between-bucktown-and-wicker-park
This made me laugh:
“This is Bucktown, which with its next-door neighbor, Wicker Park, may represent one of the hippest neighborhoods in Chicago. If you ever tire of its options in dining, nightlife, shopping and the arts, you can amuse yourself by joining the lively debate as to what street divides Bucktown from Wicker Park.”
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2008-08-22/classified/chi-bucktown_chomes_0822aug22_1_wicker-park-bucktown-community-organization-paula-barrington
Goes on to say:
“Some say Bucktown’s parameters are easily delineated, extending from Ashland to Western Avenues east and west and Fullerton Parkway to North Avenue north and south. Those simple 1-mile-long, right-angled borders both longitudinally and latitudinally would make this hip community perfectly square.
Elaine Coorens,* a 30-plus year resident of Wicker Park and author of “Wicker Park from 1673 thru 1929” and “Walking Tour Guide,” isn’t having any of it. “The whole concept of everything north of North Avenue being Bucktown doesn’t jibe with the fact Wicker Park’s historic landmark district, as defined both by both the nation and the city, goes north of North Avenue to Bloomingdale Avenue,” she says.
The point seems to be which neighborhood gets to claim the eclectic Damen, North and Milwaukee intersection, an argument state Rep. John Fritchey (D-Chicago) finds amusing.
“I grew up in the city and remember when that stretch of North Avenue was hubcap shops and liquor stores. No one wanted to claim it then, and now everyone wants to claim it,” says Fritchey, who believes North Avenue is Bucktown’s southern border.”
*For Coorens’ general perspective, a blurb for her book says: “Wicker Park in Chicago had a interesting vibrant community filled with a history of diversity and beautiful architecture. Then the developers and yuppies moved in. One of the saddest stories in Chicago.”
” But here is some more historic perspective: https://patch.com/illinois/bucktown-wickerpark/where-do-you-draw-the-line-between-bucktown-and-wicker-park ”
Thank you very much for the link, Gary. As I read it, the consensus is that Bucktown stops at Armitage, and the push South from Armitage to North Avenue was a self-motivated r. e. agent/developer thing — not a disinterested consensus of inhabitants at the time.
In any event, we’ll have an actual experiment on the “things change” phenomenon with the development of Lincoln Yards. That will be real interesting, given the limited number of residents in the well-defined area now.
Until then, I’ll pass on the Caton house. Sounds like it’s be fun to own, but too near the L. Maybe someone could buy it and turn it into an Escape Room. I hear those are all the rage now.
This home is literally underneath the el which is on metal girders and hideously noisy. Worse than behind Sheffield by a factor of 10. I’m pretty tolerant but I can’t imagine living here, or anywhere within a block of this track.
“So, by what authority do you state that “public opinion” changed, and when?”
Public opinion changes all the time. Neighborhood boundaries also change. The lofts on Wabansia have been in Bucktown since 2000, when I was looking to buy one. That’s 18 years ago.
And yes, sometimes it’s real estate agents that can cause a certain neighborhood name to catch on. But the Bucktown and Wicker Park argument isn’t really an argument about real estate. Both neighborhoods are uber wealthy now with $3 million+ homes in both.
Your problem, John C, is that you haven’t lived in the neighborhood for over 30 years so you really don’t know what’s going on there with public opinion. YOUR opinion is no longer “the publics” since you don’t live there to know.
“And yes, sometimes it’s real estate agents that can cause a certain neighborhood name to catch on.” — Bootstrapping by the self-interested does not give rise to legitimate change of existing neighborhoods. If developers want to call an existing area by a new name, River North, for example, fine, but that doesn’t include the ability to shift existing borders. That is where we disagree. In my book, misrepresenting real estate in order to sell it doesn’t alter the fact of misrepresentation simply by sheer dint of repetition.
“But the Bucktown and Wicker Park argument isn’t really an argument about real estate. Both neighborhoods are uber wealthy now with $3 million+ homes in both.” — I absolutely agree. Neighborhood character can change drastically, and in a short period of time, and no doubt living in Bucktown or Wicker Park is six of one and half a dozen of the other. But the one is still the one, and the other is still the other.
“The lofts on Wabansia have been in Bucktown since 2000, when I was looking to buy one. That’s 18 years ago.” — A falsehood in 2000 is an eighteen-year-old falsehood now. I hope it votes in the November election.
So, no one has linked to this, which should been deemed a reasonable, if not definitive, source:
http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/3140.html
“Bucktown
“Part of the West Town and Logan Square Community Areas. Roughly bounded by North, Ashland, Western, and Fullerton Avenues, Bucktown supposedly takes its name from the goats that roamed its streets at the turn of the twentieth century. Originally a primarily Polish working-class area of small homes, saloons, and churches, it has experienced significant gentrification in recent years.”
Here’s what the encyclopedia of Chicago has to say about Wicker Park:
“Wicker Park — Neighborhood in the West Town Community Area. Bounded by Ashland and Western Avenues to the east and west, Bloomingdale and Division Streets to the north and south.”
I am reminded of the old question and answer oft-attributed to Abraham Lincoln:
Q – If you call a dog’s tail a leg, how many legs does a dog have?
A – Four, because calling a tail a leg doesn’t make it a leg.
Bucktown goes to Armitage, and all the r.e. agents in the world gainsaying don’t change a thing, regardless of how long ago one lived there.
John, in the early 1800s Wicker Park stopped at North Avenue. Why aren’t you stuck on that? Why was it changed? What realtor conspiracy caused this abomination?
“John, in the early 1800s Wicker Park stopped at North Avenue. Why aren’t you stuck on that? Why was it changed? What realtor conspiracy caused this abomination?”
I’m not stuck on Wicker Park, Gary, I’m stuck on Bucktown. I lived in Bucktown. I am indifferent to Wicker Park.
So, what’s the relevance of citing Wicker Park’s definition from the Encyclopedia?
I will note that the bibliographic citation in the definition of Bucktown is a book published in 1988.
“Bucktown goes to Armitage, and all the r.e. agents in the world gainsaying don’t change a thing, regardless of how long ago one lived there.”
Yes, a chorus of all the RE agents in the world, alone, would probably make no difference. As noted before, I used to see properties on Wellington called Lincoln Park, but they are still in Lakeview (and the relevant community organizations and Encyclopedia of Chicago and various newspaper polls of Chicagoans would no doubt agree they are in Lakeview).
What you keep ignoring is that it’s not just RE agents — it’s many many others, including those who are as good an authority as we get on something that is largely a matter of general opinion.
WPCO claims it goes to Bloomingdale (so not to Armitage), and the EoC agrees with it.
BCO claims it goes to North, and the EoC agrees with it too.
Does this mean that two neighborhoods claim North to Bloomingdale? Sure it does! Take sides with one or the other? Sure, whatever (I’m neutral). Call a RE agent a liar for calling a property in-between “Wicker Park Bucktown”? Not accurate or fair, and remember that’s where this all started.
“Call a RE agent a liar for calling a property in-between “Wicker Park Bucktown”? Not accurate or fair, and remember that’s where this all started.”
I seem to recall the property being clearly touted as Bucktown — Wicker Park need not apply. Be that as it may.
As for others having other opinions, I suspect that IF you weed out the self-interested shills, sellers, and touts — and their buyers who now need to justify to themselves that they really bought in Bucktown — you will have precious few stating that B-town stretches to North Avenue.
The important thing is that r. e. agents don’t get to set, or stretch, boundaries. That is the perogative of the consensus of the inhabitants of the original area.
Which is why the inevitable expansion of “Lincoln Yards” will be a natural experiment.
I believe Sabrina called it Bucktown, and you went off about dishonest RE agents.
The listing (it was 2117 W Concord) quite clearly says: “Enormous Wicker Park Bucktown Historic Property on double lot with expansion possibilities in unbeatable location 1 block to North/Damen, The Robey Hotel, and The 606 Trail in Wicker Park historic district nicely North of North Ave East of Leavitt….”
I pointed that out multiple times, not sure how you missed it. It’s in an ambiguous area based on the current self-definitions of the BCO and the WPCO. The listing reflects that.
Also, I don’t think anyone today needs to justify having bought in WP. That’s silly. People who have bought there anytime in the recent past are likely to not care which they buy in. (The listings we have recently discussed are one (Concord) that uses both neighborhoods, and two (Hoyne and Caton) that use neither.)
Why would Lincoln Yards expand? Over what area?
“I seem to recall the property being clearly touted as Bucktown — Wicker Park need not apply. Be that as it may.”
As Stephanie so eloquently put it, it was me who called it Bucktown. The listing said it was in both neighborhoods.
We’ve had many discussions about boundaries and neighborhoods on this site over the last 10 years. This is the first time we’ve ever had one about the Wicker Park/Bucktown border. It’s just not a concern for anyone. As I said yesterday, both neighborhoods have multi-million dollar houses and $600,000 starter lofts. It really doesn’t matter.
“I’m not stuck on Wicker Park, Gary, I’m stuck on Bucktown. I lived in Bucktown. I am indifferent to Wicker Park.”
I don’t get it.
Who lives in a neighborhood, moves out 30 years ago, and now argues about it on a real estate blog?
It’s true insanity.
Insane? Certainly. We all have our peccadillos. I just don’t like marketers stretching facts/borders/whatever simply to flog their wares. I particularly don’t like it when they then try to bootstrap it into truth.
And it seems border stretching is a widespread trait among r e agents. I give you the comment about trying to stretch Lincoln park all the way up to Wellington. If the claim was repeated enough, would that make it so?
Be that as it may, we’ll see it happening with Lincoln yards, I’m sure.
I think we need groove77 to chime in on Bucktown
as for me, I’ve lived in the city or the burbs most of my life and couldn’t tell you where the hell the border of bucktown or wicker park is… honestly I still am not really sure where bucktown is and I have a few friends that live there… no one cares!
We all have our peccadillos.
there are far better, more important hills to die on, but sure. It’s a bigger deal when someone claims, as an example, that a property at California and North ave is in the Bucktown/Wicker Park nabe than if someone claims they are part of a neighborhood two short blocks away.
If the claim was repeated enough, would that make it so?
who or what authority gets to decide neighborhood boundaries? And are these set in stone or evolving? Even countries now and again re-define their borders, albeit under much different conditions.
would it take a referendum or vote of all the residents to decide, hey yeah let’s go all the way to armitage instead of bloomingdale because while a train track as a border made sense in the 60s, a busy arterial street makes more sense today!
“We all have our peccadillos”
Some here on the CC only have picadillos
Now I’m hungry. Where is the best place in Chicago to get picadillo? Any good places in Bucktown?
“Now I’m hungry. Where is the best place in Chicago to get picadillo? Any good places in Bucktown?”
There used to be plenty, but the developers drove them out. Ditto Wicker Park. There were one or two survivors in the space between WP and Bucktown who were the last to go, but they, too, eventually got priced out.
Try West Bucktown, or Lincoln Park (around Wellington). Maybe there’s some there.
“the space between WP and Bucktown”
There is no space between WP and Bucktown.
“There is no space between WP and Bucktown.”
I hear tell that there may be the sort of place you seek in the space between Chicago and Oak Park, or the space between Chicago and Evanston.
Perhaps you would pass through Ravenswood, named after the Ravenswood Land Company, a group of stalwart residents who never were in any way associated in the dirty business of shilling, selling, and touting real estate.
” the dirty business of shilling, selling, and touting real estate.”
Shilling, selling, and touting real estate is not a dirty business. The real estate agent (seller’s agent) involved in my purchase in Mayfair when I moved from Bucktown was a testament to that.
He did not, bless him, try to stretch the borders of Old Irving Park to North of Montrose Avenue.
Those who stretch borders and facts — like “West Bucktown”, Lincoln Park up to Wellington (and Bucktown down to North Avenue) — it’s with them where I find the problem.
Gary, I hope you found a good meal.