A Vintage 3-Bedroom With All the Modern Amenities: 517 W. Roscoe in East Lakeview
This 3-bedroom second floor unit at 517 W. Roscoe in East Lakeview came on the market in June 2017.
This complex was built in 1925 and has 9 units and rare garage parking behind the building.
It is larger than many single family homes at 2850 square feet and has vintage features such as an entry gallery that is 18 feet long and crown molding.
There’s a sun room that overlooks the tree tops, and a dining room.
All 3 bedrooms have bathrooms.
The kitchen has white cabinets and white appliances with what looks like granite counter tops.
There’s also an attached breakfast room.
The listing says there are “newer windows.”
Along with the garage parking, the unit includes the features of more modern buildings such as a washer/dryer in the unit and space pac cooling.
The listing says the unit is in the Nettlehorst school district.
Is this the ideal East Lakeview family home?
Brad Lippitz at BerkshireHathaway KoenigRubloff has the listing. See the pictures here.
Unit #2W: 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, 2850 square feet
- Sold in December 1987 for $209,000
- Sold in October 1991 for $250,000
- Sold in July 1996 for $260,000
- Sold in October 2001 for $550,000
- Originally listed in June 2017 for $765,000
- Reduced
- Currently listed for $725,000
- Assessments of $691 a month (includes heat, exterior maintenance, lawn care, scavenger and snow removal)
- Taxes of $9697
- Space pac cooling
- Washer/dryer in the unit
- Garage parking included
- Fireplace
- Bedroom #1: 16×12
- Bedroom #2: 12×16
- Bedroom #3: 14×16
- Sunroom: 14×9
- Breakfast room: 9×13
- Gallery: 8×18
My kind of unit, more or less. Could be really nice but painted over woodwork, 50 lb dog limit, light on storage and kitchen badly needs help so not really that desirable to me despite the large rooms, vintage and all on one level.
I’d take this over the typical new construction McCondo half the size anyday… especially at this price point. It needs a little updating in some spots, but you can’t beat the space and character imho.
Nice looking place, though not changing out the light in the kitchen was a mistake
I only see 1 grille/register in the pictures, I’d really want to run the spacepak before making an offer.
It’s so refreshing to see this style of unit. It looks different from most of the units featured on this site. Yes. The kitchen could use updating, but it’s closed off from the rest of the house, so it’s not as though I would have to see it very often. I adore the living room. There are some other minor things I dislike, but they are all older details, which I can forgive.
The only thing that might get to me is that only the living room has a decent view. It might start to bother me what all of the other windows look out onto brick walls.
Why would anyone buy the Lakeview home from last week for over a million dollars when this unit is available?
“vintage and all on one level” – single level isn’t much of a detriment to older buyers. My mid-60’s parents got pretty tired of their 4 story townhome after a few years despite being in good shape. They ended up getting a single level condo and like it much better.
I routinely joke with them that in nursing homes, the penthouse is the first floor.
As for this unit, aside from the nasty fluorescent kitchen light, there’s not much I don’t like. Seems pretty under-assessed (527k) for taxes so there will probably be a hefty increase on the horizon outside of the loss of senior exemption.
Pretty dubious about 2800 sf.
“Why would anyone buy the Lakeview home from last week for over a million dollars when this unit is available?”
I agree though the price difference is significant enough that I doubt anyone is looking at both. Putting that aside, here are the reasons:
– Outdoor space.
– Much lower HOA.
– Vintage is out-of-fashion and pricey to maintain in pristine condition.
– The kitchen has high end appliances and bathrooms have designer tile.
– Formal dining room viewed as waste of space.
– People like open concept.
Both are beautiful condos but that Buckingham price is just crazy.
“– Vintage is out-of-fashion and pricey to maintain in pristine condition.”
I would disagree with that. Vintage is a timeless classic. There will always be a segment of the population that wants the classy vintage look. On the other hand, “fashion” trends come and go. Just look at any of the homes from the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s. Homes that were all “fashionable” when constructed…all need significant updating.
Vintage is never out of style.
New construction does not age well at all because it usually isn’t built with an eye towards detail. Even new construction built barely 10 years ago looks horrible architecturally.
“Vintage is never out of style.”
I personally love vintage and have lived in several vintage condos/co-ops over the years. However the market overall does seem to favor new/newer construction for the reasons that I listed among others. Radiator heat is another to add to the list.
There were a couple of large vintage Lakeview condos on this site a few weeks ago. Wondering if any of them have sold?
I’m not sure how old this building is, but I would guess around 70 years old. I can’t imagine the place on Buckingham making it to 70. The future of these new buildings scares me. They all seem like they are slapped together without any thought or care of ensuring that they last indefinitely.
If I were looking in Lakeview now this would be high on my list, though part of me would prefer a vintage high-rise rather than low-rise.
I grew up around the block. The first block off of Lake Shore has the best vintage condos in Lakeview. Anywhere west of Broadway the apartments get far smaller, for some reason.
For those who note it’s all on one level, yes, it is. But don’t forget the three flights of stairs to get to your unit. No elevator. I imagine if I were older and living here I’d have my groceries delivered. No fun hustling up the stairs three times with heavy grocery bags.
Jenny – this place is more like 90 years old – not 70. These type of buildings weren’t built after 1930. I lived in a courtyard on Aldine built in 1926. Same era.
I live in a vintage rowhouse built in the late 1800’s. The craftsmanship and the woodworking has held up over the test of time. workers and insurance inspectors have all commented how the detail and quality of construction from that era can no longer be reproduced today. Even the wood is of better quality (since they were able to use older, harder wood). Today’s wood are usually from younger trees and not as high of a quality. My kitchen and bathrooms however have been renovated to modern standards over the years and i have central HVAC (no radiators) which alleviates some of the concerns that hinder vintage homes.
so are we just doing condos, townhouses and lofts on CC now? when was the last time a good old SFH was featured?
Vintage means that the concrete is not steel reinforced. So foundations are prone to cracking.
Old brick means cracking mortar.
Vintage means that there are no steel beams. So the beams, and columns, are thick timber – and prone to cracking.
Vintage woodwork only holds up until the first person to paint it. Then it’s never the same. The paint, or paint remover, gets in the pores and the crannies of the details.
I personally love vintage, but I know that vintage only holds up because of the hard work and sweat of the people who maintain it.
“when was the last time a good old SFH was featured?”
If you don’t count the Flossmoor house from 2 weeks ago, then it seems to be this one:
http://cribchatter.com/?p=24296
Which may not count as “good old”, and then you have to go back to March or something.
I think that the SFH inventory in GZ and adjacent areas really sucks right now. It’s mostly nearly identical new stuff, or borderline teardowns; it’s gotten to be $600k+ again to live in Avondale and see skeptic in his robe in the sideyard.
“it’s gotten to be $600k+ again to live in Avondale and see skeptic in his robe in the sideyard.”
Again? When was Avondale $600k+?
“Again? When was Avondale $600k+?”
sort of depends on what boundaries you consider Avondale but I would not be surprised that there were some properties going that high during the height of the boom.
“When was Avondale $600k+?”
http://cribchatter.com/?p=8526