Benjamin Marshall 3-Bedroom Maisonette Now Renovated: 1544 N. State Parkway
This 3-bedroom in Benjamin Marshall’s Gold Coast masterpiece at 1544 N. State Parkway came on the market in May 2019.
1550 N. State Parkway was constructed in 1912 and has just 32 units. It’s exterior is covered in limestone.
It has a doorman but no parking.
The building also has a shorter side building with maisonettes at 1544 N. State Parkway. This unit is one of those maisonettes.
The units don’t have the same tall ceilings and vintage features as the main building.
We’ve actually chattered about this unit several times in the past, with the last time in July 2012.
See our chatter here.
It was a short sale for several years and appears to finally have sold in an auction from the bank in 2016.
It’s now been renovated and has a new kitchen and baths.
The listing calls it a “dream kitchen and wet bar” with European materials with 10 foot island and full counters and backsplash in Taj Mahal Quartzite. It has Thermador appliances with “touch open” technology.
The bathrooms have custom vanities.
There’s a decorative fireplace, built-ins and some vintage crown molding in the living/dining room.
It has baseboard heating but it’s unclear about central air. The listing says there isn’t any.
It does have in-unit washer/dryer but no parking.
The unit was originally listed at $1,049,999 in May 2019 and has been reduced $130,999 to $919,000.
Buyers love renovated properties.
Why isn’t this selling?
Marcello Navarro at Compass has the listing. See the pictures here.
Unit #A3: 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, 1850 square feet
- Sold in January 1988 for $289,000
- Sold in June 1997 for $335,000
- Sold in April 1999 for $442,000
- Sold in January 2004 for $865,000
- Sold in July 2006 for $950,000
- Originally listed in November 2009 for $1.135 million
- Lis pendens filed in May 2011
- Sold in March 2016 for $413,500
- Originally listed in May 2019 for $1,049,999
- Reduced several times
- Currently listed at $919,000
- Assessments are now $2169 a month (they were $1947 a month in 2012) (includes ?- it’s not listed except in listing remarks)
- Taxes are now $20,588 (they were $13484 in July 2012)
- No central air?
- In-unit washer/dryer
- No parking – rental nearby
- Decorative fireplaces
- Bedroom #1: 17×14
- Bedroom #2: 14×13
- Bedroom #3: 11×8
- Living room/Dining room: 23×17
- Kitchen: 17×11
- Bar: 10×5
“Why isn’t this selling?”
The finishes are just all wrong.
the renovations just dont look that great….
they really sucked the soul out of this unit… I swear I have been in this one… is it part of a once larger combined unit?
Ditto on the renovations and lack of soul.
Regarding central air, those circles you see near the ceiling are space pak vents. Just as good as central air. With baseboard heat, it’s probably included in the assessment and heats better than gas forced air, in my opinion.
Those kitchen cabinets are just hideous. The lighting choices look straight out of a cheap hotel room trying to be glam. The flooring looks like old distressed wood in the bad way (not the current modern way). The ceiling heights are way too low. This feels like a basement garden unit even though its now. Now couple that with almost $4k a month in HOA + property taxes. Hard NO for me.
I’m honestly surprised by how much I hate that kitchen.
OK, Sabrina: As I said in 2012: This one again!?
No parking or view but you do get to pay $4,000 a month in taxes and assessments. What more could you ask!
It’s possible this place will never sell. I wouldn’t pay 25 cents for it. The interior is hideous. Florescent lighting! Unbelievable. I know lighting can be replaced, but there’s no way to bring charm (or enough natural light) to this dump.
“I’m honestly surprised by how much I hate that kitchen.”
It feels especially jarring given the vintage building.
Blech. Talk about zero context. They “euro-trashed” the heck out of this. Good god this looks like every other new construction condo coming on line but with less natural light and no parking. What is the Hooter’s slogan? Delightfully tacky yet unrefined? This doesn’t have any delight though.