Can You Live “Inside” Lincoln Park? 950 W. Berwyn in Edgewater
The listing for this 3-bedroom townhouse at 950 W. Berwyn in Edgewater says it is Chicago’s only “inside Lincoln Park private townhome enclave”.
The listing says it has direct access into the park and is steps from Foster beach.
All three bedrooms are on the same level, which is rare for townhouse living.
It also has a family room on the lower level that leads to a private patio area- which, it appears from the pictures, leads directly to the park.
How important is it to be close to the park and the lake?
John Wahlund at Lakefront Group Realty Associates has the listing. See the pictures here.
950 W. Berwyn #4: 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, 2 car attached garage
- Sold in September 1990 for $261,000
- Sold in December 1999 for $320,000
- Sold in October 2002 for $458,000
- Originally listed in July 2009 for $549,000
- Currently still listed for $549,000
- Assessments of $352 a month (includes snow removal)
- Taxes of $6506
- Central Air
- Bedroom #1: 14×13
- Bedroom #2: 12×10
- Bedroom #3: 10×10
- Living room: 23×18
- Dining room: 13×14
- Kitchen: 13×10
- Family room: 13×11
This place will go sub $500k. Nice unit, but it is east of Broadway. Regardless, if it is close to the beach, that area ain’t all that great. At this price point, it is competing with larger condos and even some townhomes in better locations imho.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a glass shower door used to partition off a toilet.
i’m not familiar with the area that far north. is it really true that the closer to the beach, the worse the neighborhood gets?
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a glass shower door used to partition off a toilet.”
That is hilarious and awful. Maybe it’s for when you miss the mark. By a lot.
““I don’t think I’ve ever seen a glass shower door used to partition off a toilet.”
That is hilarious and awful. Maybe it’s for when you miss the mark. By a lot.” – So it goes to the floor….uh?
This is a beautiful development, and it’s well-located. The townhouses have a lovely, private setting surrounded by parkland, very close to the Dominick’s at Broadway and Foster. It is also close to the Saddle & Bridle Club.
A new Dominick’s will be built on the same site as the present outdated, ratty store. The new store will be situated on the corner of Sheridan & Foster with the parking behind.
The whole area, which is where Edgewater begins, is very pretty and pleasant. It has beautiful architecture, urban buzz, and urban convenience, yet is more relaxed than the denser, more hectic neighborhoods further south. One of the relaxing things about it are the prevailing prices- you get a lot more for your money than you do in Uptown.
The bias against anything east of Broadway is outdated. The neighborhood east of Broadway has turned 180 degrees in the past 15 years and is more attractive than the area west, at least in my humble opinion. Kenmore from Foster to Devon is now a beautiful street and my favorite path when I walk home from work. It has many layers of great architecture, is densely treed, and very safe and friendly. Winthrop is decent, though it needs some work yet.
This development has held up really well and has lots of visual appeal. This unit should perhaps sell in the 400s, though.
All in all, Edgewater is the best value for the money of almost any nabe in the city. You have a beautiful, convenient, SAFE, amenity-stuffed neighborhood with income and ethnic diversity, the bulk of the population being moderate-to-middle income. It is friendly, open, and all the necessities are very close at hand, and the prices are very reasonable.
Laura,
nice little write up, i am glad to see this area turn the corner. was always disappointed by north chicago close to the lake shore. saw so much potential but was usually scared off.
Laura;
I love the far northside. Called A’ville home for five years before it got popular. Not gonna sugar coat being east of Broadway though. Yeah, it is ok for some folks who may be a little more urban/open minded, but the reality is that most of the folks are going to find it a little rough around the edges.
Laura,
I take it you like Edgewater.
Laura said:
“The neighborhood east of Broadway has turned 180 degrees in the past 15 years and is more attractive than the area west”
Beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder…Are you claiming that north of Foster, E of B’way is more attractive than W of B’way (ie Andersonville)?!? You will, at least, admit that yours is a minority opinion, right?
Kenmore and Winthrop are nice streets, especially around here (52-5600)–but will you at least make an exception for 5600-6000 or so? Especially around Thorndale? Every hood has die-hard supporters, but I mean, come on!
roma, I personally tend to like East Edgewater better than west.
When I first arrived in Chicago 22 years ago, this area was very blighted and bleak- it was the notorious “Winthrop Corridor” of drugs, gangs, and crime, with many beautiful old buildings and houses in which the middle class folk cowered in fear- a faded, battered beauty very much like my old nabe in the city I left. Trash and chain link gates over windows everywhere, gangs on street corners, and an air of malaise all around, I remember. I lived in Lakeview and didn’t go near it for 10 years. I thought, what a shame for such an intrinsically appealing neigbhorhood to be so blighted and scary.
Now, it’s great, even though I’ll admit it still needs a lot of work to be really perfect. For one thing, there are way too many ugly 4+1 apt buildings. These buildings tend to attract problem tenants unless they are super well-maintained. Broadway is still mostly an eyesore, and the street scape plan for Broadway, which includes not only trees but getting rid of curb cuts and replacing inappropriate, ugly suburban-style commercial development with street-centered, pedestrian-oriented multi-use buildings, will take twenty years to fully implement. The important thing was getting the area under control and reducing crime, and that’s been done and is, of course, an ongoing job. The alderman, Smith, maintains a website featuring problem buildings and is very proactive in hounding their landlords. I attribute the steep drop in crime since the 90s to her efforts and those of the residents of the area.
I love the urban atmosphere and architectural variety, and I’m enjoying the safety. If I need to walk around there late at night, I’m not terrified (though I’m cautious everywhere) Sheridan Road looks great, even though I hope to see it looking still better in coming years. Kenmore especially is interesting and beautiful, and over the next 20 years I expect that a number of the really marginal apartment buildings will come down and be replaced with more attractive multifamily, especially as more people move back to the city and inner suburbs in response to steeply higher fuel prices.
My first apt was in Edgewater (Kenmore/Ardmore) in ’87 and I wouldn’t walk south of Bryn Mawr on Kenmore. Tried it once, and there was way too many shaddy dealings going on — place was frightening (and I grew up in South Shore). 10 years later, I bought a condo in the Balmoral/Kenmore area and was completely surprised by the turn-around in the neighborhood. I’ve been here 12 yrs now and the neighborhood as steadily improved — kinda — in fact, it’s become too yuppified/metro sexualed to be interesting anymore.
The character of the neighborhood has changed dramatically. While there are still lots of renters, there are far fewer then there were 10 yrs ago and it’s like night and day compared to 20 yrs ago. Most of the buildings have gone condo and the owners actually live there. But the flavor of the neighborhood is steadily changing… from a gumbo to a tomato soup. In another 10 yrs or so it will be just like Lake View and Lincoln Park — all one ethnicity with a smattering of color here and there.
I’m reminded of pre-/post-Katrina New Orleans — before (melting pot) and after (1920s Europe). I’m sure there are many that prefer this scenario… where they feel comfortable and safe like the homogeneous suburbs they grew up in 30 yrs ago. But in turning everything back into what they once knew, many others lose all the character that they wanted to find when they moved to the city.
Just one more neighborhood with corporate stores replacing all the Mom & Pop’s and everyone walking around in Old Navy and Panama Hats pushing their lil princes/princesses around in $300 strollers and drinking their $6 Carmel Macchiatoes.
Is the neighborhood safer — yes. It is also probably the best value for lakefront living on the Northside. If you’re looking for/forward to “Lake View/Lincoln Park” living — buy now (while you can afford too) and just wait, you’ll get your wish… eventually.