Do You Know About This Secret North Side Neighborhood? 5411 N. Bowmanville
This 2-bedroom townhouse at 5411 N. Bowmanville in the Bowmanville neighborhood of Lincoln Square recently came on the market.
You may never have heard of Bowmanville.
It is a little known enclave north of Foster in between Western and Ravenswood in the Lincoln Square neighborhood.
For those of you who love Andersonville- it is west of and within walking distance of those restaurant and shops.
This townhouse was built in 1989 but the kitchen has been completely renovated with new cabinets, stainless steel appliances and granite counter tops.
Originally a 3-bedroom, it is now a 2-bedroom with both bedrooms on the second floor.
As is common in many townhouse layouts, there is a lower level family room.
There is also a new stone patio and english garden in which to enjoy the Chicago summer.
It comes with a 1-car garage.
At this price point, is this townhouse a good alternative to a single family home in the neighborhood?
Denise Grassart at Baird & Warner has the listing. See more pictures here.
5411 N. Bowmanville: 2 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, 1 car garage, about 1900 square feet
- Looks like the November 1989 sales price is wrong in the public records ($377,000?)
- Sold in August 2008 for $305,000
- Originally listed in May 2011 for $400,000
- Currently still listed for $400,000
- Assessments of $348 a month (includes exterior maintenance, snow removal, water)
- Taxes of $4734
- Central Air
- Bedroom #1: 10×17 (second floor)
- Bedroom #2: 18×10 (second floor)
- Family room: 19×13 (lower level)
looks like everyone went to ABT and got the stainless steel package we did 🙂
I didn’t realize this wasn’t a well-known hood, as I have several friends from childhood in the area, but lo and behold, all the Encyclopedia of Chicago offers is:
“Bowmanville, one of its first residential subdivisions, was developed in 1850 by a local hotel keeper who disappeared before his customers discovered that he did not own the land he had sold.”
My friends are in some sort of Swedish enclave, their family is the 4th generation in the same house.
“Looks like the November 1989 sales price is wrong in the public records ($377,000?)”
The sale by the developer closed on 11/13/89 for $190,903.
I’ll puke and pass. Seems steep for 2 bedrooms in that area with $350 assessments.
This is priced at the same level of single family homes in the area and a bit higher than condos. So, no. Not a good alternative. These townhomes also present themselves as very narrow when looking at them from the outside.
FWIW, there are five condos for sale on my Bowmanville street. Two of them have cribs and another will have one soon. They’re not selling.
I just don’t like most town homes, their tight sad layout just doesn’t do it for me and I cannot tolerate the exterior of this one either. I’d rather have the open layout of a condo in a high rise or a 2 flat.
Definitely overpriced for the area….my parents lived near here up until a few years ago. Pleasant area and safe, but not sure that it can command 400k for a two bed townhome. 350k maybe, with the final offer closer to 325k.
and they really dropped the ball making this into a 2 bed.
So what consititutes an ‘English garden’ then?
I don’t mind a townhome, I wouldn’t even mind the assessments, but the removal of the third bedroom would be a problem for me at this price range. Is this in Peirce? I think properties with 3+ bedrooms are going to start becoming more popular as Peirce becomes more well known.
Although with these dimensions, I shudder to think how small the bedrooms were before.
I thought maybe they’d just turned one of the bedrooms into a family room. either that or they made the master bed bigger by joining it with the bedroom next door.
If it tracked the CS SA Chicago SFH index from 11/89 to 3/11 (+64.5%), it would now be valued at $315K.
“I didn’t realize this wasn’t a well-known hood, as I have several friends from childhood in the area, but lo and behold, all the Encyclopedia of Chicago offers is:”
i can honestly say i have never been in this little area and know nothing about it, or even have a “groove story” to tell about it. i always lumped it in with amundsen HS.
and now that you mention swedish, i have a taste for tre kronor. may have to take a long friday lunch 🙂
Lame area. Too far from anything cool and from public transportation.
Jennifer, it’s in Chappell’s boundaries, not currently as enticing as Peirce. Amundsen is the HS.
Definitely overpriced then! I don’t know. I don’t think a family would really look at a 2 bed place and most younger couples aren’t buying 2 bed places this far north, so I suppose the school doesn’t really factor in.
I can’t believe I never thought to ridicule my pals my balling it Amund-sven. Dang. They all went to Lane, anyway.
There’s not a whole lot of reason to just pass through this area, which is I imagine what it makes desirable for families. At one point their block had about a half-dozen nearly-identical houses with the same blinkin’ mailbox right out of some turn of the 19th century magazine. I rang the wrong doorbell a countless number of times.
“i always lumped it in with amundsen HS.”
“So what consititutes an ‘English garden’ then?”
Actually I am not sure about it either, but I think it is the only thing Brits let loose on relaxed the code on and let the herbs and flowers be kind of wild looking as opposed to say jardins de Versailles style ; )
This is worth no more than the CSA price at April 1999, whatever that is.
I think Sabrina actually meant an English basement (again, what’s English about a basement), since it looks like a walk-out. The typical Brit garden nowadays is a wooden deck, patio and some grass. And a big old washing line right down the middle.
English basement has to do with the height. They are supposedly higher above the ground than a garden apartment. I think ours is between three to four feet above the ground level.
“i can honestly say i have never been in this little area and know nothing about it”
Two stumble upon ways: 1) Forget Damen deadends into Rosehill and 2) Forget Bryn Mawr deadends into Rosehill. Done both, more than once.
How bout this + 75k of improvements instead:
http://www.redfin.com/IL/Chicago/2307-W-Farragut-Ave-60625/home/13404840
“i can honestly say i have never been in this little area and know nothing about it”
“Two stumble upon ways: 1) Forget Damen deadends into Rosehill and 2) Forget Bryn Mawr deadends into Rosehill. Done both, more than once.”
C’mon guys. Four words: san soo gab san.
“san soo gab san”
What’s that?
Google says a restaurant in Lincoln Square. When in doubt google it.
“Google says a restaurant in Lincoln Square”
Korean bbq with charcoal grills at the tables. A good time but be prepared to smell like kbbq when you leave. This property is probably comfortably far away; I would not want to live within a block of SSGS as much as I like it.
“C’mon guys. Four words: san soo gab san.”
If that counts, Groove’s been there, as I’m sure he’s driven on Western Avenue b/t Foster and Peterson a couple of times. Probably even gotten in a fight, or had a friend who liked to shoplift and/or tag around there.
“If that counts, Groove’s been there, as I’m sure he’s driven on Western Avenue b/t Foster and Peterson a couple of times. Probably even gotten in a fight, or had a friend who liked to shoplift and/or tag around there.”
I don’t know if driving on the boundary road of a neighborhood counts. SSGS is clearly in the neighborhood (albeit on the boundary). Also, if you actually go to SSGS, it much less hassle to park on Bowmanville than it the cramped and often full parking lot, so that would put you in what I have to believe is the etymological heart of Bowmanville. Also nice to take a walk around there after a full meal. It is, I understand, “Chicago’s best neighborhood.”
I concede the point about groove’s social network.
“It is, I understand, “Chicago’s best neighborhood.””
As long as it’s carved in wood or painted on sheet metal and stuck on a post, you’ll believe anything, won’t you?
““C’mon guys. Four words: san soo gab san.”
If that counts, Groove’s been there, as I’m sure he’s driven on Western Avenue b/t Foster and Peterson a couple of times. Probably even gotten in a fight, or had a friend who liked to shoplift and/or tag around there.”
oddly i have not been there either, its like grooves own little bermuda triangle there i guess. i have no stories for it the end at admundsen or are west or east of “bowmanville”.
““Two stumble upon ways: 1) Forget Damen deadends into Rosehill and 2) Forget Bryn Mawr deadends into Rosehill. Done both, more than once.”
since i would play ball at the open gym at the HS i was aware of the ending of damen. and with all the dang stop signs on bryn mawr i rarely use that street as peterson is two lane speed street 🙂
“As long as it’s carved in wood or painted on sheet metal and stuck on a post, you’ll believe anything, won’t you?”
Well, it’s on a community organization website. I thought those had some special standing in the anon-skeptic(?) worldview of neighborhoods.
“oddly i have not been there either”
You’ve never driven on Western b/t Foster and Peterson? Seriously?
“Well, it’s on a community organization website. I thought those had some special standing in the anon-skeptic(?) worldview of neighborhoods.”
Skeptic is true to his name on that count I believe; and I give them credence, if established, active and locally supported, for defining sub-neighborhoods, but not for claims made about the sub-neighborhoods–falls into standard Chicago wind.
“You’ve never driven on Western b/t Foster and Peterson? Seriously?”
there yes, many many times, but does that constitute “bowmanville”? and cant really think the only time i stopped on that stretch was because i drove a friend to the avis/hertz on western or back in the day when the ice cream shop was on western and bryn mawr.
had a friend that lived west of western over here, that we would drink at loyolas “pump and Co” in the late 90’s.
thanks about it. never been through “bowmanville” and didnt know it existed
“but does that constitute “bowmanville”?”
That was the joke, groove, that if going to a restaurant fronting on Western almost at the corner of the neighborhood counts, then driving past it should, too.
btw, DZ, did you get my email? I invested 5 minutes (while drinking a Stiegl) in my research, so it’s important I know that you got the results.
“if going to a restaurant fronting on Western almost at the corner of the neighborhood counts”
I didn’t realize that the corners of neighborhoods, or restaurants as opposed to residences, no longer counted as being in the neighborhood. Also, as I pointed out, a sensible trip to this *particular* restaurant would put you firmly in the neighborhood.
“btw, DZ, did you get my email? I invested 5 minutes (while drinking a Stiegl) in my research, so it’s important I know that you got the results.”
I did, thank you. The househunt has slowed a bit just from life craziness, although my wife is now looking at [to be continued off-board].
“I didn’t realize that the corners of neighborhoods, or restaurants as opposed to residences, no longer counted as being in the neighborhood. Also, as I pointed out, a sensible trip to this *particular* restaurant would put you firmly in the neighborhood.”
I guess I’m just scarred by the segmentation of Lincoln Park down to which side of a given building one’s apartment is on.
“That was the joke, groove, that if going to a restaurant fronting on Western almost at the corner of the neighborhood counts, then driving past it should, too.”
oops missed i, was reading to fast and type too fast to catch it.
its friday and i want to go home early!!!!
Oh, and one last thing:
Bowmanville Neighborhood Street Sale, this Saturday:
http://www.centersquarejournal.com/events/saturday-bowmanville-street-sale
TB, “too far from anything and from public transit”? Puh-leeze! This is actually a great central location from the Andersonville business strip(and a quick bike ride away), Lincoln Square, and other neighborhoods not much further away(West Ridge, North Park, North Center). Plus, multiple bus lines run through the southern and western edge of the neighborhood(#92 Foster, #50 Damen(which gives you a one seat ride on to other neighborhoods like Roscoe Village and Wicker Park), #49 Western, and #49B North Western. marginally outside of Bowmanville, is the #11 Lincoln bus). Though I do wish the #50 Damen bus still had its old route(which went up Damen to Balmoral, Balmoral east to Ravenswood, Ravenswood north to Bryn Mawr, then Bryn Mawr east to Ashland, plus same route the other way of course. boo CTA!). Plus, very easy access to the park just west of Amundsen High School, and being very close to Lincoln Ave(an important north-south street for commuting, especially if you need to go north of Chicago) are both great bonuses. And if one needs to catch Metra, they can take the Damen bus south to Lawrence/Damen and walk east a few blocks, and for the ‘L, the Brown Line is directly served by both the #50, #49B, and #49 buses.
Well, it’s your own loss TB, if you can’t see the benefits.
assessment fees will eat u alive…..seems like it should be priced in the mid 3’s….house looks cozy but way to small for a family…perfect for single person……should sell by spring in the mid 300’s