How Much Has The Market Improved? This 4-Bedroom Former Garage Is Finding Out: 1424 W. Ohio
We last chattered about this unique 4-bedroom house in what was a former garage at 1424 W. Ohio in West Town in March 2011.
See our prior chatter here.
Many of you disliked the unique interior decoration but some of you thought it was interesting, even if not to your taste. Remember, the furniture won’t be there when you move in.
Built on a triple lot of 76×126, a tall brick wall stretches across the front of the property.
In the interior, walls of glass are open to the landscaped courtyard.
The 9400 square foot home has 15 foot ceilings, herringbone floors and a 2-story 55 foot grand dining hall.
The kitchen is entirely stainless steel with Traulsen stainless cabinetry.
The bathrooms are Urban Archaeology.
2 of the 4 bedrooms are on the main floor and the other 2 and an office are on the second level.
It has central air with a 2-car garage.
The house has been reduced $225,000 since our last chatter.
But at $2.675 million, it would still be one of the most expensive properties to sell in this neighborhood.
Has the market improved enough to find a buyer near this price point?
Joseph Gasbarra at Coldwell Banker now has the listing. See the pictures here.
1424 W. Ohio: 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, 9400 square feet, 2 car garage
- Sold in January 1998 for $400,000
- Originally listed in February 2011 for $2.9 million
- Was still listed in March 2011 at $2.9 million
- Withdrawn
- Re-listed in September 2012 for $2.675 million
- Currently still listed at $2.675 million
- Taxes now $16963 (they were $16,735 in March 2011)
- Central Air
- Bedroom #1: 25×20 (main level)
- Bedroom #2: 18×13 (main level)
- Bedroom #3: 21×14 (second level)
- Bedroom #4: 21×10 (second level)
- Office: 12×16 (second level)
“Home of Famous Local Restauranteur and Designer”
Apart from the spelling error, I’m not sure this is a selling point…
Owner needs to go back to design school.
This would be attractive to me in another neighborhood, Has good space and bones, just needs an interior decorating redo.
Is the limestone grotto a jacuzzi?
Agree with PP, good bones, but needs cut interior decorating job.
Trudi – yeah that looks like an in-ground jacuzzi. Did not pick that up last time around. The previous listing photos were of better quality however there are more shots on this listing.
I like the place. Aside from the kitchen flooring there are only a few cosmetic changes that I would make. I understand that it is not for everyone but the paint treatments are superb and highly detailed. The place, layout, and location fits my lifestyle well. Unfortunately the budget not so well.
I think that the owners of the Girl and the Goat, Au Chaval, G.E. Bistro and the many other new places on that stretch of Randolph should thank Jerry K. for paving the road. They have taken risk and built great businesses but without him there would likely never have been such a great dining destination in the west loop. He pioneered Randolph St.
Do you need permission to put a giant flowerpot on the parkway (or whatev that section is called)? Reminds me in some way of this place. Do not, by the way, do an unrestricted google search of big monster toy.
http://blog.chicagoarchitecture.info/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Big-Monster-Toys-001a.jpg
I could definitely see myself here. If I had 2.6 million to spend on a house, that is, which I don’t. Just rip down the wallpaper and repaint, et voila! The second bathroom was odd though – was that a public restroom-type toilet in there?!
This place is baller as hell, what are you talking about needs a new interior decorator, it doesn’t come with the furniture you dopes! Amazing house
“The second bathroom was odd though – was that a public restroom-type toilet in there”
Yeah it is possible that the toilet might have been pre-plumbed that way from when it was a garage. It is a decent design as there is nothing on the floor making it easier to clean. I will give you the fact that the black seat does look a bit too commercial but that is the blend here and overall theme. Commercial vs residential space and decor.
My wife likes the other bathroom. What a tub! And that outdoor semi private space would be awesome for the owners kids. Very cool indeed. As for the flower pot I suspect that Jerry hosted some meals for the alderman and it got an exception. The alderman that eats well works well!
That Chinese character on the wall of one of the bedrooms is really cool. I almost got a tattoo like that, but I didn’t know what the character meant. So I ended up just getting a pretty cool tribal tattoo on the back of my calf. Looks pretty good. But if I moved into this house, I would probably get that character tattooed on the other calf. That would be a cool memento.
How much would it cost to reproduce this thing? A 10,000 sf, little-putzy, industrial building would be expensive at $40 psf! The Kritt Camins Tomasz brokerage firm specializes in selling these types of buildings. http://kritt.plc.propertyline.com/search/results
So you could buy this building for $400,000, then the cost to build it out, what’s that? maybe $90 psf? or $900K… So, you get your own “baller” place for a savings of over $ 1 million and you don’t have to live with this eastern european immigrant’s idiosyncratic (lack of) taste.
“That Chinese character on the wall of one of the bedrooms is really cool. I almost got a tattoo like that, but I didn’t know what the character meant. So I ended up just getting a pretty cool tribal tattoo on the back of my calf. Looks pretty good. But if I moved into this house, I would probably get that character tattooed on the other calf. That would be a cool memento.”
Well, at least if Chicagoans are looking for a kabbalist/Lucifer-themed “designer” they can contact the owner of this place! The black and white chessboard floor-tile design is a sure-fire sign were dealing with a kabbalist/freemason. I bet the “eyes wide shut” parties in this place are something else….LOL
“This place is baller as hell, what are you talking about needs a new interior decorator, it doesn’t come with the furniture you dopes! Amazing house”
It’s not the furniture that’s the problem. The floors, finishes and more need a complete re do. I always liked Jerry K and think his places were ground breaking in Chicago, but do i want to live in like Alice in Wonderland….no…
More like Alice in Chains. I’m going to let HD look for the hexagram.
I guess I have fallen in love with that commercial grade kitchen 8) I could do some damage up in there!
“So you could buy this building for $400,000”
Okay, you find a 10,000 sf building in decent shape within a quasi-GZ ‘hood, and I’lkl find you a buyer at $400k.
Those places in your link that are ~$40 psf are NOT in locations comparable to or better than this one. Not even close.
Words cannot express my hatred for the interior decorating of this place. I would not want to meet the people who live here. (I hate the exterior, too, by the way. Who would pay $2.6 million to live in what looks like a brick wall?)
A real-estate mash-up in which Vincent Van Gogh meets Alice in Wonderland meets the Bluth family.
I love this place, and while I’d be glad to see some of the furnishings go, I like the “spirit” of the decor-imaginative, witty, and slightly surreal.
It’s a really exceptional, roomy, and attractive single family home with a lot of privacy from the street. I tend to think it’s worth the ask price.
Crazytown! Not for me, but definitely a unique and colorful space. West Town’s not my kind of hood, and I’m having a hard time seeing it go that high.