Imagine No Granite or Stainless Steel: 143 W. Burton
If you look at Chicago real estate long enough you’ll notice one thing: all of the kitchens and baths look the same.
Even most of the vintage condos and houses have been stripped of their vintage kitchens in favor of 42 inch oak cabinets, brown/black speckled granite, and stainless steel appliances.
If you want original features or, heck, just originality, you’ll have to look around awhile.
Two units recently came on the market in this Art Deco 6-unit condo building on the edge of River North and Old Town at 143 W. Burton Place (on the corner of LaSalle.)
The building is very distinctive for its round windows and stained glass. It recently was tuckpointed and repainted (with a special assessment.)
The building also has some parking.
Prices have, not surprisingly, been going up in the building. But at least in the two units on the market right now, no one has replaced the original kitchen with oak and granite. And not a single stainless steel appliance.
It’s refreshing.
Unit #2S: 1 bedroom, 1 bath, 800 square feet
- Sold in November 2001 for $194,500
- Sold in August 2002 for $214,000
- Currently listed at $260,000 (includes the parking)
- Assessment of $210 a month (special is paid)
- Berg Properties has the listing
Unit #3S: 1 bedroom, 1 bath, 800 square feet, penthouse unit with skylight
- Sold in June 2004 for $233,000
- Currently listed at $249,900 plus 29k for parking
- Assessments of $210 a month
- Stellar Properties Inc. has the listing
Tiny kitchen.
These are cute, strange condos. I love the round windows.
But the kitchens are frightful. You don’t have to have granite and steel, but a thoughtfully designed new kitchen with downscaled appliances and cabinetry, in proportion to the squeezy space, would help the place out a lot. Things like a two-burner cooktop set in length-wise with the oven built in underneath, and under-counter refrigeration.
I notice that even newer apts with small kitchens show a lack of real thought about how to make a tiny kitchen workable and stylish. They always pack the same standard-size appliances in, and when they do pick small appliances, they are cheap rental-grade garbage and look like it.
Yeah the kitch does really stink. I haven’t seen under-counter fridges since I lived in GB though and when I first moved there I thought there was no way I’d survive with one. Of course I did but most of us Americans would be definitely put back by one initially even if it does makes better use of the space. I’m no Martha Stewart but that kitchen definitely needs some work–my very small studio apt has more kitchen cabinets than this.
Circular windows are cool and are those skylights I see on unit 3? I love skylights and they seem to be pretty rare in this city in condos & coops. I could see unit 3 selling for 280k w/parking maybe but thats just the rare skylight feature. I don’t think unit 2 is worth 260k.
Bob: I too thought the skylight was pretty unique- especially at this price level.
You don’t see skylights much because they are disasters waiting to happen. They almost all eventually leak. I’d be especially skeptical of a “vintage” skylight…
Kenworthy there are two types of skylights though.
The ones that open are indeed disasters waiting to happen. Just like my old car’s sunroof if you don’t take care and armorall the liner yearly and replace it once a decade they are indeed plagued with leaks. But the ones that don’t open don’t have these problems.
My apt building has non-opening ones on the top floor in the hallway and it certainly looks much nicer than the other floors.
Also if by vintage you mean the weird brown bubble looking ones yech. The apt building next to mine has those and to be honest its about the biggest waste of skylights I’ve ever seen (little natural light would come in through the brown bubble).
That sounds right re: the ones that open–but I speak from personal experience with two different skylights in two different settings (one vintage construction, one within the last three years), that even those that are not designed to be opened, do at least sometimes leak… Maybe at far lower rates, so that the added light might be worth it. But I regard skylights with the same jaundiced eye I regard waterbeds!
no central air either?? was that a radiator by the round window?
I lived in 2 south in the late 80’s and early 90’s.
There was a murder in the basement when i left in the early 90’s
Murder? Can you tell me any more? I own a unit there.
Oh my gosh. I had a friend who lived there? What is the story behind the murder?
Unit 1N listed in April, 2012 with an ask price of 225k.
(250k after parking included)
Lived there in 89. The owner of the building owned a brewery called Sebeans- Not sure of the spelling. he had many of his workers there paying next to nothing and I lived there for a few years in the laye 80’s and early 90’s. I moved right after the fire in the hotel that used to be next to the building. Yes, there was a murder in the basement. I never found out the details. The building has so much charm but it is small if you live with someone and aquire furniture. The furnace in the basement would go out in the winter and we would use the fireplace to survive sometimes. E-mail ne at redfrog16@hotmail.com if you want to discuss the building. I live on the second floor facing Burton Place.