In 1891, When This 3-Bedroom Victorian Was Built, the El Wasn’t There: 2138 W. Caton in Bucktown
This 3-bedroom Victorian, complete with a turret, at 2138 W. Caton in Bucktown came on the market in February 2016.
Built in 1891, on an extra wide 50×100 lot, it is a vintage lover’s dream with nearly all of its vintage features preserved including:
- leaded glass windows
- plaster walls
- medallions
- cove moldings
- a grand carved staircase
- ornate oak leaf woodwork
- a pier mirror
And 3 fireplaces, which are gas.
There are two bedrooms on the second floor with the third in the renovated attic, along with a playroom and a full bath.
The kitchen has blue or green cabinets (I can’t tell which from the pictures) and commercial grade stainless steel appliances.
The house also has a lower level recreation room.
It has a 2-car garage and central air.
Caton is an unusual street as it is a landmarked block filled with mansions.
When those houses were built, the El wasn’t yet a reality.
Now, the blue line runs just behind the property. They don’t try to hide it in the pictures. You can see it in my picture of the house from the side.
Originally listed for $1.495 million, it has been reduced $300,000 to $1.195 million.
Is this a deal for a vintage 4700 square foot mansion in a hot neighborhood even with the El nearby?
Jennifer Ames at Coldwell Banker has the listing. See the pictures here.
2138 W. Caton: 3 bedrooms, 4.5 baths, 4700 square feet, 2 car garage
- Sold in August 1994 for $479,000 (per Zillow)
- Originally listed in February 2016 for $1.495 million
- Reduced
- Currently listed at $1.195 million
- Taxes of $10,636
- Central Air
- 2 car garage
- 3 fireplaces
- Bedroom #1: 12×14 (second floor)
- Bedroom #2: 12×11 (second floor)
- Bedroom #3: 13×33 (third level)
- Playroom: 15×20 (third level)
- Recreation room: 17×24 (lower level)
Awesome place, thats getting kicked in the beanbag by the location
My Master plan
Find a teardown in a better location with a similar sized lot (Unicorn)
Move this house to the better location
Bribe city officials to change zoning for a multi-tenant
Build typical multi-tenant shitbox
Profit
Beautiful house and street. It’s just too bad the EL totally devalues this place.
nice place. But….dammm it would be difficult to utilize that outdoor space with the EL running behind it. Hope the windows are sound proofed.
Still a wonderful deal, even with el noise. Everything about this house is beautiful. The upgrades are beautiful and in keeping, and the original details are lovely.
The taxes are very reasonable relative to single family houses of comparable value in other neighborhoods.
And the proximity to the el might not seem like a disadvantage to everyone. Many will appreciate the convenience.
I believe the Blue Line elevated is much louder than the elevated parts of the Red/Brown lines. The noise at Wicker Park between the corner Damen corner and the dog park is incredible.
The El noise is over blown. I lived at 9th and Wabash and two different lines ran right behind my building. One quickly becomes inured with the noise and actually may notice that you haven’t heard the train in a while.
“The El noise is over blown.”
you weren’t living in a SFH with a large yard you’d probably like to enjoy in some peace and quiet.
I lived over on Newport and Racine with the brown line going through my back yard and it really does, very quickly, become white noise. If your love of a classic home is more than your hate of noise, this is a good deal.
“The taxes are very reasonable relative to single family houses of comparable value in other neighborhoods.”
Because the assessor doesn’t buy this price. It’s assessed at just under 600k
What a perfect home for a nice deaf couple.
Seriously though, wouldn’t Chicago be the best place to be a deaf home-buyer? So many huge discounts.