Keck & Keck Mid-Century Modern in its Summer Glory: 2939 W. Catalpa in Budlong Woods
We last chattered about this unique 1946 mid-century modern house at 2939 W. Catalpa in Budlong Woods that was commissioned by Keck & Keck in May 2009.
See our prior chatter and pictures here.
It is still available.
The prior pictures from May, before spring had sprung, don’t do the grounds justice as the house is on a third of an acre and has lovely gardens and a pond. You can now see it in all its glory.
The house also has Terrazzo and walnut radiant floors, a commercially appointed kitchen, and a glass studio/greenhouse.
Jennifer South at Dreamtown Realty still has the listing. See more pictures here.
Here’s more on what a Keck & Keck design means from a Dreamtown press release.
See the property’s website here.
2939 W. Catalpa: 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, 2.5 car garage
- Sold in March 1995 for $499,000
- Sold in March 2004 for $800,000
- Was listed in May 2009 for $1.399 million
- Currently listed at $1,399,900
- Taxes of $12,080
- Central Air
- 9-zone irrigation system
- Master suite with marble bath
Compare ‘n’ contrast: http://www.usc-chi.com/listing.php?MLS=06847127
Compared to the one offered in Hyde Park, this is an absolute bargain. (No, I don’t really think it’s a bargain. I think both sellers are asking way, way, way too much… even for a Keck.)
Nice that they’ve added summer photos, now that the chill of gale force winds have taken over the city.
I have no idea what’s fair for a home of this pedigree but it would be a comfortable place for the next twenty years of my life. The taxes seem very reasonable for the lot size. I don’t suppose the schools are decent, too?
The kitchen leaves me cold. Reminds me of the kitchen in my grade school cafeteria.
I love this place. If I could transport it to Oak Park…
I love the Yo! MTV Cribs style video. There is no doubt that the shot of the home owner going around his house on a skateboard is going to sell this place.
I really think realtors should stay away from this sort of thing. House is unique (I like it) – but that is a pretty steep price for the location.
“I don’t suppose the schools are decent, too?”
Elementary school is Jamieson, which I’d never heard of before looking it up just now, but the test scores seem at least borderline ok.
the high school here is mather, stay away from mather!
all this bashing of realtors that people here have been doing, we need to give this realtor a chocolate chip cookie for a very detailed listing (minus the sq ft thing i cant find,but in a place like this sq ft is at the bottom of the list).
Budlong woods is a nicley strange area, mix of old hippes, young old hippes with kids, gangs in the area, river park is sketchy at times from the bad part by lawernce ave, i think in the past 10 years the got control of that hooker situation over by jersey and lincoln
never been able to place a strong finger on that area cool place, besides the grade school kitchen and fishbowl garage. like the airstream trailer.
how would one put a price on this, comps and such
The owner of this home is a co-owner of the listing brokerage.
LOL
Jeez that’s awful
I like the place, but that’s a big price tag. You could have bought K&K homes in Glencoe for around $250K back in the 90s. Even today I don’t believe they command anywhere near a million on the north shore, so it will be interesting to see this one goes for.
“I like the place, but that’s a big price tag. You could have bought K&K homes in Glencoe for around $250K back in the 90s”
dave correct me i am usually wrong, i thought the north shore K&K homes were in Highland park?
anon you internet sleuth, what are K&K homes on the north shore going for. (i am a tad lazy and tried today to look myself)
“anon you internet sleuth, what are K&K homes on the north shore going for. (i am a tad lazy and tried today to look myself)”
Glencoe.
There’s at least one on the market right now for $1.365. On over half an acre at teh end of a cul de sac, up against forest preserve/country club.
Groove,
There are several K&K homes on Carol Lane, and another street that I can’t think of, in Glencoe. Back around ’94 I almost bought one in the 250K range. It was a cool place, but I have issues with living in the burbs so I passed.
Oh, and the one I mentioned is at 730 Redwood.
The day I can afford a SFH, I’ll be installing a kitchen exactly like this. Amazing.
That said, I’m a fairly serious cook. I can see how this might not appeal to your average homeowner.
Wonderful house, great condition
This one is very luxurious. The Keck homes in the Glencoe development don’t have this degree of luxury and space. Some of those Glencoe homes are very close to the train tracks. The Glencoe setting is very nice also, very wooded.
dd, you’re right. Some are close to the tracks, however not all. The two or three that I’ve been in were definitely spacious and not on the tracks.
The homes on the tracks, judging from my last drive by (maybe a year ago) were rough around the edges. The homes on Carol that were not on the tracks were nice or had potential. Even if they were decked out though, I seriously, seriously doubt they would go for the type of $$ they’re asking for this property.
The home backing up to the golf course, that’s a different story. Still, it’s a crazy market, so it will be interesting to see what happens. I think it’s going to take a very specific buyer to buy the place at that price given the economy.
2004 price is the highest this house can achieve. The Budlong Woods neighborhood, interesting as some blocks are, still is a tiny pocket of more upscale houses in an area of great demographic uncertainty. Public school choices are poor, unless you win the .05% lottery for nearby Northside Prep (or somehow pay-off City Hall). There is a significant number of multi-family houses even in Budlong Woods, and extended family living situations in apartments and houses, which can aggravate parking situation. No train nearby, so commuting requires a car. No decent retail in walking distance, so you need two cars at minimum to service a family household.
For seller to achieve a $1m+ price, he needs a buyer who has zero concern regarding neighborhood and preservation of home value, and who lives on the property as if “an island in the sea”.
dave,
“There are several K&K homes on Carol Lane”
i always thought for years highland park started at dundee road, i have learned now that its lake cook road. stupid suburbs confusing me and stuff 🙂
anon,
“There’s at least one on the market right now for $1.365. On over half an acre at teh end of a cul de sac, up against forest preserve/country club….730 Redwood”
can always count on you bro to be the internet genius your are.
Architect,
as an architect yourself and bieng in the architect community, is this place architecturally significant to justify the listing price? and would this be a place an architect would buy?
“Public school choices are poor, unless you win the .05% lottery for nearby Northside Prep (or somehow pay-off City Hall).”
I’m not sure there are any areas relatively close to downtown with a good neighborhood high school, are there? There may be some that are adequate but probably not good enough if you are looking at houses at this price point. There are some good neighborhood elementary schools. As I noted above, the one that is the neighborhood elementary for this house is better than I would have guessed, but in the end probably not good enough for this price point.
Like this house a lot. Not quite sure what I think about the kitchen. Agree the commute is a pain from here.
“I’m not sure there are any areas relatively close to downtown with a good neighborhood high school, are there? There may be some that are adequate but probably not good enough[.]”
There are two or three neighborhood CPS high schools that are adequate, period, close to dt or not. And even those have IB programs that make them sort ofbifurcated schools.
This house has been inappropriately remodelled, and the Keck architectural history diminished by seller’s material and design choices.
Between taxes and private school tuition, it’s far less expensive to buy a house in Evanston, Wilmette, Riverside, Oak Park, or River Forest, etc. and have less carry-cost/household expense. These suburbs have plenty of houses with great character.
Oak Park has a Keck-ish house for sale right now for $650,000, around Augusta and Oak Park Avenues, which looks more in period while in great shape. Wiser choice, unless you’re a sworn bachelor who doesn’t care the “where you live”, and then, even so, Budlong Woods doesn’t necessarily appeal to that homebuyer sector.
Other than Lincoln Park HS, what other CPS non-selective enrollment HS is “reasonably acceptable”? I can’t think of a single “ok” non-lottery high school other than LPHS that isn’t disruptive and under-performing in all aspects. Forest Glen/Saugnash parents avoid Taft HS at all costs.
Architect,
thank you for your insider view, “This house has been inappropriately remodelled, and the Keck architectural history diminished by seller’s material and design choices”
i now wonder why a person would pay 1.3m for this place when a more architecturally intact K&K is cheaper in far better areas.
“Forest Glen/Saugnash parents avoid Taft HS at all costs”
is taft really that bad now? i know LPHS is a good local (non test) school. and anon tfo’s third HS….well i have no clue what he is thinking.
“and anon tfo’s third HS….well i have no clue what he is thinking.”
Dude, you’re the one who previously added a third non-awful to LPHS and Taft. Can’t remember which, but it was definitely you.
thats right, i added Von Steuben, but you added Taft and i agreed.
i will retract Von Steuben as it may be a test in school.
i will not retract Taft as of yet until Architect elaborates on why only forest glenn and sauganash parents avoid it.
“why only forest glenn and sauganash parents avoid it”
Because they have enough $$ to do so?
Arch–do they also avoid the IB program?
“i will retract Von Steuben as it may be a test in school.”
Hadn’t 2x’d you–it has an admissions lottery (based on isat scores only, rather than using the S-E test, too), so it’s not a “neighborhood” school.
anon (tfo),
What is your opinion regarding IB program?
Thanks! I hope you know that we all appreciate that you share your CPS knowledge.
“What is your opinion regarding IB program?”
Dunno. Have several years to figure it out, so haven’t really looked into it. Given where we live, I don’t think IB except at LP would be a viable option, transportation-wise, but, again, haven’t really dug in.
When we discuss the HS issue generally, we always keep the “flee to the burbs” option on the table, but that’s a contingency plan, not *the* plan.
“it has an admissions lottery”, wow HS are still doing this i remember the big ordeal in the early 90’s when lane tech went to lottery enrollment.
why cant politions in chicago understand to keep good people and families in chicago we need good and safe schools in turn they will be able to get more out of taxes.
*politicians
Groove, politicians understand this. The problem is that there are just too many parents and their children who just don’t care. Education isn’t an important part of many CPS households. For every two-parent household who actually cares there are two or three broken households each with two or three children who, quite frankly, don’t give a ****. Your way of showing that you care is to move to the suburbs. The others who stay behind and send their kids to CPS high schools show they don’t really care, and the behavior of the children, the test scores, the drop out rates, etc, all reflect this reality. Throwing more money at the school system doesn’t make a school better it just makes the bureaucracy bigger.
“just too many parents and their children who just don’t care”
it sad and all to true, and i see it widespread in my hood. even the kids i used to coach parents involvement was a very sparse thing and depressing. i think the teams me and a good friend coached we did a good job on getting more and more parents involved as the years went buy.
“Throwing more money at the school system doesn’t make a school better”
I am anti throw money at anything, i think more TIME and resources and studies will help solve the problem. well yes in turn will cost more money 🙂 but more TIME, EFFORT and smaller bureaucracy will sole it.
The consent decree that was at least part of the basis for assignment of places in the selective enrollment schools was vacated a couple of days ago. I think previously there were two separate pools for caucasian and non-caucasian, with a cap of 35% of the slots for caucasians (at least for elementary schools, I haven’t spent as much time looking at high school yet). No one seems to know what will happen going forward yet.
DZ,
“I haven’t spent as much time looking at high school yet”
i think anon and architect posted an article fron the trib about the the white girl who couldnt get in to walter payton cause she was white. if i have time i will find it.
“an article fron the trib about the the white girl who couldnt get in to walter payton cause she was white”
Nah, she didn’t get in b/c she missed too many days of school in 7th grade. And she only applied to Payton (which has generally been the toughest to get into). Yes, there were non-white kids with lower scores who got in, but that’s life–there were certainly also white kids with lower scores who got in (probably including white boys, since the cut-offs are done by sex, too) thru clout or extra-curriculars or whatever.
Does anyone really think that school admissions are *only* about test scores/grades/attendance at *any* level? Or even that they *should* be only about those things?
“an article fron the trib about the the white girl who couldnt get in to walter payton cause she was white”
yeah that statement was over simplified. she got the bubonic plague or something and missed the days cause her lepercy made her leg fall off or something like that.
but her total points (attendance, test, grade, ect) were higher than other non-cracker kids and she was denied admissions.
“but her total points (attendance, test, grade, ect) were higher than other non-cracker kids and she was denied admissions.”
Yeah, and as much as it would suk to be in that position, boo-frikin-hoo. That’s the way school admissions go, period. Is her moms going to whine to the Trib when, in four years, she doesn’t get into UIUC and the football team does? Even w/o the consent decree she might not have gotten in.
The one thing that *will* piss me off is if w/o the consent decree, it turns into all the S-E spots going to kids who went to private school for 8 years (CPS should be engineered to preference those who support CPS–just liek every other school is). Otherwise, I take the whole experience as a life lesson–it ain’t “fair”? Well, what do you expect?
“I take the whole experience as a life lesson–it ain’t “fair”? Well, what do you expect?”
its sad a 12 year old needs to get her life leasons at that early of an age. thats what college admissions is for 🙂
as said by someone before, if CPS local schools were at least acceptable this wouldn’t be an issue.
here is to hoping my son is good at taking test.
I like the preference for CPS students idea. There’s a chance our kid goes to private elementary but I’d be fine with that.
Can someone point me to a resource or give me a quick primer on how CPS preschool slots are assigned. I know there’s tuition based and preschool for all. What determines whether my kid gets a slot? Neighborhood, time of application, lottery? I have looked on CPS web site and found general information but nothing on this.
“quick primer on how CPS preschool slots are assigned”
Internet ate a post which was a bit better written, but–
It’s different at different schools, afaik, but generally there’s a sib preference, an attendance area preference and slots for IEP and/or head start at various schools. If you’re worried about a shortage of spots, email/call the principal and the alderman to see if there’s any chance of funding for an additional class (this does sometimes happen).
“quick primer on how CPS preschool slots are assigned”
In addition to anon(tfo) post, preference is given to 4 year olds versus 3 yo.
Of course, it’s easier to get into tuition based program (full day)than to preschool for all (2.5 hours a day – 4.5 days a week). They also have different application deadlines as far as I know.
Keck & Keck fans can join me for a walk around the Glencoe Forest Crest subdivision that was all Keck when it was built but that has experienced several teardowns. The train tracks are not an issue (but the cicadas were when I was shooting).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7O-eOdY7ZnI
Oct 28, 2009 Delisted (Cancelled) — — Inactive MRED #1
Shadow inventory
Back on at $1.099mm.
looooove it at the 1996 price
I dont remeber if i asked this last time, but if its includes the airstream i will take it for the 2004 price
Emerging from the shadows, the sellers are again testing the waters. They can’t just give it away you know. They must have spent the previous year and a half waiting for the market to retun. How’d that work out for you?
This place is beautiful for 6 month of the year, but painfully cold or expensive to heat up for the next. I mean shouldn’t the weather of a location be a factor in the design?!
BTW, I see a 300K reduction to $1,099,000 in the listing. Please correct me if I am wrong.
Never mind anon has mentioned it already.