Kick Back With a Book in Your Own Turret: 2827 N. Washtenaw in Avondale
This 3-bedroom townhouse at 2827 N. Washtenaw in Avondale has a unique feature: its own turret.
The 4000 square foot townhouse has a catwalk that leads to an oak paneled library on the top floor of the turret.
The townhouse also sports ceiling heights of 12 to 18 feet throughout and a basement.
Two of the bedrooms are on the second floor and the third is on the third floor- which is also where the living/dining/kitchen area is located.
There’s central air and a 2-car garage.
Sam Jenkins at Conlon: A Real Estate Company has the listing. See more pictures here.
Unit A: 2 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, 4000 square feet, 2 car parking
- I couldn’t find a prior sales price
- Originally listed in December 2009 for $699,000
- Reduced several times
- Currently listed for $549,000
- Assessments of $421 a month
- Taxes of $8079
- Central Air
- Bedroom #1: 23×16 (second floor)
- Bedroom #2: 21×17 (second floor)
- Bedroom #3: 14×14 (third floor)
- Library in turret: 14×16
I hate be a safety-geek killjoy, but that catwalk (note distance to ceiling) certainly can not be up to building code.
Not sure about the Metra tracks right outside either….
Looks like they bought in 1/04 for $494,500. Crappy pictures, you get no sense of the space, which seems quite large.
fun groove story,
before this was a condo/th conversion this factory was the #1 spot to do your graff on so all would see it from the expressway.
that turret library alone is worth the asking price 🙂
Don’t know much about the neighborhood – although I don’t think a whole lot is around, so it is probably quiet and safe. Very unique – I dig it.
4000sqft seems pretty generous, no?
Kick back with a book in your turret overlooking the trainline and Kennedy.
Lots of space for the dough, and the layout seems nice in the living area. 2 car garage parking is nice. I don’t really like the hood though.
“ryan on April 28th, 2010 at 10:26 am
Don’t know much about the neighborhood – although I don’t think a whole lot is around, so it is probably quiet and safe. Very unique – I dig it.”
With the Lathrop homes to the East and tons of Hispanic gang activity to the West, what’s not to love?
What’s with the deluge of $500k+ homes flooding the market? I know it’s just anecdotal but it seems to me like there are a ton more obscenely priced properties hitting the MLS lately. Everybody with a nice home, no matter where its located or what flaws it has, truly believes that their homes breaks the $500k barrier.
“With the Lathrop homes to the East and tons of Hispanic gang activity to the West, what’s not to love?”
Just hope that the National guard sets up shop in your turret?
“With the Lathrop homes to the East ”
A MILE to the east. And 75% empty. And on the plan for demo, even tho there’s some recent pushback on that.
I’d take a chance on the neighborhood to have something like this.
It’s gorgeous and unusual. And it’s a lot of space for the price.
4,000 square feet, yet all you get is a standard-issue, cookie-cutter, “wall-o-cabinets plus island” condo kitchen?
No thanks!!!
Oh jesus, look at a satellite view of this place…
Your turret overlooks 3 sets of metra/freight tracks then 12 lanes of the Kennedy
That explains the $/sqft
Wow, check out the satellite view of this place… Your turret overlooks 3 sets of freight/metra/amtrack tracks, then 12 lanes of the kennedy
which would explain the $/sqft being so cheap
MLS listings now show a number of really nice, architecturally interesting houses in the suburbs – Evanston, Oak Park, Riverside, even Highland Park, etc., all served by fast Metra trains to downtown. For this price-point of $600,000, you can buy a really great house, with great public schools, and a 15 to 30-minute civilized train commute. Who even wants to take CTA anymore anways?
This used to be the old Dad’s Root Beer factory.
When I was in high school, back in the dark ages, my BF and I would park in his VW van and neck over there. It’s kind of like being on a cul-de-sac/dead-end over there, and I’d bet good money that it’s actually pretty quiet inside, given the thickness of the old factory walls.
good times.
“This used to be the old Dad’s Root Beer factory.”
Altgeld, no? This was Borden Milk, right?
The scumbag who beat those innocent girls in Bucktown also lived in Avondale. He lived hear Belmont and Pulaski on the otherside of the ‘hood but the same ‘hood nonetheless.
“The scumbag who beat those innocent girls”
But he went to B’town to do it. Did he commit other crimes in Avondale? Maybe he had respect for the ‘hood.
What a twist if Avondale is safer than bucktown.
Regardless, there’s a perception that crime is getting out of control.
It’s going to be a horribly violent summer if the violence keesp at this rate.
How many of you will move to Palatine with Groove?
“It’s going to be a horribly violent summer if the violence keesp at this rate.”
Any stats? Or is that just anecdotal? Cuz I don’t trust anecdotal “it’s worse than I can remember” stuff–there’s huge, uncorrectable bias in that.
“anon (tfo) on April 28th, 2010 at 11:14 am
“With the Lathrop homes to the East ”
A MILE to the east. And 75% empty. And on the plan for demo, even tho there’s some recent pushback on that.”
I lived in Landmark Village , which is just East of Lathrop. Lathrop is still a blight on the area, nearly vacant or not. Luckily, the inhabitants never really came East of Damen.
In any event, the hood that this townhouse is in pretty much sucks. with the Elston industrial corridor to the East, and the Kennedy, and the sketchiness of Avondale/Logan Square, coupled with the fact that there are no walkable neighborhood amenities like retail or bars/restaurants.
The 2010 crime stats are actuall down. Source: http://www.suntimes.com/news/24-7/2204252,CST-NWS-crime27.article
Whether it’s a victory or proof of how sad the situation is in the ghetto in Chicago, is in the eye of the beholder.
Does the kitchen have a stove suitable for boiling large pots of oil so they can be poured down on invading knights?
“In any event, the hood that this townhouse is in pretty much sucks. with the Elston industrial corridor to the East, and the Kennedy, and the sketchiness of Avondale/Logan Square, coupled with the fact that there are no walkable neighborhood amenities like retail or bars/restaurants.”
Yeah, but that’s the point–the actual area has enough negatives that one needn’t bring up negatives that don’t really affect the place.
“The 2010 crime stats are actuall down.”
What? Really? You mean that the evidence doesn’t back up people’s “feeling” about the level of violent crime? Shocking!!
They’ve offered to call in the national guard! I don’t remember that happening in my 15 years here.
And according to the article, murders are actually up, through Sunday there were 113 murders in 2010 compared to 101 for the same period of 2009.
It’s the high profile nature of the crimes like the beatings of two 20-something into drug induced comas in Bucktown that gives the perception of higher crime.
Even my neighborhood is experiencing higher crime, more burglaries and armed robberies.
But whatever, safety isn’t a matter of looking at the increase or decrease of the ‘juked’ stats (as we all know from watching The Wire), it’s a matter of feeling, intuition and perception. I feel, my intuition and my perception, right or wrong – correctly or incorrectly – is that s**t is about to hit the fan this summer and i’m hoping 1) that it’s not as bad as I think it’s going to be and 2) it doesn’t affect me.
“homedelete on April 28th, 2010 at 1:58 pm
They’ve offered to call in the national guard! I don’t remember that happening in my 15 years here. ”
You mean two legistlators mentioned it in order to prove a point?
“I feel, my intuition and my perception, right or wrong – correctly or incorrectly – is that s**t is about to hit the fan this summer”
bro, i think your gut is telling you the right thing. we all feel the tweek deep down in our tummy telling us something aint right. Greenzone or not it will be a rough one city wide.
Who is going to pay 550k for a 2br, Dungeon & Dragons-esque place in Avondale when you can have a 3-br townhome in East Lakeview for 325k?
Yes check out MLS #: 07511002. Sabrina plz cover this one!
“Bob on April 28th, 2010 at 2:25 pm
Who is going to pay 550k for a 2br, Dungeon & Dragons-esque place in Avondale when you can have a 3-br townhome in East Lakeview for 325k? Yes check out MLS #: 07511002. Sabrina plz cover this one!”
Half the square footage, no interior pics, estate sale being sold as-is. Sounds like a perfect comp!
Will you be my realtard, Bob?
“You mean two legistlators mentioned it in order to prove a point?”
No, it was actually offered. By the people who are authorized to make the decision. With no political motivation–really, honest–at all in an election year. It was genuinely magnanimous of them, especially the part where they offered to pay for it themselves and, to the extent that their personal fortunes were insufficient, with a special surtax on everyone in Illinois *except* Chicago residents.
Wait … that’s not what happened?
“anon (tfo) on April 28th, 2010 at 2:55 pm
Wait … that’s not what happened?”
*snickers*
Anon,
election year or not, tax payers dollars or not, left/right or not,
Do you personally think jody “oh shyt why did i take this job” weis will be able to control things this summer?
Yes, Bradford and anon(tfo) will be safe and secure and that’s all that really matters.
However, I strongly suggest you double check the autodebit on your ADT security system….just in case.
I don’t think either of us said the city was safe and secure. We were merely refuting your anecdotal evidence.
I do have an alarm, but I don’t have it monitored. When seconds count, the police are only minutes away. My home is protected by yours truly and mrs. yours truly, and we’re equipped to poke lots of holes in anything that’s not supposed to be in our home.
“Do you personally think jody “oh shyt why did i take this job” weis will be able to control things this summer?”
He ain’t superman, so of course he can’t do it alone. Which I know isn’t what you meant, but who but superman would be able to “control things” with the current state of the CPD?
Yes, unfortunately I think that the mooks on the CPD are winning the “we don’t care” battle and we’ll all be the worse for it.
“Sounds like a perfect comp!”
Show me some comps, Bradford to this Avondale property. You’ll likely have an easier time finding a 100-sided die.
“However, I strongly suggest you double check the autodebit on your ADT security system….just in case.”
Strangely enough, I heard the two girls in B’town had just had their security contracts lapse at midnight, shortly before the attack and that a private security guard just stood there watching b/c they were no longer covered.
Fat lot of good a security system does against almost all violent crime–which was your original point that we took issue with.
“Bob on April 28th, 2010 at 3:24 pm
“Sounds like a perfect comp!”
Show me some comps, Bradford to this Avondale property. You’ll likely have an easier time finding a 100-sided die.”
…which is precisely why your statement was nonsensical.
You may as well have said “Who is going to pay 550k for a 2br, Dungeon & Dragons-esque place in Avondale when you can have 225 mud huts in Monrovia, Liberia.”
“He ain’t superman, so of course he can’t do it alone. Which I know isn’t what you meant, but who but superman would be able to “control things” with the current state of the CPD? Yes, unfortunately I think that the mooks on the CPD are winning the “we don’t care” battle and we’ll all be the worse for it.”
i agree it aint just him but the whole organism from daley down to the community. this summer if you want to be safe with a city address live in Beverly or Edison and thats about it.
the dont care battle is very true. CPD on the south side, the moral is horrible if even there anymore (this is from north side cops mouths take it with a grain of salt)
You didn’t refute my mixed anecdotal evidence. Murders are up.
“this summer if you want to be safe with a city address live in Beverly or Edison and thats about it. ”
Dude, spend a little less time on SCC and/or talking to CPD friends for a while. You’ll feel better, even if it isn’t actually better. And be safe.
“Dude, spend a little less time on SCC and/or talking to CPD friends for a while. You’ll feel better, even if it isn’t actually better. And be safe.”
lost on SCC and its meaning, but i play ball with cops and have a circle of friends that are cops (hence why i am in edison park for BBQ’s).
talking to them does take a toll on the mental state. good stories though, many very depressing.
SCC= second city cop blog
“Show me some comps, Bradford to this Avondale property. You’ll likely have an easier time finding a 100-sided die.”
God, I’m a sucker for these D&D gags! BTW – I read somewhere they shut down the factory because it was overrun by green slime.
Bob is the bard of the group; anon(tfo) is the paladin; Bradford is quote obviously a rouge; JMM is the warrior; I, of course, am the Mage; SH is either an orc or troll; and G is/was the wizard.
Sabrina, quite obviously, is the DM.
Definitely mage-worthy. BTW, does anyone know the MLS number for the Tomb of Horrors?
I’ll go back to my NPC status now.
“They’ve offered to call in the national guard! I don’t remember that happening in my 15 years here.”
Are you kidding me? This gets trotted out literally every summer by someone or another when people start shooting each other.
O RLY? Every summer?
http://www.chicagotribune.com/search/dispatcher.front?page=4&Query=violence%20%22national%20guard%22&target=article&sortby=display_time%20descending
Yes your posting of a specious query on the tribune website disproves my purposely vague claim that someone is always clamoring for the guard to step in.
Maybe not every summer, but it happens all the time.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=5392684&page=1
Here you go
Just for comparison purposes:
Chicago’s annual murder rate, which I can’t find for the last 2 years:
Homicides 1990-2007
1990: 851
1991: 927
1992: 943
1993: 931
1994: 929
1995: 827
1996: 789
1997: 759
1998: 704
1999: 641
2000: 628
2001: 666
2002: 647
2003: 598
2004: 448
2005: 449
2006: 467
2007: 442
I read SCC daily. Note that SCC reports that the murder rate statistic is suppressed by the downcharging of crimes, “murder” is not always attributed, ie “attempted murder” is charged as “attempted assault”, etc. If you read SCC, you will sense both cops’ frustration and street-crimes’ escalation, in addition to a steady reporting of Chicago corruption.
Re: Beverly, supposed safe haven. SCC reports street crime and burglary spike in traditional “cop neighborhoods” like Mount Greenwood, Beverly, and Edison Park. We’ve friends in Beverly who’s 8th-grader was mugged at gun-point while walking to school; they also report that CP Library is overrun with gangbangers. If they could move, they would; their liberal sympathies towards minority low-income underclass people’s misbehavior has changed.
Re: Avondale, again read SCC regularly, which is reporting a similar crime spike in northwest-side traditionally “quiet” neighborhoods. Outer Logan Square/Avondale probably is not a good purchase choice for a yuppie family seeking quiet, safety, and stable real estate value. Now is not a good time to become an “urban gentrifier” moving into a “vibrant diverse urban environment”, unless schools aren’t an issue, night-time street safety isn’t an issue, decent shopping and transportation options isn’t an issue, and you stay off the streets after 8 pm.
“I read SCC daily. Note that SCC reports that the murder rate statistic is suppressed by the downcharging of crimes, “murder” is not always attributed, ie “attempted murder” is charged as “attempted assault”, etc. If you read SCC, you will sense both cops’ frustration and street-crimes’ escalation, in addition to a steady reporting of Chicago corruption.”
Yeah, and the majority of the comments defend every mook on the force. The bulk of the comments (not the proprietor) are really a poor reflection of the force–the guys who point out that a mook is a mook, whether he’s blue or not, get shouted down with absurd regularity. Maybe it’s just one guy with a lot of downtime, but I doubt that.
“SCC= second city cop blog”
Thanks HD, i have read that site once or twice before fogot all about it.
Strangely CribChatter is the only Blog i read. (only i have time for one).
“Re: Beverly, supposed safe haven.”
Arch, i guess its changed since my buddy lived over there. I remember he would tell me about the “homeland security checks” that cops would do in beverly. the homeland security was when detectives and some beat cops would take a “quick” trip back to their home neighborhood and harass anyone walking or driving around that the didnt know/never saw before/looked remotely suspicious.
The cops i know in edison still practice this. but crime is up everywhere no matter what stats tell you. we all can feel/see/hear this, its just been a bad two years and this will be a third. i hope this will be the last year and it hits a boiling point and insane nanny action will be taken.
“the murder rate statistic is suppressed by the downcharging of crimes”
Also, this is just wrong. It’s the *homicide* rate, not the “murder” rate. The way to re-categorize homicide is to change the cause to “accident” or “suicide” (which may well be happening). If one person kills another, even if it isn’t a crime (eg, a self-defense shooting is a homicide) it counts. You can’t “downgrade” homicide to assault when the victim is now a corpse, but that’s an issue separate from how it’s charged–which also is likely happening to some extent.
2008: 509
2009: 453
2010 YTD: 100+ as of april 22 , 2010
“Landmark Village”
LOL! Is that what they’ve rebranded the Fortress of Suburbia?
thanks for the laugh, that’s the best I’ve had all week- pray tell, what exactly would be “landmark” worthy there?
it gets better:
http://www.landmarkvillagechicago.com/
“Conveniently located between 2 brown line stops (Diversey and Paulina), walking distance to Roscoe Village, restaurants and shopping, and with easy access to the expressway, Landmark Village is a friendly and financially healthy community.”
I lived just west of these things for years, and nobody, but NOBODY ever walked in or out of them in the thousands of times I either walked, biked or drove past – people don’t move into a gated community because they’re going to walk to bars a mile away. (and conveniently located “between” the Diversey & Paulina stops? someone is hitting the pipe!).
I hate, HATE gated communities, they have no business in the City, period.
“The scumbag who beat those innocent girls in Bucktown also lived in Avondale.”
They are now saying “Humboldt Park”. Which is a different mistake than usual (usu is mixing Logan and Humboldt).
LOL. Yeah, the dude is from roughly Wellington and Pulaski –
Milwaukee is likely to be a fault line in Avondale for a while yet.
We need a new property before i go into a crazed man rant of crime and safety in the city, its a brewin’ inside of me and it wont be pretty.
@groove
I think you may have solved the crime problem on the southside.
Forget calling in the national guard, call in Apple to airdrop in some iPADS and some free wifi. Maybe they can take all their aggression out on blogs. And if they incorporate online marketing/sales then there’s no need to battle for control of drug corners.
“Landmark Village”
LOL! Is that what they’ve rebranded the Fortress of Suburbia?
Ah! Now I know what to call that sprawling eyesore for Cowering White Ninnies.
No wonder that poster is so scared of Avondale and environs.
lol I looked at a townhouse in “landmark village” the place was seriously like 250sqft per floor x3 with a garage that could barely fit a smart car and they wanted 320k for it! Oh yeah, and did I mention that its directly on the metra tracks too?
“Forget calling in the national guard, call in Apple to airdrop in some iPADS and some free wifi. Maybe they can take all their aggression out on blogs. And if they incorporate online marketing/sales then there’s no need to battle for control of drug corners.”
I think they tried that with playstaion and grand theft auto, and the only thing that came of it was pasty fat suburban kids never leaving the house and getting fatter.
BTW, the iPad is all hype nothing special and after the first two weeks i dont even use mine at all. i bought the Wife the amazon book thingy a while back and she rarely uses it. she still likes reading actual books.
You may feel free to credit me for the “Fortress of Suburbia” moniker.
: )
Actually, I wouldn’t have cared less about it except that several winters in a row whoever they hired to plow their internal roads had the audacity to simply push it out onto Wolcott, blocking the sidewalks on each side of the gates.
That kind of crap doesn’t tend to make friends of your “gated-out” neighbors, that’s even more anti-social than tagging as we expect adults to know better.
1. Landmark Village sucked but I made $50k on my townhouse there in one year, so I don’t regret living there.
2. It’s not right on the Metra line, Picardy Place is in between Landmark and the trainline.
3. I’m not afraid of Avondale; it just sucks.
“I’m not afraid of Avondale; it just sucks.”
Don’t you live in an 85000 sf loft in Homan Square or some such godforsaken place?
“Note that SCC reports that the murder rate statistic is suppressed by the downcharging of crimes, “murder” is not always attributed, ie “attempted murder” is charged as “attempted assault”, etc. If you read SCC, you will sense both cops’ frustration and street-crimes’ escalation, in addition to a steady reporting of Chicago corruption.”
And that just started this year, right? I call BS. *If* it’s happening; it’s been happening all along. (Also, as anon pointed out, these aren’t “murder” statistics, they’re “homicide” statistics, which are harder to downgrade.)
“LOL. Yeah, the dude is from roughly Wellington and Pulaski ”
The monster’s most recent address was the 2700 block of W Evergreen. Mere steps from Humboldt Park itself.
“2. It’s not right on the Metra line, Picardy Place is in between Landmark and the trainline.”
I didn’t realize that there was a difference, all those townhomes look the damn same and isn’t it in the same gated area?
hmm, Bob, I thought I saw it at 3100 N. Springfield, was that the chick?
Yeah that was the female monster.
“I didn’t realize that there was a difference, all those townhomes look the damn same and isn’t it in the same gated area?”
What Sonies said – but – I do note that Matlak was able to get some “park pork” for the area before he got the boot from the 32nd ward voters – so out of those two, being the community on the east does give you better proximity to it (it’s cul de sac’d in “Wellington Park” or whatever they’re calling the old Appleton Electric Plant.)
“Yeah that was the female monster.”
whoo-hoo!
actually, the inherent cowardice of the attack pretty much reflects my attitude about gangbangers. yeah, they’re real tough when in a huge pack, but by themselves they’re often sissies.
I haven’t had a single problem in central Avondale in the 8 years we’ve been there outside of early one when one (see: cowardice) gangbanger yelled at me while driving by “this ain’t no white person’s neighborhood!” I still laugh considering the neighborhood even then had a healthy contingency of Polish, who perhaps aren’t considered white in some quarters.
yeah, we’ll see who has the last laugh, tough guy. : )
“anon (tfo) on April 29th, 2010 at 11:14 am
“I’m not afraid of Avondale; it just sucks.”
Don’t you live in an 85000 sf loft in Homan Square or some such godforsaken place?”
Nope.
“Sonies on April 29th, 2010 at 12:06 pm
“2. It’s not right on the Metra line, Picardy Place is in between Landmark and the trainline.”
I didn’t realize that there was a difference, all those townhomes look the damn same and isn’t it in the same gated area?”
Nope.
“Don’t you live in an 85000 sf loft in Homan Square or some such godforsaken place?”
Nope.”
Enh, can’t keep track of everyone.
Who is it that has the huge loft off the beaten path somewhere?
“Who is it that has the huge loft off the beaten path somewhere?”
i was under the assumption it was a 4000sf loft and something with red tube socks and it was off roosevelt road?
ha!
btw, Avondale again in the Reader:
http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/dragonlady-chicago-vegan-korean-restaurant-avondale/Content?oid=1742725
(one of their staff must have moved into the neighborhood recently)
4ksf loft in West Town.
West Town >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Avondale
“West Town >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Avondale”
i can agree with >>> signs but >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> is incorrect
“4ksf loft in West Town.
West Town >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Avondale”
Oh, so I was right, but you didn’t find it funny. Fair enough.
I just think it’s great that a guy who earlier was referring to “Landmark Village” is now using the totally old school reference “West Town.”
kudos to you, my man.
Landmark Village is the name of the development. I didn’t name it, nor did I purport that it boasted any relevant landmarks.
What exactly is “old school” about West Town?
I know, but it sounds like a neighborhood name (really, to suggest that a development is a “village” is pretty ludicrous).
West Town is one of those terms which is slowly but surely disappearing as people prefer to talk about Ukrainian Village and the other sub-neighborhoods. It’s a lot like Lake View (two words) in that regard, it’s a huge heapin’ area that most people feel a need to meddle with.
Good place to hole up in case of a zombie attack.
I was just reading some of the remarks regarding the turret building and have to say – very interesting. I live near the property and am quite happy in the neighborhood. Lived here for 6 years and haven’t been bothered. On the other hand, when I lived in Lincoln Park, I had my car stolen and some creepy guy follow me into my building,etc. It is definitely a unique unit which may be its downfall because there are no comps and really nothing out there to support the value.
The last comments are regarding Landmark Village and Homan Square which I have no clue where they are and where the conversation was going (thought we were talking about Avondale). Guess they got off the subject.
Oh well, there will always be people offering their opinion when they know nothing about the subject.