Live on a Private Beach With Lake Michigan Views: 1200 W. Sherwin in East Rogers Park
This 2-bedroom in The Breakers at 1200 W. Sherwin in East Rogers Park just came on the market.
Built in 1923 as 50 apartments, in 2005, the building was converted into 27 luxury condos.
From what I understand, an underground parking garage was also added during the conversion.
The huge east facing deck remains as does the private beach access. According to the listing, the beach has a shower hose and use of water craft.
This unit has east facing direct Lake Michigan exposures from the kitchen and the living/dining room.
The two bedrooms have southern exposure.
The listing says the unit has a “custom” chef’s kitchen with stainless steel appliances.
It also has crown molding, a gas fireplace and venetian plaster walls.
The master bedroom is en-suite with a custom steam shower.
The unit has all the other features buyers look for including in-unit washer/dryer, space pac cooling and garage parking.
There is no prior sales price listed in the public record so this appears to still be owned by the developer. It is rented until September 2015.
This is a unique building with unique views and amenities.
Will this sell quickly in this hot market?
Sharon Kozak at Coldwell Banker has the listing. See the pictures and the floorplan here.
Unit #2A: 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, 1600 square feet
- No prior sales price- building converted in 2005
- Currently leased until September 2015
- Listed at $599,000 (includes parking)
- Assessments of $505 a month (includes heat, gas, exercise room)
- Taxes of $8214
- Space pac cooling
- Washer/dryer in the unit
- Bedroom #1: 12×16
- Bedroom #2: 11×11
This is a beautiful building, in a great location right at the beach, and handy to retail and transit. It’s an exceptional building and the units are beautifully rehabbed. The parking garage is a great amenity that solves the worst problem around there, which is lack of parking. The crime that afflicts some parts of Rogers Park, is almost non-existent here. I have never heard of anything bad happening on this street or other blocks between the lake and Sheridan Road. It is also close to good private schools- Sacred Heart is a few blocks south in Edgewater, and Lake Shore School is a few blocks away on Pratt.
E. Rogers Park has improved greatly over the past decade, though there are still some pockets of problems here and there. A beautiful new market-rate rental is to be built on Morse in the place of a scabid shopping mall, and most of the population of the area is solidly middle income.
But, even with all this, $600K is awfully steep for a 1600 sq ft unit in this area. There are other units in this building that have been on the market for many months at similarly elevated prices, and if comparable units in this range in prime areas like Lincoln Park and Lakeview have a hard time selling at this price, I don’t see how this unit will.
Very familiar with the area, and unfortunately the building is on the wrong side of Touhy. The price is ridiculous – you could get a better deal in Evanston for a 2/2, albeit not on the beach.
“The price is ridiculous – you could get a better deal in Evanston for a 2/2, albeit not on the beach.”
I would think “the beach” is a big factor in the price, no?
So you can’t really compare. You can’t say “you can get a 2-bedroom for much cheaper on Church street in Evanston” if it doesn’t have direct beach access and views.
In this building, you can walk right out the front door and go sit on the private beach with your beach chair.
I don’t think it is over priced. Whoever buys this wants to be in the neighborhood and will be drawn to the space of the unit and the private beach access. I seriously doubt the buyer will be cross shopping in LP, etc.
In what sense is the beach private? Can you exclude non-residents from the beach?
There are two houses listed at $1.4 on Albion. Link to one below (other is 1107 W Albion):
https://www.redfin.com/IL/Chicago/1052-W-Albion-Ave-60626/home/13568193
For me, it would all depend on whether dogs are allowed on the beach. If dogs are allowed, the beach access would be amazing.
I would imagine that they are not allowed, but who knows.
600k ehhhh seems a bit steep even for living near the beach which is only really nice about 3 months out of the year lately, rest of the time the chilly breeze sucks
Last I heard, dogs were not allowed, and they’re not allowed on the public beaches, either, even though some people do walk them there with impunity… mostly.
I would think that most buyers would “cross-shop”- I know I do- and in any case are aware that this neighborhood is not “prime” while some other lake front nabes are very prime. Most people would balk at paying the same per square foot as they would in LP or Lakeview, and I notice that properties priced this high in RP tend to hang on the market for a long time.
As for being on the beach, the value is debatable. I would like it, but there is the flood hazard to be considered. When I moved up to this nabe in the late 90s, the lake was much higher, and in the late 70s, flooding was so bad, that the water reached Sheridan Road. Many buildings were flooded, and one, on Columbia, almost became a total loss, though it is a popular building now that the lake has been way down for years. I understand that the Army Corps of Engineers has installed breakwaters a few hundred feet out, that keep the flooding under control, or so I was told, but I can’t verify this. I only know that the water was clear to the top of the steps at the foot of Fargo Ave in 1997, and now there is a beach there clear out to the rock pile. But the lake levels are sort of cyclical. A buyer would be wise to research the flood history of the building.
Sigh. Dogs are never allowed. Babies also poop in the water too, so I don’t see why only dogs are excluded from the beach.
“Dogs are never allowed.”
Seems like that never stops dog owners. When we are at the beach there are always dogs around.
“Babies also poop in the water too, so I don’t see why only dogs are excluded from the beach.”
Yes, I always see countless babies and toddlers going around naked, shitting wherev they see fit. And I haven’t seen in person but am always reading about accounts of maulings by aggressive toddler breeds (understand they are not representative of all toddlers, but still it gives one pause).
“Babies also poop in the water too, so I don’t see why only dogs are excluded from the beach.”
Do you see many babies shitting in the sand?
http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2013/p0516-pool-contamination.html
It’s not just pooping in the water, but some people don’t wipe properly.
The water is already contaminated, so why not allow dogs?
Cool property. Don’t love the finishes, which seem a little stuffy for the neighborhood.
Why is Touhy a significant divider line for the hood? Just curious. I never noticed any big change driving north of Loyola U. on that stretch.
No such thing as a “private beach” along Lake Michigan shoreline – riparian rights allow any pedestrian to walk along waterfront so long as within invisible “highest water elevation” zone between water’s edge and property-owners’ self-defined sense of ownership. Probably better described here as “private beach-deck”.
Babies wear diapers. If the dogs do too, then it is ok with me:
http://www.samsdoghut.com/ecommerce/doggie-essentials/swimwear-doggie-diaper-wraps.html
Yes I’m not understanding the private beach thing either. It’s a deck. So what. The lakefront is filled with buildings and their decks. And I’d like crack people right in the face who compare their mutts to children. I saw this fool at the bank today with her little 3 pound dog and she had the dog up on the counter where all the deposit slips are. Nobody could use the counter because the dog was standing there on the counter. The dog owner was like “sit. sit. sit. and the dog was trying to jump off the counter. Such a fiasco. People and their dogs.
No one would mind either children or dogs if the American public wasn’t so lacking in basic civility.
I knew one woman in Rogers Park who would clean trash off the beach early weekend mornings, and the things she found were just disgusting. People bury their babies’ diapers in the sand, along with doggie-do and other gross offal.
We wouldn’t have to have laws against dogs on the beach, or liquor in the parks, or all the other “nuisance” laws we have, if people would clean up after themselves, or have a civilized glass of wine with their picnic instead of a 200 person beer bust that ends with someone dead from an overdose and a gang fight that complete with a spate of shootings.
“No such thing as a “private beach” along Lake Michigan shoreline – riparian rights allow any pedestrian to walk along waterfront so long as within invisible “highest water elevation” zone between water’s edge and property-owners’ self-defined sense of ownership.”
There’s plenty of houses and other condo buildings up and down the shoreline that also, basically, have “private” beaches.
Sure- you can get your chair and walk through their yard and somehow get down there. But are you going to do it? Um…no. So for all intents and purposes, it IS private.
wish I had enough money to yell “HEY YOU KIDS GET OFFA MY BEACH!!!”
*new bucket list item added*
“Sure- you can get your chair and walk through their yard and somehow get down there. But are you going to do it? Um…no. So for all intents and purposes, it IS private.”
Agree there may be some places where the beach is effectively private (though still not the same as actually private). But isn’t the subject beach right next to a “public” beach?
Also, speaking of the summer and the outdoors, thinking of buying an outdoor griddle instead of a grill. Any opinions?
The doggy swim diapers are great. In reality, I doubt a diaper really does much to keep e coli from poop out of the water though.
NextRight, who in the world still goes to a bank to deposit money? Deposit slips?
I love dog friendly businesses. Neiman Marcus allows dogs and it’s so fun to see how they react to riding an escalator. Dogs also don’t cry or say the word “mommy” over and over while the mom ignores them and messes with her phone instead.
“NextRight, who in the world still goes to a bank to deposit money? Deposit slips?”
Ladies w 3 lb dogs. jenny what kind of dog do you have?
Also, would have some concerns about sticking a v large check in an ATM, esp if it were a check that was difficult to get reissued.
“Also, speaking of the summer and the outdoors, thinking of buying an outdoor griddle instead of a grill. Any opinions?”
what? Just no, hell to the no
“what? Just no, hell to the no”
what exactly about the grill is better? the flare ups? the stuff falling through the grates? in a prof kitchen, maybe there is a grill station, but the flat top is king.
this hadn’t occurred to me until yesterday but i’m increasingly convinced this is the right choice.
” in a prof kitchen, maybe there is a grill station, but the flat top is king.”
Where do you eat? at diners and Golden Nuggets? You need an open flame for grilling, the carmelization process is required on the meatn for the grill flavor. Using a George Foreman type thing is not grilling, even though they call it a grill, it’s not.
” in a prof kitchen, maybe there is a grill station, but the flat top is king.”
You installing an outdoor broiler, too?
“You installing an outdoor broiler, too?”
really? what exactly would i need a salamander for in a plausible scenario?
seems like frenchy does not see the need:
http://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/cooking-tips/article/eric-ripert-s-slate-grilled-summer-barbecue-menu
“what exactly about the grill is better? the flare ups? the stuff falling through the grates? in a prof kitchen, maybe there is a grill station, but the flat top is king.
this hadn’t occurred to me until yesterday but i’m increasingly convinced this is the right choice.”
LOL what professional kitchens are you going to? Dennys? 10/10 ‘professional’ kitchens should have a broiler
The malliard reaction is key to tasty food, well meat at least
“You installing an outdoor broiler, too?”
But seriously, griddle is better than grill, right?
“The malliard reaction is key to tasty food, well meat at least”
maillard. ooh la la. that requires an open flame?
“But seriously, griddle is better than grill, right?”
Can you take the griddle top off and have a grill?
Can you put this ( http://www.bakingsteel.com/shop/baking-steel-griddle ) on a grill and have a griddle?
A discussion of the issue, invoking Thomas Keller:
http://www.montereyherald.com/general-news/20110615/todd-fisher-to-grill-or-griddle-mdash-that-is-the-riddle
“maillard. ooh la la. that requires an open flame?”
nope! But seriously just get a Lodge brand cast iron pan, you can throw that on your grill, stove, wherever no problem. Season it properly and its pretty awesome.
“Can you take the griddle top off and have a grill?”
there are def models that are set up that way. but an advantage to just using griddle is everything is a lot cleaner.
I dunno, what were the last 5 things you cooked on grill and wouldn’t they have been equal or better on griddle? As long as griddle gets hot enough seems like easy decision.
“invoking Thomas Keller”
if you were writing a cookbook for home use, taking the world as it is, not as it might be or should be, would you tell someone to fire up the grill or a griddle?
“the last 5 things you cooked on grill and wouldn’t they have been equal or better on griddle?”
I have (shock!) a gas grill and a charcoal grill. 48 out of the last 50 times I have grilled anything, it has been on charcoal.
So, no.
“I have (shock!) a gas grill and a charcoal grill.”
esp given the charcoal grill, you would surely better off with a griddle instead of the gas grill. bfast in the back yard? taco parties? benihana nights in nortcenter?
“But seriously, griddle is better than grill, right?”
You would have to get a seriously expensive griddle to match the temps you can get from coal, and that’s the primary advantage of a grill. Secondary advantage is smoke. Last advantage is high indirect heat in a second temperature zone.
I would never take a griddle over a coal grill, but would take it over anything but the most expensive gas grills. Most gas grills are pretty pointless – though I hear the insanely expensive ones are sweet.
It is harder to screw up your food with a griddle if you’re not a great cook.
UGh. The smell of a charcoal grill disgusts me. Why do people like that smell so much? It’s worse than the smell of cigarettes.
I would go with a griddle over any type of grill. The griddle cooks evenly so you don’t have those burnt patches of carcinogens.
I have one of those better grills with infrared grates. I absolutely love it. I get perfect char / grill marks every time. The food stays super juicy too. Heats up to about 700 degrees. Removes any of the black art of grilling over coals.
If you love wind surfing, this is the only building in Chicago where you want to live. Unfortunately, people to love wind surfing can’t afford this place.
And I’d like to crack anyone right in the face who brings their crying kid, who is ET ugly compared to my dog, anywhere near me.
Most inane discussion ever.