Love the McCormick Seminary Row Houses? 852 W. Chalmers in Lincoln Park
This 5-bedroom McCormick Seminary row house at 852 W. Chalmers in Lincoln Park first came on the market in July 2017 but was recently re-listed again.
Built between 1884 and 1889, these row houses make up the McCormick Row House District. They are found on both Fullerton and Belden as well as Chalmers Place, which is the secret street in between.
They were apparently originally built to provide rental income for the nearby McCormick Theological Seminary.
They were designated Chicago Historic Landmarks in the 1970s. That means they cannot be torn down.
There are 56 total homes and there is an HOA fee.
This row house faces south and overlooks the private park on Chalmers which, in the winter, has a private small ice rink.
This property still has some of its vintage features like crown molding, high ceilings, pocket doors and one of the original wood burning fireplaces.
At 5300 square feet, and on a 25×110 lot, it is big enough to have a second floor library with custom oak bookcases.
Two bedrooms are on the second floor and three are on the third level, along with a bathroom.
The master suite is on the second floor and has a walk-in closet and a “brand new” marble bath with double vanities and a shower with body spray and rain head.
The finished basement has a family room, a work room and a second kitchenette and full bath.
The kitchen has what looks like wood cabinets, granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances along with a butler’s pantry.
It has space pak cooling, two skylights and 2-car outdoor parking, presumably on Chalmers as none of the row houses have garages. The parking on Chalmers is private.
There’s also a landscaped back yard which has one of the prettiest alleys in the city behind it.
Originally listed in July 2017 for $1.7 million, it has been reduced $152,000 to $1.498 million.
In July 2018, it was also available for rent.
These row houses are unique.
Will this new price finally sell this one?
Melissa Edidin at @Properties has the listing. It is also agent owned. See the pictures and the floor plan here.
852 W. Chalmers: 5 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, 5300 square feet
- Sold in April 1990 (no price listed in the CCRD)
- Originally listed in July 2017 for $1.7 million
- Reduced
- Was $1.55 million in June 2018
- Withdrawn
- Available for rent in July 2018 at $9500 a month
- Reduced to $8,000 a month
- Withdrawn in October 2018
- Re-listed in March 2019 at $1.498 million
- Assessments of $108 a month (includes lawn care, snow removal)
- Taxes of $22,716
- Space pac cooling
- 2 exterior parking spaces included
- Bedroom #1: 14×16 (second floor)
- Bedroom #2: 13×19 (second floor)
- Bedroom #3: 14×19 (third floor)
- Bedroom #4: 14×15 (third floor)
- Bedroom #5: 11×11 (third level)
- Library: 10×18 (second floor)
- Family room: 12×37 (lower level)
- Work room: 34×9 (lower level)
- Laundry room: 6×7 (second floor)
- 2nd Kitchen: 7×10 (lower level)
I can’t imagine paying $1.5 and having to park outside. Also, this unit is on the Fullerton side, which is not as desirable as the Belden side. The kitchen needs a complete gut. And for this price point, I would want a tub in the master bath. Also, these homes are landmarked, making even window replacement expensive and difficult….just saying.
The market supports RE’s argument that the Belden side is more desirable. There was one of these homes on that side that closed within the last six months or so for 1.5, if memory serves me. That house, at least from the photos, looked in worse shape than this one.
They seem to have been trying to sell this for the past ten years? Is this one adjacent to the crazy squatter or has that issue been resolved? Honestly, this is really great and unless there is something horrible that only becomes obvious in person (like the 1980s bathroom…maybe that is it), I don’t understand why this isn’t selling. Lack of a garage or at least covered parking does kinda blow at this price point but isn’t that big of a deal since you can walk everywhere.
LOVE the fact that there is a vestibule. Kitchen could for sure use a redesign.
These are beautiful homes, and I’ve been in many of then. The entire Seminary enclave is an oasis of peace and beauty in the heart of Lincoln Park.
This property is on the most-coveted inner portion, overlooking the park. I think that means it should get a premium over the ones on Belden and especially the ones on Fullerton, which is a busy street and has the El station nearby with its associated noise.
For the size and location, I think the price here isn’t out of line. It will take the right kind of buyer, however. Someone who appreciates vintage (which means small rooms), has the money, and either trusts public schools or will send kids to Parker or Latin (it’s a family home -can’t imagine buying such a big place for a single or a couple).
Interesting note: This entire complex of 56 homes was purchased by an association back in 1974 for a grand total of $2 million. Now you can barely buy one of them for that much!
It’s a very nice and unique location. Nothing else like it in the city though parking is an issue. However, the school actually plows the street if I recall correctly and your car is usually just a few steps from your front door. No through traffic of course. In the last couple of years a number of these have sold in the $1.5 MM range. I’m not sure that the south side of the street is that much more desirable because the north side does not actually face Fullerton. 843 W Chalmers closed at 1.5 just a couple of weeks ago and 840 closed at $1.6 MM in September but that was an end unit with a ton of windows on the side.
I did a write up on this area a few years ago: http://www.chicagonow.com/getting-real/2016/05/the-mccormick-row-house-district-lincoln-parks-secret-enclave/
I had a relative who’s significant others family lived in the rowhouses (not sure which one) and were offered it during the initial sales. They thought the price at the time was highway robbery and that the neighborhood was “meh” and declined. Boy did they regret not finding the money…
Gary is right. The north side of the homes on Chalmers doesn’t face Fullerton. The ones on Fullerton are separate from the ones on Chalmers, so the north side of Chalmers is just as good as the south side, IMO.
I think someone implied above that the north side of this home faced Fullerton. That is incorrect.
One other thing…I’ve never trusted the square footage listed in the MLS on these homes. They seem smaller than that. For instance, the tax records indicate 3664 sq ft on this one, which I’m sure doesn’t include the basement whereas the MLS does include the basement but 5300 would still be high.
This unit shares an alley with the Fullerton side, which means there’s lots of foot traffic from the EL. Sharing an alley with the Belden side is more desirable and quieter.
There is no doubt that the vintage charm is lovely, however, my hunch is that the lack of garage parking and the needed renovations are why this unit is still on the market. Also, the middle units are dark compared to the corner units. I went through a corner unit last year that ultimately sold. It needed farm more work than this one, but the light was much better. Also, the landmarking should be a concern for any buyer. Maybe it will sell at this lower price, although it will take the right kind of buyer.
RE:
Middle townhomes are sometimes light-challenged, it’s true. That may be an issue for some, but my aunt and uncle had a beautiful 5-story 19th century town home in Washington, D.C. that was between two other town homes, and the charm and vintage beauty outweighed the light issue for me.
“I’m not sure that the south side of the street is that much more desirable because the north side does not actually face Fullerton.”
The listing says it’s south facing, not on the south side. It’s on Chalmers with the front door and windows facing south, i.e. overlooking the private park.
The back side of the house faces north, over the alley, which cuts between the rowhouses that are on Fullerton and Chalmers.
Then there are the south side rowhouses, some of which face north onto Chalmers and the park and the others face south onto Belden.
Having covered this complex for 12 years on this blog, it seems that the least desirable are the ones that face Fullerton, just because of the noise and foot traffic.
Also, maybe someone else knows this, but all 56 rowhouses can’t have the permit parking on the street on Chalmers, right? There simply isn’t enough room for that many cars. Do only the rowhouses that look out over Chalmers have the right to park there? That would leave out the Fullerton and the Belden homes.