Mediterranean Intrigue in Austin: 5927 W. Washington
They just don’t build them like this 1916-mediterranean home at 5927 W. Washington in the Austin neighborhood anymore.
Here’s the listing:
Uniquely magnificent brick and stucco Mediterranean home on a corner landscaped lot. Large home with plenty of rooms that include but not limited to six large bedrooms, den, office, formal dining room, enclosed and screened wrap around front porch, and private backyard patio, which leads to a detached 2-car garage.
The home features period architectural details, hardwood pocket doors, and a wood burning fireplace.
Redfin has the listing. See more pictures here.
5927 W. Washington: 6 bedrooms, 3 baths, 2 half baths, 6000 square feet, 2 car garage
- Sold in September 2003 for $150,000
- Currently listed at $389,000
- Taxes are $3,811
- No Central Air
- Walkout basement
- Fireplace
“The home features period architectural details”
What period would that be? 1950’s?
Nice place. What is this hood like? I sense that it is a bad area, but I don’t know much about it.
Gorgeous. I have the same question – how are the schools & neighborhood?
Well, clicking through the links provided on Red Fin doesn’t give high hopes for the schools – everything is listed as ‘below average’. Our schooling system depresses me, and I don’t have any clue on how we can help fix them.
Rough overall neighborhood in the 15th Police District (Austin), but its 1/2 block from the Oak Park border so not the worst part of the overall neighborhood.
If this unit were a mile and a half further to the west it would be worth 3x as much.
The buildings across the street from this residence do not offer much hope for the neighborhood.
It looks like a place that would be used as a reception hall, not a residence.
I’m surprised that people are criticizing the house itself. This place is six bedrooms, three full baths, and two half baths — it’s 6,000 square feet, for crying out loud! Moreover, it looks to be in terrific shape. And I don’t get the crack about the house being built in the 1950s; it house was built in 1916.
It’s been on the market for 82 days. Any predictions on when/whether it’ll sell?
It’s a perfect home for the neighborhood’s most powerful drug dealer. He can airbrush a ‘Scarface’ motif throughout the home.
“If this unit were a mile and a half further to the west it would be worth 3x as much.”
Hell, if it were one *block* further west it would sell in days for over twice as much, even in the current lending environment. Austin is one of the harder edges in the entire metro.
The Austin neighborhood is one of those historical ‘hoods. Very much like Oak Park back in the day, but since it is within the city limits it could not hold off the eventual change like the village. However, it did not decline as much as some other notable areas in the city and many homeowners in the ‘hood (particularly closer to Austin Blvd. within jumping distance of OP) have kept their homes well and sustained a semblance of the old days. Also one block north is West End Ave. which I remember being a nice old boulevard style street with nice homes.
It’s sad that the surrounding areas have had such a negative impact, but at least it’s close to OP (rent a crappy apartment a block away and send your kids to OPRF!) =)
“Austin is one of the harder edges in the entire metro”.
Which is too bad because up until the ’50’s it was a nice place to live. A woman in my office says that her parents and their entire Austin parish packed up their belongings in the 50’s and moved to the northwest burbs.
The neighborhood went downhill from there.
Don’t like the Austin neighborhood? Just start calling it East Oak Park and all will be well.
The 50s flight was just many of the whites – it was still middle-class and mostly integrated up through the 70s, but at had mostly veered low-income and minority by 1980. The area was originally a very pleasant and upper-middle class commuter suburb, similar to Oak Park – Austin’s old City Hall is still standing right by the Central/Green Line stop, if memory serves, and annexation to the city wasn’t a given.
Very rough area, and block-by-block… some blocks have dedicated and proud owners of nice properties, others are deteriorated. Intersection by intersection controlled by gangs… or not. It’s like Rogers Park to the extreme. That district often vies for highest homicides and index crime in the city. The 2003 price for this otherwise lovely property reflects it’s surroundings.
Clarification – Actually, as of 1960 the area was still 100% white and middle-class – if homedelete’s coworker was out in the 1950s, her family must have been the first. The full transition was not really until the mid 1980s, taking place mostly 1968-1980. To this day there is still a white minority of between 5-10%, but mostly in the northern and western portions of Austin nearest to Oak Park and Galewood.
Every few years, for the past couple decades, Austin has been the ‘next up and coming place’… beautiful, historic, intact housing stock, proximity to Oak Park and downtown… but it hasn’t happened, obviously.
Gorgeous. Look at the virtual tour to get an even better sense: http://vicaso.net/iflyer/9928 The suggestion to turn it into a reception hall is not a bad one; might be the highest, best use of the property, given its location.
Thanks everyone for the background. I knew nothing of the neighborhood prior to these posts.
Midway Park is just a couple of blocks north; one of the nicest streets in the city and still very integrated with many long term residents;
http://www.flickr.com/photos/yochicago1/tags/midwaypark/
The red house with the awnings is stunning inside, the owner redid it himself.
I had a co-worker who lived in Austin south of the highway and liked it because of the old working class Chicago vibe, their little enclave was cut off by the expressway and train tracks and was safe and stable.
This house, though, already looks like it’s been a reception hall, funeral home or the like from that strangely commercial canopy up to the door.
The Wednesday Journal, Oak Park’s weekly newspaper, does an excellent job of reporting local news, and includes a “crime beat”. Eastern Oak Park, immediately adjacent to Austin, has a significant crime uptick due to its close proximity to Austin than the remainder of Oak Park. Burglaries, muggings, and suburban drug market overspill (overdosing in the east Oak Park McDonalds parking lot)are regular occurrences.
Austin is a seriously troubled neighborhood with many deteriorating properties, high foreclosure count, high unemployment and poverty rates, active street drug markets, and terrible public schools. It did not see a spark of gentrification like Bronzeville and north Kenwood.
And I agree, this house looks more “funeral parlor” than posh mansion.
I live in Oak Park and I wouldn’t even consider living on most of the blocks in Oak Park that are east of Ridgeland, with the exception possibly being some of the blocks around the Harrison Arts District since they have Columbus Park as a buffer on the Austin side. The minute you cross into Austin on Madison, there are teenagers and 20-somethings loitering everywhere. Every business has bars and metal gates, buildings are boarded up all over the place, there’s trash everywhere…it’s like a ghetto movie set.
With that said, I will add that my old real estate agent was a chubby white gay guy in his 20s and he lived in a SFH around Augusta and Central Ave, drove a $50,000 car, and wore really big sunglasses…I think he said he never had a problem and I’m almost positive he didn’t even lock his windows most of the time. But he also had a huge dog.
This place is totally creepy. I think it would be a great haunted house for halloween.
This was a commercial building recently:
United Citizen Community Organization
5927 W Washington Blvd
Chicago, IL 60644
773-921-5037
The Austin Historic District, especially the part north of Lake, has some fabulous homes. You can see a video / slide show here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKNIjZUXEEo
South of Lake, even the historic district is seedy and fallen into disrepair. Crime, especially gang crime, is a serious issue.
Where this home is located there were police cars patrolling in tandem when I was last there, and teens peddling drugs on the street corners. Investigate the area carefully if you’re interested in it. Except for a few small pockets, Austin is a very tough place.
Austin. Yikes. I live in North East Oak Park and that neighborhood still scares me. Heck, Austin Avenue is scary enough. I didn’t realize there were houses like that over there. Too bad the neighborhood is in such bad shape.
I am surprised that no one has mentioned that this house was built by Carl Stockholm. He was a famous bicycle rider who later went on to open dry cleaning stores.
My wife grew up in Austin. It was one of the nicest areas in Chicago. I know that it is making a comeback but before investing in the area walk the streets.
I just read about this website in the Chicago Tribune and was very interesting in the comments for the Austin neighborhood. I bought a gut rehab condo in March 2008 at an amazing price.
However, as many of you indicated, the neighborhood has it’s problems and I’m not sure if it will ever be an up-and-coming Chicago.
What I really hate is the flak I get from people who find out that I live in the Austin neighborhood, especially since I grew up in the south suburban village of Flossmoor.
I find it sad that people are judged by where they live: When I say I grew up in Flossmoor, there are comments that I must be “spoiled” or “boogie” (African-American slang for being rich and/or a snob). But when I say I live on the west side of Chicago, people think they’re going to read about me being murdered in the newspaper!
I was pleased to see that the majority of the comments here about Austin were honest comments based on research and knowledge of the city, and not based on stereotypes and not putting down anyone.
TVJ
what really ticks me off is how if the neighborhood is predominately african american its not worth investing in. I live on the 300 n. block of waller ave. and we do very well here. the block is always clean and you can see pride of ownership. If we could just get you people over your long held fears from the 60’s to invest here ,this could be the next great chicago neighborhood. These houses have great bones and they are worth a look. When i drive up north and see people stacked on top of each other i can’t help but laugh and think what a waste. My lot is 50 x 175! with a great house on it, right off lake st., the green line and 2 other straight quick shots to Downtown Oak park and Downtown Chicago. iF YOU ONLY KNEW YOU WOULD BE HERE! Stop stereotyping and see for your self.
300 block of N Waller? Sure. Midway Park and Race? Gorgeous. Washington? Not so much…
What does it take for a neighborhood to rebound?
Has there ever been a predominately African American neighborhood in the Chicago land area to rebound without White support?
nope, I don’t recall
Chatham has done well for decades, only has had recent issues, but is fighting back on its own.
Sabrina
Have we ever chattered about 5925 Midway Park? Now under contract after sellers got serious about price.
No- but in that case- it’s not really the “sellers” getting serious about the price- it’s the bank, right? After all, it’s a short sale. If the bank isn’t going to take the list price- no use putting it at that.
you are correct, i missed that it was a short sale.
anyway, in honor of the return of one of our old friends, i vote for a new post on austin!
Roma, I like Austin. Technically, the houses I post on in Galewood are, I believe, also in Austin. But you mean “historic” Austin.
I am a mid-thirties health professional living in north Austin near Division and Austin. I’ve been here for about 3 and 1/2 years and I think there are two perspectives to be had about Austin. As a neighborhood it has great housing stock, excellent proximity to public transportation options (CTA bus/rail and Metra) and the Eisenhower expressway. I can hop on the Green line and be downtown in only about 30 minutes. I can get downtown by car(mini-van since I have kids) in the same amount of time and that includes using either east-bound routes of main streets (Chicago ave/Division ave) OR the Eisenhower. The quiet, law-abiding residents of Austin are many, and they demonstrate a pride in home ownership. Unfortunately, the other reality is that there remains a visible element in Austin that consistently shades the neighborhood in a less-than desirable light. As an example, on my block there are easily 85-90% home ownership rates amongst the residents who take good care of their property. They are middle-class working people with families who are quietly abiding by the law and being good neighbors. Unfortunately, as I have discovered, there only needs to be 5-10% of a block that is comprised of young, disinterested and disaffected teens and adults who consistently color the block and the rest of Austin as something less than it is.
For those considering Austin, it is a GREAT place to live and it WILL eventually become a premier Chicago neighborhood. There’s just too much potential with this neighborhood for it to go to waste. One of the strongest points about Austin is that it ALREADY has a strong number of working professionals who are effecting great change in the neighborhood even now. Check out Everyblock Discussions, AustinTalks.org, and Central Austin Neighborhood Association for examples.
I would encourage everyone reading this to be sure that you really look at Austin beyond the news stories that are negative. I live here with my wife and three kids, and I hope that you think of the great things going here when you think of Austin’s promise now and in the future.