Modern Interior Behind a Classic Vintage Facade: 1224 N. Dearborn in the Gold Coast
This 2-bedroom unit at 1224 N. Dearborn is in a classic vintage building in the Gold Coast but the interior has been rehabbed into a modern space.
The listing says it is architect designed.
The kitchen design in unique with a massive island with Italian marble counter tops and the rest of the stainless steel appliances and cabinets hidden behind sliding doors.
The bathrooms also sport the contemporary design with Duravit and Hansgrohe fittings.
There are ten foot ceilings.
While there is central air and a washer/dryer in the unit. But there is no deeded parking. It is available for rent in the neighborhood.
Peter Angelo at @Properties has the listing. See more pictures here.
Unit #2F: 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, no square footage listed
- Sold in April 1997 for $190,500
- Sold in October 2007 for $390,000
- Currently listed for $549,000
- Assessments of $305 a month
- Taxes of $3441
- Central Air
- In-unit washer/dryer
- No parking
- No pets allowed
- Bedroom #1: 14×12
- Bedroom #2: 13×8
- Living room: 20×14
- Kitchen: 14×11
Really nice looking place, but no way I’d want to have sliding doors in my kitchen like that. Talk about a total pain.
I think it is really cool to flip between the kitchen pic with the doors closed vs. open. Definitely used a tripod as they are the exact same angle. Nice considering all the listings we see where it looks like the pics were taken on a cell phone.
A pretty nice looking place. Like the building and the outdoor space.
Absolutely Love it except for
* 8′ wide 2nd bedroom, thats really tough to deal with
* No in unit W/d (i’ll never ever not have one in unit again!)
* No parking
* No pets! (wtf)
* No private outdoor space (shared outdoor spaces blow IMO)
But if it had all the things I wanted it would likely by a 700k 2/2 so what-eva
I like it. Compare to the new built stuff in the general area and this is much more interesting.
The no in unit laundry stinks. I think you can add it b/c unit 2R, listed for $519, claims to have it in unit.
It’s pretty, but it seems like it will be tough to find a buyer who..
-doesn’t have a pet
-can tolerate not having an in unit washer/dryer
-does not have a car
I always assume that buildings that don’t allow pets are filled with crabby, mean people.
I hate to be so negative – but it really irks me when “designers” take a beautiful vintage/architectural masterpiece and clash eras/styles. Why not restore or design to complement the facade/exterior? There are enough modern buildings out there if that is your style. I know that some may find it interesting, but I believe it is insulting to the original architect/builder.
“I always assume that buildings that don’t allow pets are filled with crabby, mean people.”
Absolutely!
Love it. Probably will sit until they get a w/d hook ups installed.
there is parking at 1221 dearborn directly across dearborn. literally 25ft away. ive looked at a few units in this building…nice. you can add in-unit w/d but i think $549k is too expensive. is it really worth $160k more than it was less than 2 years ago?
No.
Very nicely done. I normally don’t like a vintage-goes-modern rehab but this is how you do it.
I would need parking and in-unit w/d… but this place almost perfect!
There is a Miele Washer/Dryer included in the unit. It was added when the clients completed the rehab. One of a kind place if you desire to live in the Gold Coast.
While I greatly mind the asking price in light of the lacking parking in-unit w/d, and 8-foot-wide bedroom, I can take an interior-exterior style clash, so long as the interior is done in good taste. And this interior was, as others have mentioned. However, the neighbors across the street have better views than the folks in this building.
I for one, am glad to see “no-pet” buildings. Perhaps I am crabby 🙂 but yappy dogs affect your neighbours. My building is no-pets, no-kids, and boy is it nice and quiet.
Lack of parking and W&D are waaaay bigger issues that would scare people away.
“My building is no-pets, no-kids, and boy is it nice and quiet.”
No pets AND no kids? WTF? At that point you should move to a retirement community somewhere in Florida.
If you buy 2R along with 2F you’ve solved your laundry problem (and the small second bedroom and the outdoor space…)
Look @ that jump in price from 2007 to now!
LOL
“there is parking at 1221 dearborn directly across dearborn. literally 25ft away.”
List of things I don’t want to do everytime I need to get to my car:
1) Jaywalk across Dearborn
“Look @ that jump in price from 2007 to now!
LOL”
I’ll go out on a limb and guess that the place didn’t look like this when it sold in ’07.
Is that allowed to say “no kids” if it’s not a senior housing complex? Or is that only allowed in Coops?
I’m actually kind of glad I’m moving into a no-pets building. I don’t see how it would make you some old grouch, but hey, to each their own. As much as I totally love them, I just know that living by myself with my schedule the way it typically is, I wouldn’t feel good about having a dog, so it’s nice to not have to hear everyone else’s barking all the time.
Living in the neighborhood: no way is this a high-end redo to command that price increase for such limited space. For vintage to modern conversion it is badly done and quite uninteresting. Many nicer properties with in-unit laundry and parking in the Gold Coast at a similar price point.
“List of things I don’t want to do everytime I need to get to my car:
1) Jaywalk across Dearborn”
Hahaha That comment was way funnier than the price of this place… laughin out loud
“There is a Miele Washer/Dryer included in the unit. It was added when the clients completed the rehab.”
Thanks for the clarification Peter. I will change the post. But the listing should really list it as I checked numerous of the public listings and none said w/d was included in the unit.
Would love to see some vintage pieces or antiques thrown into that interior decor, which looks a little flat with so many midcentury repros. But I love the sliding doors in the kitchen. This (http://www.robertharshman.com/QR/1737/index.htm#7) at 1737 Paulina #306 is one of my favorite listings and has a similar idea.
Has the listing been updated since this was posted? The redfin link says “in unit W/D”.
This is not my style AT ALL, but I think they did a very nice job. Very unique and not at all cookie-cutter. I somewhat agree about the vintage exterior/modern interior, but I’d guess that at the point that this reno was done (after the 2007 purchase), there wasn’t much of the vintage interior left.
Re: pets. Some days (like today when my downstairs neighbor’s dog was barking at FIVE THIRTY AM), I wish that I lived in a pet-free building, but then I figure that I’d rather deal with a barking dog than the with anti-pet people (meanies).
So what’s behind the middle panel, between the fridge and the oven?
I think it would drive me insane to have to be sliding panels left right left right left right all the time. In a bedroom, to hide a closet, sure. In a kitchen, not so much.
“no kids” means 18+
Before I bought my place, I did look at a 40+ building, which was creepily like an old-folks home 🙂
Back to the propery – those kitchen sliders are crazy.
“I think it would drive me insane to have to be sliding panels left right left right left right all the time.”
Enh. It would be better if you could tuck them all into the wall on one side (like in a hotel/office conference room) but it would just force you to get everything you need out from behind panel B before you open up panel A. I’m not that organized most of the time, but it would be a decent small mental exercise.
Seems like the vintage exterior and modern interior is more common in Europe.I think it works if done well.
I like it better than places that do a gut rehab and put in ersatz victorian mouldings over drywall.
Form and function don’t always come in equal doses! I’d say it looks cool to have the sliders but might be difficult in real life. In addition what is so great about the rehab other than a mirrored closet wall and the big island?
Had they really gone all in the ugly standard vent right above the kitchen would have been replaced with the tun rectangular slot vent. That would be really nice!
Make that the “thin” rectangular slot type vent.
Sorry
Pretty.
But why would anyone care if you had a cat, or an iguana? The anti-dog thing, I get.
What about a pre-sushi tank?
I suppose they also have a rule against slaughtering animals in your unit.
Damn they thought of everything!
Fair Housing laws forbid “no kids” rules in all cases (including co-ops), except in designated senior developments. However, apts + condos have the right to forbid animals EXCEPT for registered “companion animals” for disabled residents (Seeing-Eye dogs etc.). Such animals are regarded by law as an “extension” of the human’s body and are therefore “legal persons.”
No-pet buildings usually are just “no mammal or reptile” buildings. Caged birds and fish tanks are usually OK.
And not every no-pet building is full of “grumpy old people” (allergies affect all ages!) And not every pet-friendly building is full of “shiny happy people” (don’t we all know of a pet-owner-from-you-know-where?).
It is indeed against the Fair Housing laws in the NATION to discriminate against people with children, just as it is to discriminate against race, religion, age, marital status, etc. The only group that is currently not protected (in some states) are ‘the gays’.
Regarding the sliding doors. Personally, I really do like them as they offer a sleek and clean look…but, if one goes this route, it is a good idea for them to be a pocket style where they would slide into the walls all the way eliminating having to close one to open the other.
Re: the modern interior on a vintage home. Do you all realize the expense it is to replicate the details of a period home? I have done a number of them and besides being a total pain in the ass to find/customize/fabricate these items you need to have 1) a ton of money and time 2)the original architectural plans with pictures 3)a source available in case you inflict some sort of damage which would require replacing them. And people bitch and whine now about the costs of buying a house.
Re: the no pet rule. I totally understand and respect this rule IF it is a rental. If you are actually buying, especially in this economy, it is rather insulting to even attempt to put this rule in place. I have walked away, mid sentence from a few recently but they were in co-op buildings where normal rules (‘laws’ as it was presented in one building) are totally different from condo buildings.
In my experience, the following are the largest deal breakers:
1) No A/C
2) Radiator style or any type of heating that takes room and is unattractive
3) No parking even in urban settings. While you might not own a car, your out of town guests might and to force them to pay anywhere from $30-60/ day for parking is just not right. I have paid this fee for close friends who have visited me here in the city and it adds up quickly.
4) No washer and dryer. This is such a basic neccessity that it should be regarded just as other neccessary appliances are. Even to have a common laundry in the building is not acceptable to most people. In most cases you end up tearing up walls and floors to install the lines. In homes with basements, the work is even more difficult.
5) Having the place painted in dark colors or having wall paper/borders on the walls. The cost/time and energy expended in correcting these things have caused me to have serious doubts about whether or not to invest in the unit….and I am a renovator. To cover dark colors, you need a high quality primer…in most cases 2 or 3 coats to cover them. Same with wall paper. The removal process is difficult to be next to impossible to remove without damaging the dry wall/plaster under, depending on the material used. In my experience, the more costly papers and borders are the most difficult to remove. A few projects ago, a SFH had both paper and borders on 80% of all walls, ceilings included. We ended up tearing out the drywall as the damage caused from the ‘spike ball’ was not repairable.
6) Carpets. If there are hardwoods under, there is a good possibility there will be damage from the staples/nails/glue used to anchor them. I have replaced, at great expense, the stips of wood all along the edge of the walls a number of times as the nails and staples caused rust to stain the wood. No matter how deep you sand some woods, it is impossible to remove these stains and holes left.
7) Windows. To replace a homes windows is a very costly endeavour. In most cases, each window costs at very minimum, $250-300. On vintage homes there are usually odd sized windows causing either patching up the difference or cutting out more of the walls both interior and exterior. Average cost to replace an entire vintage house, $10k + (depending on the quality of replacements) including materials and labor.
OK thanks for reading…rant done!!
“No-pet buildings usually are just “no mammal or reptile” buildings. Caged birds and fish tanks are usually OK.”
no mammals means no people too?
“Re: the modern interior on a vintage home. Do you all realize the expense it is to replicate the details of a period home? ”
I think what most people lament is developers ripping out perfectly good vintage details; rather than regretting that developers don’t replicate vintage details.
“I hate to be so negative – but it really irks me when “designers” take a beautiful vintage/architectural masterpiece and clash eras/styles. Why not restore or design to complement the facade/exterior? There are enough modern buildings out there if that is your style. I know that some may find it interesting, but I believe it is insulting to the original architect/builder.”
I TOTALLY agree with you Clio
This looks like a remodel of a remodel of a remodel. I don’t think there were many details left when the last remodel was done. Often times these large houses were subdivided and stripped of details in the 60s,70s, and 80s, to modernize the subdivided house. This is a very nicely done remodeling, that has design quality and was quite expensive.
Sonies – sorry, should have said “Furry mammals” – cats, dogs, ferrets, lions, tigers and bears…oh my…
And until VERY recently, it was not a deal-breaker to have a common laundry room in an apartment or condo building – even the “upscale” variety. The in-unit w/d did not become a “given” until the condomania rehabs of the late 90s, when every new or rehabbed unit “had” to have a laundry. Never mind that the “stackables” took up space that could otherwise be an extra closet. Never mind that the machines were often placed in the “social” part of the unit rather than near the kitchen or bath. (Oh, yeah, I’d really dig doing laundry right by the living room!)
Maybe it was the way I was brought up or something, but give me a laundromat with 2 or 3 washers and dryers (so I can do it all at once) rather than an in-unit space-waster any day!