Crib Chatter

  We have a soft spot for rooftop terraces. This one is a rare terrace on a vintage building at 1647 N. Sedgwick in Old Town (or maybe on the top of the garage- it’s hard to tell). Unit #3 seems to have it all. A balcony and “exclusive rights to rooftop deck” Garage parking […]

If you ride the El south of Old Town, you’ve seen 1454 N. Orleans in Old Town as the house faces the elevated train tracks.  (Look for the house stuck between two larger buildings, that will be it.) Built in 1874, the listing says it’s the only single family home in Old Town in the […]

The Neopolitan, at 1212 N. Wells, in Old Town was built in 2000 when there wasn’t much to do at the south end of Wells Street. Now, Old Town Brassiere and other restaurants have extended the Wells Street nightlife to Division. Two two bedroom units are listed in 1212 N. Wells. Unit #306 has been on the […]

I last chattered about this house rental at 235 W. Menomonee in Old Town in December 2007. Five months later, it’s still on the market and has now been reduced by $5,000 a month. Yes, the full-time housekeeper and caretaker are STILL included in the rental price. 235 W. Menomonee: 5 bedrooms, 4.5 baths Sold […]

The flippers are still alive and well in Chicago despite the slowdown in the market. We’ve seen quite a few of them in the newly constructed high rises.  But they’re also active in the townhouse market. Take 1145 N. Cambridge in Park Side of Old Town, the new development in the Old Cabrini Green neighborhood at […]

334 W. Menomonee in Old Town has been a mysterious building.  334 W. Menomonee, in the historic triangle, is Melrose Partners’ historic conversion into 18 luxury condos. The finishes were more upscale than you would find in other nearby conversions such as Crilly Court. But so were the prices. As far as I can tell from […]

Crilly Court, four 1890s buildings converted into 90 condominiums last year, was a very successful conversion in Old Town that sold out within months. The buildings had been apartments for decades. The buildings are smack in the center of Old Town on Eugenie, Crilly, St. Paul and Wells. Units ranged from small one bedrooms to three […]

There is a condo building at 235 W. Eugenie in Old Town that was designed by famous Chicago architect Harry Weese. From The Art Institute of Chicago: In 1940, Weese joined the Chicago office of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, but was drafted into the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1941. Weese returned to SOM in 1946, […]

If you look at Chicago real estate long enough you’ll notice one thing: all of the kitchens and baths look the same. Even most of the vintage condos and houses have been stripped of their vintage kitchens in favor of 42 inch oak cabinets, brown/black speckled granite,  and stainless steel appliances. If you want original features […]

Old Town is a very desirable neighborhood but the inventory is limited if you are looking for a certain type of property- say, one with a parking space. Unlike some vintage properties which have been gutted and stripped of the original features, this unit at 1814 N. Lincoln Park West still has the historic feel.  Unit #4: […]