Pre-War Building Brought Back to Life in Lakeview: 443 W. Aldine
Many of you probably recognize this 3-story pre-war building at 443 W. Aldine in East Lakeview.
The building was built in 1925 and has been renovated. It is now being sold as condos.
There are only 3 units with the top two floors being the most expensive. They are on the market as the following:
- Unit #1: $475,000 (first floor- 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, parking included)
- Unit #2: $1.475 million (second floor- 5 bedrooms, 3 baths, parking included)
- Unit #3: $1.475 million (third floor- 5 bedrooms, 3 baths, parking included)
The first floor unit has a more modern feel with exposed brick and a modern white kitchen.
The two upper floor units are all about vintage elegance.
There is central air and washer/dryers in the units.
Brad Lippitz at Prudential Rubloff has the listings.
See pictures of Unit #3 here.
See pictures of Unit #1 here.
“3-story pre-war building ”
I may be wrong, but I count four floors.
this place is awesome!!! price aside you get a whole floor and only two neighbors=kewl! (but only two to share the maintenance costs.)
the weird thing is that i see four floors and unit #1 from one picture looks to be ground level (i think i see a two cars in a window?)
darn Anon beat me
Yes, it looks like the the three large units are on floors 2, 3, and 4. The small one is on ground level. Spectacular places and the location is terrific. Aldine is one of the nicest streets between Broadway and the Drive. No four plus ones on the east end.
Wow, great kitchen in Unit 1. What to do with all that counter space . . . .
Perhaps condo developer-building owner retained one unit for his own use.
Redfin sez 4 units in association.
elevator? walk-up?
Gorgeous building, great rehab. But I still can’t quite see $1.5M for unit three, which really is huge and beautiful. $700K, I could see.
The building is 3 stories plus the “garden” level. Unit 1 is on this level.
Also: Building footprint is over 3200 sf.
Does the association fee include paying someone to roll the garbage cans out every week (Wednesday, I think, when Aldine is basically impassable for 15+ minutes during rush hour)?
I notice the whole building sold for $2.249m in ’05. . . . so, looking at these finishes, nobody’s making a killing on this. I’m guessing you’re right, somebondy wanted to rehabd this to live there.
Can’t imagine ever spending half a mil on a first floor condo, and/or living in E LV again. . . but if were going to do those things, this would be the place. Awesome finishes (6ft in the air microwave excepted).
Wait a minute…. I take back my compliments to that kitchen in unit 3.
Did you all notice the microwave oven mounted 6 feet above the floor, over the tall built-in pantry?
Why oh WHY would anyone mount an oven that high? That is just whack.
What’s wrong with living in E LV?
Just curious. I’ve never lived there, just visited. I’ve been in South Loop, Streeter, Gold Coast, and OT for comparison purposes.
I can’t imagine what’s wrong with Lakeview besides the lack of parking space…so budget parking space rental or purchase if you just have to have a car.
It always has and always will be my favorite Chicago neighborhood, so I’m biased.
Why does CB keep using the phrase “pre-war”? This isn’t not New York. I know technically it applies, but still.
“Did you all notice the microwave oven mounted 6 feet above the floor, over the tall built-in pantry? ”
Looks like it’s the same height as it would be if it were mounted over a stove… although I agree that that’s silly to do in a spacious kitchen
I love the building and want to love the units, but the finishes are inconsistent at best and the functionality of certain elements is questionable. Taking away the unique nature of the building, there are far better options on the market.
“What’s wrong with living in E LV?”
Not trying to say it’s a “bad” neighborhood, just that I don’t like it– I did my time and it’s not for me (and I am talking about E LV specifically– there are areas of LV that I do like).
I lived right by this place, and my negatives were the obvious ones: irritating partying frat boys and n halsted boys / overall loudness and congestion of the area.
But mostly getting around is what did it. It’s brutal to drive, impossible to park, yet also not close to L (yes I know the 151 has it “attributes,” but, not the same). When you live here, for someone to drive to your place ranges from “enormous production” to “actually impossible.”
Pure opinion but I’ve lived in 7 different hoods in Chicago and this was the only one I was geniunely happy to leave. (Well, in truth, I was glad to leave S Loop as well, but selling my place there “bribed” me out of my distaste for the ‘hood).
I LOVE E. Lakeview! You can walk everywhere, and the el is not far (4 blocks for me). 145 and 146 express buses will have you downtown in 10 minutes. Best part is being around the block from the tennis courts/dog beach/bike path/picnic spots by the lake. I will be sad to leave if/when we do.
Bob 2, that oven is about a foot higher than if it were mounted over the stove. I’m a tall woman, 5’8″, and the typical over-the-stove nuke is about level with my eyeballs. I wouldn’t be able to deal with something mounted like the one here. The nuke in that kitchen is mounted over what appears to be a 6′ high pantry cabinet. It looks like it was meant for someone 7′ tall.
It should have been mounted under the overhead cabinet facing the island, or under the countertop, out of consideration for shorter people less than 5’6″ tall.
Not to harp too much on the micro but it appears to be lower then the refrigerator. My guess is that the standard height of a side by side refrigerator is few inches lower then 6′. The micro looks to be about 5 and a half feet high. Still far from an ideal place to install it considering the size of the kitchen
That looks like a 30 cu.ft, 6′ high fridge. It is quite a bit larger than an ordinary 22 cu ft side by side.
“But mostly getting around is what did it.”
yep. it’s why I kept migrating west and ended up at almost Kimball.
can’t tell you how much time I save not having to deal with the insane traffic.
as I’ve gotten older my friends have spread out a bit more, and I can tell you anecdotally that it’s a common complaint I hear from folks “Nobody will come visit me!” due to nasty congestion or no parking.
Yes, public trans and cabs are options, but if you can waste a LOT of money or time trying to get around on weekend afternoons, everything east of Western seems to clog up.
Even driving from LSD to Sheffield down Belmont feels far. I’d hate to walk that 🙂
Pro: Real nice looking place. If you have a boat or access to a boat at B or D Harbor, this area will feel more like Miami than Chicago in the Summer. You can get take out from the Bagel and be home before anyone even notices you were gone. Close enough to be a Cubs season ticket holder and you avoid 89% of the Cubs riff raff.
Cons: Getting to/from the loop in the events of: rush hour, Cubs games, and weekends would make you 5 levels above cranky. In town friends probably wouldn’t visit much thanks to the shear level of difficultly of getting to here. If I’m paying this much to live in Chicago, I want some real nice going out options within walking distance, this is way LP trumps LV everytime, what’s the most upscale spot to go out here? I guess you could see a show at the LS Theater. You avoid none of the B-town riff raff.
Doable under the right circumstances.
“145 and 146 express buses will have you downtown in 10 minutes.”
Loolz.
Wut.
Ach, Chicagobull, the Lakeshore Theater, she is closed. Incompetent, overextended management did her in. Too bad, because the place always had the most interesting comedy acts in town. Maybe it will reopen, maybe not…
Elegant condos, well done rehabs.
“145 and 146 express buses will have you downtown in 10 minutes. ”
I swear to god its like people have no sense of time anymore…
I used to take those buses and its 30 minutes minimum during any time where a normal person would go to work (and only when those buses run I believe)
Sonies:
I think the commute time wormhole affects others as well. Such as the friends who, when moving just east of Valprasio, IN, told me “it’s only 35-45 minutes” or the friends who moved to Grayslake saying “40-45 minutes”. Grayslake folks have admitted their error in calculation; Valpos didn’t.
I thought about buying a place in Margate park briefly (very, very briefly) until I realized I’d either have to walk through the teeth of the Uptown hood to get to the Lawrence red line or take a bus that went back and forth down Michigan Ave to get to my office. In the morning it might be ok, but can you imagine having to go all the way up Michigan during peak rush hour? No way
“I swear to god its like people have no sense of time anymore…”
This is why its good to call BS on people lying here before others start to take them seriously with regard to real estate.
No TS, it takes a lot longer than 10 minutes to go from East Lakeview to downtown, even on an express bus. And you have no credibility anymore.
I lived in E Lake View for 10 years and can attest to the difficulty of transportation.
If you live east of Broadway, you’re pretty much stuck with the 146, 145, 151, or LaSalle express (I forget the route no.) snail-buses. It will usually take you 30 min. minimum to get downtown. The el is too far away, about 6 long blocks, a long hike in the AM.
The Cubs Games and rush hour congestion can make you very cranky.
And forget about visitors with cars. This is a permit parking area, and a friend of mine from the burbs got a $30 ticket for parking without a permit. Our friendship sort of chilled after that.
But those are only the piddling little negatives, which are way more than offset by the pluses. This is a beautiful area with great architecture, a big variety of retail, lots of interesting and inexpensive restaurants, nice people, low crime, and everything you need within easy walking distance. It is fun to walk around in and if you want to go somewhere in Lincoln Park, just walk, or hop on a no 22 or no 36 bus to go there.
I still miss it.
Laura/all,
LV has lots of good going out options, but if I’m going to drop over a million beans to live in a Chicago hood I want a Trotter’s, Alinea, Steppenwolf, or heck even a Boka to be able to step to. Yes, I realize all of those are in a very specific area.
North Pond is a bit of hike from here and I can’t imagine a lady in heels being real happy about clomping ~10 blocks to dinner, but it’s an option.
Is there anything else on that level around here?
Lakeview is a great neighborhood, and this area is the prime part of it. Great place to live and bike. Forget driving. Take a cab everywhere.
yeah because sitting in a smell cab that doesn’t have the air conditioning on is my little slice of paradise
Chicagobull, you got it all wrong: if you spend more than a million for a condo in lakeview, you probably won’t have enough money leftover for much else other than eating at casual restaurants and taverns, which is what a lot of east lakeview consists of.
WOW!! These look amazing — rooms appear to huge and elegant. Seems like you get all the bells and whistles of living in a fancy, vintage LSD building without the exhorbidant assessments AND two parking space AND outdoor space. Good like finding these features at 3500 or 3750. Also, as mentioned in an earlier post, this end of Aldine is beautiful and not loaded with a slew of 4+1’s (which have ruined many a handsome street in East Lakeview).
I live two doors down from this building and have been watching it for awhile as they have been rehabbing it. Unit 1 (3 bedroom) is below grade meaning the owner must be keeping unit 4 (top floor) for themselves. If they only paid $2.25M, sell the remaining units at list for $3.5M and keep a unit for themselves it seems they will make out very well for themselves. I believe the units are way over priced: the landscaping job is poor, the driveway needs to be ripped up, and the lobby is certainly not befitting such a beautiful building.
Yeah it is beautiful.
No crazy assessments, but no doorman and that old vintage charm. Also no view of blackness at night 🙂
Where is JMM to tell us that life, the economy is on the mend and there are no Americans in Baghdad because the Dow is at 11,000?
Oh…wait..
Skeptic,
“yep. it’s why I kept migrating west and ended up at almost Kimball.
can’t tell you how much time I save not having to deal with the insane traffic.”
I drive all over the city for my career. I will take East Lakeview on the weekends over Kimball, Kedzie, Lawrence and Foster anytime boundaries!
(I use to live betwen Kedzie and Kimball too four years ago).
Plus, if you live in or park and visit East Lakeview, you can walk to everything. With the new meter boxes, parking is not that bad any day. Nights get tougher, but you have the meters and local parking lots if you really need them.
If I could get my current home in Ravenswood on Winnemac Park for the same price on an East Lakeview block east of Broadway (Aldine or Oakdale et, al), I would move in a second for the lake! I love my hood, but for city living all things being equal, I’d make the trade.
I have lived in East Lakeview for almost 30 years and have had the great joy within the past two weeks to see this building and to say that I am overwhelmed by these apartments would be an understatement. Over the years I have been in every building along the drive and these rival most of those homes even those with lake views. They are spectacular with grand day rooms and luxurious baths. It is truly amazing. Plus, an elevator and garage parking in this neighborhood – please – most of the buildings on LSD drive in our neighborhood do not have parking!
As for Fred, (whom I am confident has not had the privilege to see this building from anywhere but the sidewalk) he has totally missed the mark and quite frankly does not know of which he speaks. Having seen the building, and having been a longtime resident of this neighborhood, I actually think the prices are right on for the enormous amount of space in each apartment plus a private garage, plus an additional parking place, plus storage, plus elevator. This building is an amazing renovation and the overall design quality, the finishes, the high-end appliances, the low assessments, and the location are simply unbeatable. Fred also needs to realize there is a vestibule then a lobby – which once again is not visible from the sidewalk. The lobby is beautiful and classic. Fred may also want to hang out on the sidewalk more because I understand in the neighborhood that the drive and motor court are being redone soon and now that the building is complete they are now moving outside to complete the landscaping. I am so totally impressed and have not seen anything quite like this in our neighborhood for a very long time. What a breath of fresh air.