Rare Full Floor Singer Building Live/Work Loft Lists for First Time in 22 Years: 120 S. State
This 2-bedroom loft in the Singer Building at 120 S. State in the Loop just came on the market.
The building was constructed in 1926 and has just 10 units. It’s zoned live/work and has 2 common parking spaces behind the building for shared use.
The listing says the owners have a deeded valet garage space a half a block away that will be included with the loft.
The sellers are the original buyers and Loop living pioneers.
From Dennis Rodkin at Crain’s:
In 1997 John and Margaret Barry, who were Oak Park empty-nesters looking for a new home in the city, bought the sixth floor of the skinny Gothic tower at 120 S. State St. They were friends of Wilbert Hasbrouck, the preservation architect whose architect son, Charles, had bought the long-vacant building to restore it, and because they had egged the Hasbroucks on to do the project, “we got first choice of the floor we wanted,” said John Barry, an attorney.
Built in 1926, as the Chicago showroom and offices for the Singer sewing machine company, the building, one of the narrowest on State Street, has ornate terra cotta trim on its east-facing street side and its longer, southern face along the Marble Place alley.
When State Street was turned into a pedestrian mall in the 1970s, the building was reportedly threatened with demolition, but somehow survived. It stood vacant for years except for the ground-level Ferris Wheel restaurant.
The first floor restaurant is currently a Subway.
The elevator opens into each floor directly with private elevator key.
The loft has all the authentic loft features that buyers look for including 11.5 concrete ceilings, oak floors, exposed brick and duct work.
It also has 8 foot industrial windows on 3 sides, as it overlooks the alley to the south.
The kitchen has white cabinets and an island with white appliances.
There’s no outdoor space with the loft.
What’s the make-up of the live/work building?
John Barry said he and his wife have the largest residential unit in the building, as a setback begins above their floor and the floors below theirs are all offices.
It has the features buyers look for including central air and washer/dryer in the unit. While there’s storage in the unit, there’s also additional storage in the basement.
This is a rare opportunity to own an authentic loft in the heart of the loop.
When this was rehabbed in the late 1990s, it was unclear if anyone would ever want to live in the Loop.
22 years later, is Loop living hotter than ever?
Kevin McIntyre at Compass has the listing. See the pictures here.
Unit #6: 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, 2300 square feet, loft
- Sold in November 1998 for $340,000
- Currently listed for $869,900 (includes a deeded valet garage parking spot one-half block away)
- Assessments of $760 a month (includes security, exterior maintenance, water, scavenger)
- Taxes of $14,627
- Central Air
- Washer/dryer in the unit
- Live/work
- Full floor unit
- Bedroom #1: 19×16
- Bedroom #2: 12×16
- Living Room: 16×22
- Kitchen: 10×15
- Dining room: 15×15
- Family room: 31×17
- Laundry room: 6×6
- Library: 16×16
I’ve always been curious about this attractive little building, and thought it would be a great place to live.
The loft is great, with it’s keyed private elevator stop, and the location is wonderful. I assume that the original sale price of $340,000 was for raw space, and that the current owner spent most of the difference building the place out.
It will likely sell easily at the price offered.
I’m going to throw the BS flag on 2200+sf
Nice looking place but its really looking for a unicorn buyer at $870k.
cool space but needs updating
“throw the BS flag on 2200+sf”
Looks like the floorplate might be ~2300, But that’s BS as a measurement, as it counts the fire stairs and the 2 elevators, which take up probably 150 sf. We aren’t in Hong Kong.
Did this really last sell in 2018? That ask with no evidence of a recent gut job since then does not compute.
I’m not normally a loft fan and I wouldn’t want to live at this location. That said, this is a pretty great-looking unit.
How are the assessments so low on this unit? I would think this would be fairly uneconomical. Or is the subway paying a ton in rent or something?
Cool concept. Though it seems like you almost have to be a lawyer to make use of the location.
“In 1997 John and Margaret Barry, who were Oak Park empty-nesters looking for a new home in the city, bought the sixth floor”
??? How old are these people with the neon beer signs and the full liquor bar? Looks like a nice place to rent out for trysts.
“Did this really last sell in 2018?”
No, “first time in 22 years”. Sabrina did a braino.
I am familiar with this building. The location is only OK, as the subway bread smell permeates into the lobby, which some days, is not good. It’s also on State St. so there’s a lot of the State St. degeneracy crowd after hours. Each floor of the building is a separate condo. A couple of the lower floors are offices rented out, a dentist and some law offices. The upper floors are the condos. I believe the penthouse unit is slightly smaller because there’s a really nice balcony off the back bedroom. As for 2,220 sq feet, that’s probably pretty close, maybe 2,000 sq feet. I used to tangentially know someone – a friend of a friend – of a lawyer who used to rent space there, that’s how I was in the office once and learned about the building. It’s a unique building with an interest history. Somebody might pay $750,000 for this place. It’s unique for sure. It’s not for everybody but it’s a lot of space and a good amount of privacy although its a smaller, unique building.
Nice unit, lots of character to the building.
That being said -forget after hours, have you seen the crowd that hangs out on this block during the day (Often in the subway) – No thanks.
Unfortunately, this part of the loop did not aggressively gentrify like other parts of the city.
“A couple of the lower floors are offices rented out, a dentist and some law offices.”
The Crain’s article says that all the floors below theirs are offices.
I love the location because it’s close to Millennium Park, the museums, the symphony hall, and the theaters, among many other draws, and the public transportation is unbeatable. And there is enough retail right downstairs that you can usually run out and grab the necessities in a pinch, while having most of your groceries delivered.
It DOES get gamey at night, though. However, State Street has improved markedly in the past couple of decades, and hopefully, more old office buildings that are obsolete for commercial purposes, but have fine architecture and a lot of charm, will be redeveloped as residential buildings.