The Claude Seymour Mansion is Bank Owned and Re-Listed at $1,764,900: 817 W. Hutchinson in Buena Park
The Claude Seymour House at 817 W. Hutchinson in the Buena Park neighborhood in Uptown has returned to the market in March 2024, but is now owned by the bank.
We have chattered about this 6-bedroom home numerous times over the years, but the last time was in 2020 when it was a short sale.
See our 2020 chatter here.
To refresh your memory, the Claude Seymour House is a historic property on a landmarked block in Buena Park.
The Elite Street column in the Chicago Tribune highlighted it in 2013:
Designed by Prairie-style architect George Washington Maher and completed in 1913 for jewelry wholesaler Seymour, the more than 12,000-square-foot mansion has six bedrooms, four full baths, two half baths, leaded stained-glass windows, a grand mahogany staircase, three fireplaces, mahogany millwork throughout, an eat-in kitchen and a coach house atop a two-car garage.
The property has 136 feet of frontage and a wraparound yard.
If you recall, this house is on 5 1/2 city lots measuring 136×140 and has gardens.
It has a 2-car garage with a studio apartment above it on a rare side driveway, which also has space to park 2 more cars.
It has most of it’s original vintage features, including moldings, stained glass, and a carved staircase along with 3 wood burning fireplaces.
It has hardwood floors.
All 6 bedrooms are on the third level and it has the garage studio so the current listing says the property has 7 bedrooms.
The kitchen has wood cabinets and, the pictures indicate, it still has the stainless steel appliances, including 2 dishwashers on either side of the stove.
There’s also a library, sun room, a “doll house,” a game room, and a big lower level recreation room.
The house has central air.
It’s now being sold “as-is” and the taxes will be prorated 100%.
The listing also says to “please see Agent remarks for offer submission instructions.”
Additionally, if you are an agent that has a buyer it says this about compensation:
- Buyer Agency Compensation: 1.0% OF THE SELLING PRICE MINUS TECHNOLOGY FEE OF 150.00 (PLUS SALES TAX WHERE APPLICABLE)
In 2020, the listing was a short sale that had been lowered to $2.6 million. But the house has now come on the market from the bank at just $1,764,900.
Is this house now a steal?
Michael Olszewski at Area Wide Realty has the listing. See the pictures here.
817 W. Hutchinson: 7 bedrooms (includes studio), 5 baths and 2 half baths, 15,944 square feet in total, 2-car garage
- Sold in November 1993 (no price listed)
- Originally listed in March 2011 for just 2 weeks at $5.195 million
- Re-listed in October 2011 for $4.995 million
- Lis pendens foreclosure filed in December 2011
- Was a “short sale” in March 2020 at $2.6 million
- Bank owned in June 2023
- Currently listed “as-is” at $1,764,900
- Taxes are now $116,935 (they were $103,803 in March 2020; $88,500 in 2017; $81,517 in August 2103 and $21,652 in October 2012)
- Central Air
- 5 1/2 city lots including gardens
- 3 fireplaces
- Bedroom #1: 19×19 (third floor)
- Bedroom #2: 16×14 (third floor)
- Bedroom #3: 17×12 (third floor)
- Bedroom #4: 14×11 (third floor)
- Bedroom #5: 10×15 (third floor)
- Bedroom #6: 12×20 (third floor)
- Foyer: 29×10 (main floor)
- Kitchen: 13×26 (main floor)
- Living room: 20×30 (main floor)
- Dining room: 21×18 (main floor)
- Sun room: 23×10 (main floor)
- Game room: 18×22 (main floor)
- Exercise room: 14×15 (lower level)
- Recreation room: 50×28 (lower level)
- Studio above the garage
Stunning. If the bones are good it seems like a steal.
Realtor went to the Trump School of Capitalizing Random Words.
Might need to take a page out of Gov Fat Fucks book and decommission some bathrooms
Awesome home. whoever buys this needs some deep pockets, but the payoff will be spectacular. Unfortunately unless you can hook an UHNW, the value is the land
Amazing place. I think Sabrina’s theme of the week is great places we can all agree upon.
I love old houses and mansions like this. And given the high prices in Chicago, this is actually a steal.
At the same time, at my age, I’m thinking: what does it cost to heat and cool this place?
PS Sabrina, from the previous chats, someone found the prices for the previous sales that you don’t list here.
“someone”
jeez, Icky.
Those numbers included only one sale (in 1989), and the rest were the progressively larger mortgages the owner’s took out.
The 1993 deed *may* have been an actual sale, but if it was, they lied about the transfer tax exemption.
May also have been that the new 1993 Lender (First State B&T of Park Ridge) required the property to be in the borrowers’ names ratehr than a land trust.
“what does it cost to heat and cool this place?”
Hard to see well, but that looks like a rather old HVAC system in the basement–I’d go with “extremely expensive”.
thanks anon (tfo). I hope that whoever sleeps with you can get off as much as you get off by calling me Icky.
I was able to smell this place while looking at the photos. Musty.
“Unfortunately unless you can hook an UHNW, the value is the land”
It’s a historic property so there isn’t much value in the land. But it has been mentioned here on Crib Chatter that there are few driveways with Chicago homes and certainly not this close to the lake. It’s pretty unique to have this spread at this price.
The bank has an asking price. But doesn’t mean they aren’t open to negotiation too.
“I was able to smell this place while looking at the photos. Musty.”
It’s bank owned AnonIDGAF. I’m surprised it still has the appliances as many of these do not.
“ It’s a historic property so there isn’t much value in the land. But it has been mentioned here on Crib Chatter that there are few driveways with Chicago homes and certainly not this close to the lake. It’s pretty unique to have this spread at this price.
The bank has an asking price. But doesn’t mean they aren’t open to negotiation too.”
The problem is the purchase price is only the start
Being able to afford this at the sales price and afford bringing this back are 2 separate things
Guessing the previous owners were in the latter camp
Icarus:
Sorry–never noticed it bothered you (had you said something before?).
Won’t happen again.
Pending as of this morning.
(What is the diff between “contingent” and “pending”?)
NVM – Google is my friend
The difference is that contingent listings still need to meet one or more specific conditions before moving forward. With pending deals, conditions have been met, and both parties are planning to move forward to closing.
This is pending already? Wow. Someone is buying all cash. They are getting a deal!
I suppose it’s possible there is financing. But I’ve never seen something “pending” right away unless it’s cash. Obviously, this is also a foreclosure so they’re not doing any fixing of anything on an inspection.
It’s back on the market. Love to know why that gell through so quickly.
Sombody did a walkthru with a contractor and found out what the real cost of ownership would be
It’s sold “as-is” so you either want it or you don’t. Maybe the financing didn’t work out after all?
LOL