The Ultimate Bungalow: 5501 W. Cullom in Portage Park
Do you like homes big on character and history?
Then this grand 3500 square foot bungalow at 5501 W. Cullom in Portage Park is for you.
It’s almost unfair to call it “just” a bungalow.
The listing says it has french walnut walls, traycery ceilings, carved woodwork and stained glass.
The lower level has a 1950s lounge, a wine cellar, a walk in meat smoker (which apparently still works) and a full shuffleboard court in the basement floor.
It was built in 1926, according to a tipster, allegedly by an attorney to the mob who deeded the house in his girlfriend’s name with the intent to use it as a home “outside” of the city.
For those of you inclined to figure out appreciation, it apparently cost $12,000 to build when other homes in the neighborhood cost $3500 due to steel I beam construction, all face brick and floor joists every 12” on center.
The kitchen and baths were remodeled in the 1950s in the art deco style, in which they remain today.
Heather Lange at Koenig & Strey has the listing. See more pictures here.
5501 W. Cullom: 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, 2.5 car garage, 3500 square feet
- Sold in January 1995 for $293,000
- Sold in December 2002 for $525,000
- Currently listed for $750,000
- Taxes of $5001
- Central Air
- Bedroom #1: 15×13
- Bedroom #2: 14×12
- Bedroom #3: 10×10
- Bedroom #4: 12×9
Absolutely incredible just judging from the pictures! This is my favorite style of architecture as this type of construction is always very sold and most feature some incredible built in amenities…always a ton of storage space and great layouts.
I need, NEED to drop by this place for a detailed tour. While I am not real crazy about the neighborhood, I did purchase on unit in the area awhile back and it is now being rented by a lovely professional couple.
The streets surrounding this place are all well maintained and the house itself is immaculate. Can’t wait for a tour!!
I have seen a number of bungalows in Chicago, but this one is very unique because of the interior renovation/add ons. Outstanding and worth every penny of it’s asking.
It is certainly amazing and very unique, but I’m just not sure about $750K for Portage Park on a standard lot, even if the building is unique. For that price and neighborhood, I would want at least a double lot and some yard, since there is really little to zero yard.
Call me suburban, but one of the main points of a single family house is having yard, even it is only 25’by 30′ or so.
I grew up near this house and it brings back memories – nice to see the present day interior! One of the Cullertons lived in another grand home on nearby Berteau. One day the large portrait of Richard J. Daley that hung above the fireplace and was visible from the street was gone…allegedly removed after a disagreement with ‘da mare’.
“For those of you inclined to figure out appreciation”
5.1%/year, if it sells for $750k. 4.74%/year from ’26 to the ’95 sale.
Same rate of apprecaition for the “typical” neighbors–$217k.
Nice find Sabrina. Beautiful home. so-so area although the immediate blocks surrounding portage park are nice. There’s a nice housing stock but the neighborhood is nothing special.
Gorgeous house in an extremely nice but extremely dull area. Portage Park is really a very nice neighborhood, but it’s dull, lacking in urban amenities, and the public transit over there stinks. You have to drive to nearly everything.
It strikes me as being extremely overpriced, though. The 2002 price sounds right.
photographed nicely.
Yikes though what a horrid kitchen
At first I thought this place was intriguing…
Then I pictured myself in photo 1 sitting on the couch looking at nothing. Then in photo 2 sitting on the couch looking at 2 friends in yellow chairs. Then in photo 3 sitting at the kitchen “island” looking at the wall. Then in photo 4 at the “club table” maybe playing bridge? Or in one of the 4 red leather barstools that line the room? It’s definitely a style, but it’s not something that I could get used to. Is that a gate in the second picture? I guess that would be useful to keep the dogs out of the living room…
The kitchen looks like a hair salon.
“Never buy the most expensive house on block.” Don’t know who first said this, but it’s sooo true. Portage Park even on its best day doesn’t warrant a $500,000 price tag, and certainly not $750,000. It’s as if seller plucked a price from thin air.
House needs a new kitchen. That’s not an “art deco” kitchen; it’s a mish-mash kitchen of varying parts and pieces. Ceiling is totally ’70s. Lack of bathroom pictures is suspect; likely to be uncharmingly outdated and not in character of house.
House itself is interesting. I’ve seen two other houses (Oak Park and Old Edgebrook) touted by realtors as originally commissioned for and owned by “mistress to a wealthy man” that had unusual architectural features and character.
Gorgeous home, but needs some serious updating to bring it up to modern standards. No way it anyone is going to pay $750k to live in a half renovated bungalow in Portgage Park.
“The kitchen looks like a hair salon.”
Hilarious. And not even a good hair salon.
Wait. A full shuffleboard court in the basement? No wonder why this place is priced at $750,000. Either that or the agent spent a little time in the functioning meat smoker in order to arrive at an asking price.
“Outstanding and worth every penny of it’s asking.”
(1) Nothing is worth every penny of it’s asking. Are you the agent or the seller???
(2) Were you in the meat smoker too?
Kind of grandma
Architect; I love old edgebrook
The architects were Slupkowski & Piontek. Apparently did most of their work in West Town.
This is why I read this blog.
“5.1%/year, if it sells for $750k. 4.74%/year from ‘26 to the ‘95 sale. ”
The question remains to be seen: can Chicago land prices maintain a ~1-1.5% real rate of appreciation ad infinitum?
I’m guessing no.
3,500 sq. feet – there is no way only nine realtor photos of this bungalow can do this amount of space and detail justice… Can only imagine how beautiful it is in person.
“The question remains to be seen: can Chicago land prices maintain a ~1-1.5% real rate of appreciation ad infinitum?”
From 1926->2009, CPI* has been 3.05%/annum. From ’26->’95 it was 3.17%.
So, for this proeprty, it’s 1.5 to 2% over inflation. Which isn’t sustainable broadly, but *may* be sustainable for genuinely unique properties, assuming the “unique” factor(s) remain in demand.
If you put appreciation at CPI+1%, using the $12k price in 1926, the ’09 value would be $323k.
*Yeah, I know. Show me an easy to manipulate alternate, I’ll use it.
I’m getting a really PhotShopped vibe on that exterior photo, or they used some kind of high-def camera. It looks like those painted photo-postcards from long ago…
I like the kitchen. I’d take it any day over a developer’s “granite ‘n’ maple” special.
The outside photo is totally photoshopped, and not well either. It’s a huge pet peeve of mine – when they put the blue sky & clouds in, but the photo was taken on a cloudy day.
“a really PhotShopped vibe on that exterior photo”
Front of the house faces north, so they either hauled in some lighting, got perfectly lucky with the lighting or did a little editing to brighten it up. Most likely 3, no matter what else, b/c the sun appears to be behind the house and there are no shadows to the north or east of the house–>something that is basically impossible.
That said, it’s nice to see some effort put into listing photos for a change.
No way will they ever get this price in this neighborhood. Even if they find someone who is willing to pay it, there’s zero comps. 4137 N. Dickinson which was on a 70×125 lot closed last summer for $800k and was a pretty nice historic home with side drive and… it’s got nearly 3 times the amount of land this house does. The next closest house was 4755 N. Linder for 575k, new construction.
My bad, the house on Dickinson closed in 2007, not 2008. So, it’ll be even harder to comp out this house on Cullom.
I actually looked to buy this house in 1995, and it looks very much the same. When I was there, I too thought it was grandma-ish, but for a bungalow it was large and unique. Ultimately, it was the neighborhood that killed it for me. It would take longer for me to get to work downtown from here than from the suburbs, and it was just plain boring. But I did think then that you were getting a lot of space for the money. Unless they have significantly upgraded the space, I cant see this place at anywhere near $750,000.
lucky to get $500k, this one is going to be around for a while.
Cute on the outside. Hideous on the inside.
this basement looks like the one where Tommy got whacked in Goodfellas