Views from the Top of the World for Under $300,000 in the Hancock: 175 E. Delaware
Despite other newer high rise residential buildings trying to steal its thunder in recent years, there’s something special about the John Hancock at 175 E. Delaware in the Gold Coast.
For someone who loves views, there’s nothing that compares to this 1-bedroom west facing (city views) unit on the 80th floor for under $300,000. It is the cheapest 1-bedroom currently available in the building.
The 825 square foot unit, according to the listing, has a white kitchen, but there are no pictures of it.
The listing also says the open floorplan has a movable wall.
There is no washer/dryer in the unit (it’s on every other floor)- but there has since been a change in the condo rules to allow it.
But it’s really all about those views.
Earl Reid at Koenig & Strey has the listing. See the pictures here.
Unit #8001: 1 bedroom, 1 bath, 825 square feet
- Sold in November 1996 for $140,500
- Originally listed in September 2009 for $329,000
- Reduced
- Currently listed for $299,900
- Parking is leased for $305 to $330 a month
- Assessments of $524 a month (includes doorman, pool, cable)
- Taxes of $3205
- Air conditioning is zoned central air
now THAT would be a cool “in towner”
I once lived on the 47th floor and I can’t imagine being nearly twice as high as that… the 4th of July fireworks with that west view must be absolutely incredible
aren’t they moving the fireworks?
I thought they were just spending less on the fireworks
I think this building is under-appreciated. Yeah, it’s old and there’s the asbestos thing, but the asbestos can be/has been encapsulated and the units sell for a large discount, leaving plenty of money for custom rehab. And, yeah, the ceilings are lower but how many people are over 8 feet tall? It’s got great views all around and don’t count out the lower floors. In fact, some of the best views are from that grocery store on whatever floor it’s on.
anyone that lives in a highrise please chime in, dont you think taking two elevators to get to your unit might be a hassle?
i thought the are just spreading the fireworks show from belmont to 31st so its not condensed into one spot i turn will cut down on police security and liability costs.
This building still stirs my heart every time I look at it.
“anyone that lives in a highrise please chime in, dont you think taking two elevators to get to your unit might be a hassle?”
Yes, it is. You have to add 5-7 minutes to your travel time just to get out of the building.
Which floors require taking two elevators?
“Which floors require taking two elevators?”
All of the residential floors which are 45 thru 96, I believe. The first elevator is an express to the 44th floor with one stop on 6 for parking.
I agree with you, Groove. Living in a highrise, I appreciate taking only one elevator. The Hancock and 100 E. Huron, off the top o my head, are two Chicago buildings that require two elevatora. That would bug me.
I was watching a show on cable about a mega highrise, I believe, in Dubai where they designed the elevator cabs to travel horizontally and vertically thereby eliminating the need to switch elevators. Pretty cool. Don’t know if it ever got built though.
Yeah, I was wondering if anyone was going to bring up the demographics of the building. I would imagine that it would change over time and there could be some opportunities created by families trying to sell in a hurry.
You can take a video tour of the Hancock, including the grocery and the fitness center, and walk through a high-floor 3-bedroom and see the views, at YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/streetervillerose#g/c/B7F3EEEBF99741E3
Question Is the residential parking the same entrance as the public (spiral drive up)
“aren’t they moving the fireworks?”
you don’t understand… you can see every fireworks display in chicagoland (including most of the burbs) AT THE SAME TIME from a high enough spot up. Its great, when I lived high up we happened to have a few clear July 4ths we were awestruck…
Also let me add that if you can rent a small private plane on July 4th at dusk and have a friend who’s a pilot, DO IT! (Guaranteed lay with your lady of choice lol)
There’s a part of me that would love to live this way. The views alone are worth the money. In my dreams, I’d have a 2nd in-town home on the 80th floor of this place.
Very sweet apartment-looks like it has no diagonals.
About the sign at the pool- I believe it was indeed aimed at the elders who have continence problems, as well as babies in diapers.
This is a chase to the bottom.
Already you can get 900sf one bedrooms with terraces on high floors closer to the loop with the Legacy now for 390k.
With this one’s higher assessments its not quite a deal vs the competition.
Grove,
yes on the parking
Still an icon! You could tell people that you live in the tallest residential building on earth. Wait no that is now in Dubai.
Agree that the assessments are much too high
the building has its panache
any thoughts on the 777 michigan ave condos?
“Agree that the assessments are much too high”
The assessments are not too high. This is an extremely well-managed building with some of the best amenities in the city. For a similar-sized unit two blocks north at 1000 N Lake Shore Dr, you can get the following for $223 MORE per month in assessments: craptastic eyesore of a building, 30 year old windows, no pool, no grocery store, no workout facility, no sauna, no party rooms, no restaurants. And you can’t say you live in the Hancock. There are many buildings in Chicago with higher assessments and far inferior amenities than 175 E Delaware.
http://www.redfin.com/IL/Chicago/1000-N-Lake-Shore-Dr-60611/unit-1506/home/14121760
The assessments are NOT too high.
You have a 24 hour doorman that actually does know each resident.
You have a REAL swimming pool. Its incredible. Its not just a short length lap pool. The common areas are really kept up. For pete’s sake, you have your own resident only grocery / conv. store.
And its a building from the 70’s.
The Hancock is a classy old dame.
Take a look at new construction like 600 N. Fairbanks. New one bedrooms have assessments in the high 300 – low 400.
If you are going to be in a quality building in Streetervile Gold Coast approaching the level of 600 Fairbanks, Water Tower, John Hancock, you really are looking at 400+ for assessments on a 1 bedroom
The Hancock is a good building, but if you are on a diagonal, you will hear loud creaking from the cables inside those beams. Also, they don’t allow pooches — I could sneak in our 12 lb little guy and use wee-wee pads, but the barking at the moon may give him away……
agreed w/ desteve about the diagonals. back about 5 years or so, we were looking at the hancock for a 1 bd/bath (ended up at lpt instead. talk about fireworks at the 4th from an east facing unit there!) and i would have gone w/ the hancock for exactly the same reasons that everyone mentioned (relatively low costs, height, prestige, classic chicago landmark building, amenities, etc) except at that time, the only units available were the diagonal units where a huge black beam runs right through your view.
btw, does anyone else see a deathstar on the horizon in the 4th pic of the real estate post?
The parking ramp of the building is quite possibly one of the scariest I’ve ever driven in. The ramp is on a very steep incline. If you live here you better not drive a manual transmission car!
It’s a horrible building. It’s a great building. Ah, the essence of crib chatter.
“you don’t understand… you can see every fireworks display in chicagoland (including most of t”
sonies, considering that I haven’t lived higher than a 3rd floor, your right! good point on being able to see everything but if they move it farther away I wouldn’t use the fireworks(expt for navy pier) as a selling point.
the views are awesome.
“You could tell people that you live in the tallest residential building on earth”
You could tell them that, but if they live in Chicago, they’ll probably (correctly) point out it isn’t even the tallest residential building in Chicago.
Answers and comments to a bunch of questions.
Parking: I don’t recall exact floors. The spiral goes into the 6th floor. There is resident only parking on maybe floor 4 and 5
(maybe just 5). I don’t recall. There is also resident parking mixed in with regular parking from 6 – 11 or 12. There are no assigned parking spots.
The spiral is pretty darn tight if you are not used to it. If you are used to it, its not problem and the building is very well managed so I can’t remember times when it was slick (maybe once in every couple of years) when there is insane weather. I personally drove a manual and had no problems.
As for while the spiral was so tight, there is a long story about how the private club next door refused to sell the land to the developer.
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Views:
The grocery store and pool and another sitting area, etc. are all on the 44th floor. The views are nice even from the 44th floor. Going north at the 44th floor, you are overlooking the Drake and see LSD bending its way up to Waveland.
Two Elevators: Yeah its not the greatest, but you get used it. I think it is less of a deal breaker than having valet parking for me personally. I do know that when I live in a mid-rise or high-rise, I do plan that it is going to take me 10 min to get / out of the building because I need to take elevators to get to the garage and then get to my car and out etc. But if I am in a SFH or little 8 unit condo building, I don’t think about it at all and just walk out of my unit to my garage and then away I go.
The bigger thing about living at the John Hancock is that you start to time your living around the tourists. Like you know that it will take you longer to get your car out to where you want to go on a Friday night or Saturdays because all the tourists are about and start crossing the street on left turn greens and contribute to snarling up traffic.
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Building creaking:
I agree that you hear the creaking more in a unit with a diagonal. To me though, it wasn’t a very loud sound at all and I think the insulation of being 45 floors and up is amazing. You don’t hear as much of the street traffic and noise as if you were just twenty floors up so the overall amount of noise is less.
I would say that the Hancock seems to move more than some other high-rise buildings. In a strong strong storm, you can feel the building sway a bit. Kinda of like being in your own cradle. A downside to this is that every couple of years you fix the cracks on your drywall that form.
chichow, can you get me into the grocery store? live very close and tired of walking all the way to treasure island
“all the tourists are about and start crossing the street on left turn greens and contribute to snarling up traffic.”
I avoid driving on Michigan Ave like the plague, this being one of the main reasons. I want to slap people that I see doing this.
The grocery store is pretty expensive. Isn’t there some pantry @200 E Delaware?
What you looking to get? There is the cheese and wine store closer to the triangle.
And @600 N. St. Clair, there is a White Hen???
As for getting you in, errr…probably not 🙁
The pantry at 200 E. Delaware is a great place to get half-pints, cigarettes, rolling papers, etc. if you are into that sort of thing. It really diminishes that building and keeps it from being first class (along with some other reasons, like crappy lobby).