Crib Chatter

Remember the 2000 movie What Women Want starring Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt?  It was filmed in Chicago and retains a distinct Chicago feel.

There are several scenes at Helen Hunt’s character’s luxury condo which, it turns out, isn’t a condo at all, but a Gold Coast mansion (figures… it is Hollywood.)

The house/condo appears in the second part of the movie,  specifically at the end,  when Mel’s character is trying to win back Helen.  He shows up at her condo and greets her up the swooping staircase.  I tried to find movie photographs of the scenes but these are the only ones I could find that were close.  You can’t see much of the room here though:

And here:

Notice, Helen’s hair is up in the scene where they’re fighting- and it’s down in the “make-up” scene at the end of the movie (where they are happily ever after.)  But I digress.

You too could live like Helen Hunt.

It is actually known as the J. Lewis Cochrane House, built in 1895 by George W. Maher, it’s an 8100 square foot, 6 bedroom, 5 bath Gold Coast historic home.  There is only one car garage but also a one car carport.

Sorry,  no pictures of the sweeping staircase (you’ll have to rent the movie.)  Or maybe that was a different house altogether, who knows.  But this room looks similar to those they showed in the film:

Looks like the interior could use a bit of updating however:

1521 N. State Parkway: 6 bedrooms, 5 baths, 5 fireplaces

• Currently listed at $5.9 million
• Rubloff has the listing