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January 26, 2016 10:43 PM Subscribe
Austin Powers-style Chicago condo untouched since the 1970s hits the market. It's got a little touch of Ron Burgundy and Brian Fantana in there too. A steal at $158,000. The listing at Zillow.
The building comes with a Shabbat elevator! Thanks Rogers Park. I wonder what the $772/month HOA fees get you?
posted by Arbac at 11:26 PM on January 26, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by Arbac at 11:26 PM on January 26, 2016 [2 favorites]
oh jesus do i adore this
posted by PinkMoose at 11:30 PM on January 26, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by PinkMoose at 11:30 PM on January 26, 2016 [4 favorites]
Zillow didn't mention the residual smell of Virginia Slims and casserole.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 11:35 PM on January 26, 2016 [25 favorites]
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 11:35 PM on January 26, 2016 [25 favorites]
I don't know, I grew up in the 70s...the TV only gets 13 channels and cell phone reception is awful.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 11:37 PM on January 26, 2016 [10 favorites]
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 11:37 PM on January 26, 2016 [10 favorites]
Zillow didn't mention the residual smell of Virginia Slims and casserole.
I just told my friend that something about the pictures make me think this place smells bad.
I drive past this building every once in a while and I always get weird vibes. It's in a strange area and there is not a lot going on except for other apartment buildings on one side of the street, a branch of the river on the other and strip malls along the intersecting streets. That probably explains the price tag.
posted by dagosto at 11:39 PM on January 26, 2016 [7 favorites]
I just told my friend that something about the pictures make me think this place smells bad.
I drive past this building every once in a while and I always get weird vibes. It's in a strange area and there is not a lot going on except for other apartment buildings on one side of the street, a branch of the river on the other and strip malls along the intersecting streets. That probably explains the price tag.
posted by dagosto at 11:39 PM on January 26, 2016 [7 favorites]
Oh my. I want that metallic, zigzag wallpaper like I want my next breath.
And speaking as someone who just bought a house in Seattle: Christ, that's cheap.
posted by palmcorder_yajna at 11:39 PM on January 26, 2016 [6 favorites]
And speaking as someone who just bought a house in Seattle: Christ, that's cheap.
posted by palmcorder_yajna at 11:39 PM on January 26, 2016 [6 favorites]
Oh man I _love_ that green zig zag stripe bedroom.
My spouse would be less fond of it I'm sure.
posted by Mitheral at 11:40 PM on January 26, 2016 [1 favorite]
My spouse would be less fond of it I'm sure.
posted by Mitheral at 11:40 PM on January 26, 2016 [1 favorite]
In the virtual tour you can see the pile of cleaning supplies that they have tried so far.
posted by a dangerous ruin at 11:41 PM on January 26, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by a dangerous ruin at 11:41 PM on January 26, 2016 [3 favorites]
Someone really liked green.
posted by boilermonster at 12:02 AM on January 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by boilermonster at 12:02 AM on January 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
This is my dream house, and i'll never get to live in it :(
posted by emptythought at 12:14 AM on January 27, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by emptythought at 12:14 AM on January 27, 2016 [4 favorites]
It's not "Austin Powers", that was the sixties. This is like the clothes your parents wore in the seventies to try to be up to date. Like, Leisure suits. And it's plain gaudy. I don't mean seventies style was gaudy, I mean this example of it is. It's neat that it's an intact time capsule and all, but... Yuch.
posted by Rich Smorgasbord at 1:04 AM on January 27, 2016 [15 favorites]
posted by Rich Smorgasbord at 1:04 AM on January 27, 2016 [15 favorites]
Very handy for Kohl's. But seriously, how much for the circular green sofa?
posted by TWinbrook8 at 2:37 AM on January 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by TWinbrook8 at 2:37 AM on January 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
All of the related listings on Zillow are in the same complex, and it's interesting to see the various ages of updates. Most of them are generally current, but some of them still have mirrored walls and wood paneling. I know I saw a yellow stove in one of the kitchens.
posted by Metroid Baby at 3:45 AM on January 27, 2016
posted by Metroid Baby at 3:45 AM on January 27, 2016
Those shag carpets are new. I'd make sure to check for blood stains underneath - only semi joking. With a condo like that where the floors are that gorgeous, I'd want to know that they weren't damaged and hidden up by the realtor.
posted by Nanukthedog at 3:59 AM on January 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Nanukthedog at 3:59 AM on January 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
Leaving aside the appearance, the problem with penthouses is they often sell low because they're money pits and what might normally be a building problem in any other unit is always exclusively ÿour problem. I have an acquaintance who got a similar deal on a penthouse in Chicago years ago and they're still fixing stuff.
posted by lagomorphius at 4:10 AM on January 27, 2016
posted by lagomorphius at 4:10 AM on January 27, 2016
That's a crazy low price. If those rugs are from the era, you could make up half the purchase price just by selling those, and some of those pieces of furniture as well. Heck, could probably finance the entire place by selling off the furniture and fixtures if you found the right dealer.
My first thought for this place is someone (foreign most likely) bought it as an investment, paid an expensive decorator to do it up, and just never went there, ever.
That building though is hideous. Reminds me of the Grand Street buildings here on the lower east side of Manhattan, Shabbat elevators and all. Decent apartments, but the buildings hallways and common areas are very institutional, like a school or hospital or prison or something.
posted by newpotato at 4:22 AM on January 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
My first thought for this place is someone (foreign most likely) bought it as an investment, paid an expensive decorator to do it up, and just never went there, ever.
That building though is hideous. Reminds me of the Grand Street buildings here on the lower east side of Manhattan, Shabbat elevators and all. Decent apartments, but the buildings hallways and common areas are very institutional, like a school or hospital or prison or something.
posted by newpotato at 4:22 AM on January 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
Does the Bowl of Fruit trick (in the kitchen) work if the fruit in question is obviously fake?
posted by Huffy Puffy at 4:47 AM on January 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Huffy Puffy at 4:47 AM on January 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
I love the dining room chairs. Seriously. But the eat-in kitchen chairs remind me of watching Family Feud at my dad's Aunt Elaine's house, waiting for them to stop chatting about boring stuff.
posted by jenjenc at 4:58 AM on January 27, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by jenjenc at 4:58 AM on January 27, 2016 [4 favorites]
I lived through the 70s, and the decor is definitely over-the-top. It's like someone tried to recreate the era, and it came out as a caricature.
But we did have neighbors whose downstairs rec-room ("recreation room," not basement) had not-dissimilar furnishings, and relatives whose homes had mirrored wallpaper and the like. Friends of the family had velvet wallpaper in the dining room. We had velvet couches and chairs in the living room. Lots of matchy-matchy style. Nothing so all-encompassing as this.
But if the neighborhood is iffy, or something in the condo is damaged and now hidden, that's snow on a dunghill (with apologies to Langland and "Piers Plowman").
posted by datawrangler at 5:06 AM on January 27, 2016 [2 favorites]
But we did have neighbors whose downstairs rec-room ("recreation room," not basement) had not-dissimilar furnishings, and relatives whose homes had mirrored wallpaper and the like. Friends of the family had velvet wallpaper in the dining room. We had velvet couches and chairs in the living room. Lots of matchy-matchy style. Nothing so all-encompassing as this.
But if the neighborhood is iffy, or something in the condo is damaged and now hidden, that's snow on a dunghill (with apologies to Langland and "Piers Plowman").
posted by datawrangler at 5:06 AM on January 27, 2016 [2 favorites]
That price (and the nearby condo mentioned in the article) is way cheaper than I had understood Chicago prices to be. Is this in a bad area or something? Or are prices there just cheap for a big metro area?
I liked some of the green wallpaper but most of the patterns were terrible. It was gaudy then and gaudy now. The furniture alone must be worth something as a collection, though none of it looked like it was particularly nice.
I wonder how much of what we are seeing is authentically untouched and how much was added for the sale?
posted by Dip Flash at 5:07 AM on January 27, 2016
I liked some of the green wallpaper but most of the patterns were terrible. It was gaudy then and gaudy now. The furniture alone must be worth something as a collection, though none of it looked like it was particularly nice.
I wonder how much of what we are seeing is authentically untouched and how much was added for the sale?
posted by Dip Flash at 5:07 AM on January 27, 2016
Yup, pretty much period. Except for that white fridge. Was expecting avocado or harvest gold.
About 15 years ago, I had the opportunity to rent an alleged 3 bedroom house (one of the bedrooms was smaller than a prison cell. Once you got a twin bed into it, there was no room for anything else) that Mrs. Plinth and I took to calling "Chez Cheese". It had shag carpets that would stop any vacuum cleaner. It had avocado appliances in the kitchen. It had a free-standing fireplace not unlike this one. It was also too expensive, in a crappy neighborhood, had a pea gravel yard treatment complete with dead motorcycle, and a persistent aroma of old cigarettes, bong water, and Hai Karate.
posted by plinth at 5:12 AM on January 27, 2016 [3 favorites]
About 15 years ago, I had the opportunity to rent an alleged 3 bedroom house (one of the bedrooms was smaller than a prison cell. Once you got a twin bed into it, there was no room for anything else) that Mrs. Plinth and I took to calling "Chez Cheese". It had shag carpets that would stop any vacuum cleaner. It had avocado appliances in the kitchen. It had a free-standing fireplace not unlike this one. It was also too expensive, in a crappy neighborhood, had a pea gravel yard treatment complete with dead motorcycle, and a persistent aroma of old cigarettes, bong water, and Hai Karate.
posted by plinth at 5:12 AM on January 27, 2016 [3 favorites]
The one thing I found more amusing than anything was the old-school wall phone hanging on the wall in the bathroom by the toilet.
Come to think of it my current place also came with shag carpet, vinyl wallpaper and a mirrored wall in the bedroom when I bought it, but all that stuff left in a hurry. I regret painting the paneling in the living room, though.
posted by lagomorphius at 5:12 AM on January 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
Come to think of it my current place also came with shag carpet, vinyl wallpaper and a mirrored wall in the bedroom when I bought it, but all that stuff left in a hurry. I regret painting the paneling in the living room, though.
posted by lagomorphius at 5:12 AM on January 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
"That price (and the nearby condo mentioned in the article) is way cheaper than I had understood Chicago prices to be."
$84/square foot is DOWNSTATE prices. There's something wrong with it. Here's cost per square foot averages for Chicago condos.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 5:14 AM on January 27, 2016 [5 favorites]
$84/square foot is DOWNSTATE prices. There's something wrong with it. Here's cost per square foot averages for Chicago condos.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 5:14 AM on January 27, 2016 [5 favorites]
God Dammit. We need to start putting trigger warnings for the Daily Mail on these things...
posted by trif at 5:21 AM on January 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by trif at 5:21 AM on January 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
Neat! But I always wonder how these sorts of time-capsule residences manage to survive, untouched, for so many years. Land and housing are valuable assets, and you have to pay for taxes and (at least some basic) maintenance on them—why wouldn't an owner rent them out or sell them? newpotato's theory makes sense for this one, though.
Searching Google for "time capsule home" makes for some quality browsing. And there was that 50s home with the all-pink kitchen that was making the rounds a couple of years ago.
posted by escape from the potato planet at 5:24 AM on January 27, 2016
Searching Google for "time capsule home" makes for some quality browsing. And there was that 50s home with the all-pink kitchen that was making the rounds a couple of years ago.
posted by escape from the potato planet at 5:24 AM on January 27, 2016
I just told my friend that something about the pictures make me think this place smells bad.
For me, it's the Proustian sense of remembering this approximate kind of gaudy interior design from my childhood, and that commingling with the memory of what Wayne's World referred to as "soup whiff" -- going to a friend's house for the first time and being overpowered by weird food smells, as though they've been making soup all day. It doesn't seem like that's as much of a thing these days, now that everything is deodorized and air-freshened within an inch of it's life, but it's a major part of my early memories from the tail end of the '70s..
posted by Strange Interlude at 5:24 AM on January 27, 2016 [8 favorites]
For me, it's the Proustian sense of remembering this approximate kind of gaudy interior design from my childhood, and that commingling with the memory of what Wayne's World referred to as "soup whiff" -- going to a friend's house for the first time and being overpowered by weird food smells, as though they've been making soup all day. It doesn't seem like that's as much of a thing these days, now that everything is deodorized and air-freshened within an inch of it's life, but it's a major part of my early memories from the tail end of the '70s..
posted by Strange Interlude at 5:24 AM on January 27, 2016 [8 favorites]
That's a steal in Chicago, it must be in a bad neighborhood or a terrible building. That said, ill take it. It's wonderful in its hideousness.
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 5:30 AM on January 27, 2016
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 5:30 AM on January 27, 2016
Oh, and I'm sure it's just me being grumpy (as per usual), but: I get (ever so slightly) annoyed when journalists feel the need to explain things to me in terms of pop culture, as if we mouth-breathing plebes won't understand it unless they connect it to things we saw on the teevee. Here, it's Austin Powers. In every article about new research in quantum physics, the findings are compared to some fictional gadget from Star Trek. There are surely articles about self-driving cars which can't resist telling their readers "you know, like the car in Knight Rider". (And I'm speaking as a big ol' Trek nerd.)
Just me? Yeah? Okay. Fair enough.
(Then again, it's the Daily Mail—so I guess I should just be glad there's no overt goose-stepping in the article.)
Here's the 1950s house with the pink kitchen (previously).
posted by escape from the potato planet at 5:37 AM on January 27, 2016 [4 favorites]
Just me? Yeah? Okay. Fair enough.
(Then again, it's the Daily Mail—so I guess I should just be glad there's no overt goose-stepping in the article.)
Here's the 1950s house with the pink kitchen (previously).
posted by escape from the potato planet at 5:37 AM on January 27, 2016 [4 favorites]
40 years from now when I'm dead, people will sell my condo and point out that it has not been updated since the mid-aughts, and the kitchen is even older than that (the previous owner didn't do anything either).
posted by Melismata at 5:44 AM on January 27, 2016
posted by Melismata at 5:44 AM on January 27, 2016
As far as the location goes, it's pretty far out there - not in a bad neighborhood as far as I know, but right on the Lincolnwood border. If you work downtown and rely on public transit, it's far from an ideal location.
posted by Metroid Baby at 5:49 AM on January 27, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by Metroid Baby at 5:49 AM on January 27, 2016 [2 favorites]
So this story originated at Reddit in /r/chicago, where a user found the real estate listing on Zillow and posted it. WGN TV scrubs the board for interesting stories and interviewed the realtor on their morning show, and here we are.
One redditor believes the owners retired to Boca Raton and may have died recently. They probably have owned it since the building was constructed. The building is mostly occupied by Jewish senior citizens, which can be a turnoff for some I suppose. The HOA fees being the other turnoff. The more colorful nicknames for the building are in the Reddit thread and I won't repeat them here.
If you really want to slum around in cool 1970s interiors, might I suggest a virtual tour of the Johnson Publishing Offices?
posted by JoeZydeco at 5:51 AM on January 27, 2016 [7 favorites]
One redditor believes the owners retired to Boca Raton and may have died recently. They probably have owned it since the building was constructed. The building is mostly occupied by Jewish senior citizens, which can be a turnoff for some I suppose. The HOA fees being the other turnoff. The more colorful nicknames for the building are in the Reddit thread and I won't repeat them here.
If you really want to slum around in cool 1970s interiors, might I suggest a virtual tour of the Johnson Publishing Offices?
posted by JoeZydeco at 5:51 AM on January 27, 2016 [7 favorites]
Rely on public transit?
The person who lives in that place has, like, a designer edition Lincoln Mark IV.
posted by box at 5:55 AM on January 27, 2016 [4 favorites]
The person who lives in that place has, like, a designer edition Lincoln Mark IV.
posted by box at 5:55 AM on January 27, 2016 [4 favorites]
Living on the top floor of a 14-storey building, the Shabbat elevator would be a major annoyance one day a week, particularly if you weren't an observing Jew. The stairs would be faster.
posted by cardboard at 6:15 AM on January 27, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by cardboard at 6:15 AM on January 27, 2016 [2 favorites]
Having spent my earliest childhood in spaces like these, I normally feel a lizard-brain-deep reflexive shudder when confronted with them now - but that Peter Max meets Hokusai wallpaper is kind of spectacular.
posted by ryanshepard at 6:19 AM on January 27, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by ryanshepard at 6:19 AM on January 27, 2016 [2 favorites]
Ugh, that green. Big chunks of our house was painted the color of green in picture #9 from that Zillow listing.
posted by octothorpe at 6:31 AM on January 27, 2016
posted by octothorpe at 6:31 AM on January 27, 2016
> That price (and the nearby condo mentioned in the article) is way cheaper than I had understood Chicago prices to be. Is this in a bad area or something? Or are prices there just cheap for a big metro area?
We've been condo-shopping in the north part of Chicago recently, and Iknow more about this than you can possibly imagine can tell you that that price is in line for a 3br that neighborhood. There's a huge variability in Chicago condo prices, very much tied to the distance from downtown, the safety of the neighborhood, and the proximity of the lake.
The main reason for the low cost of this place is that it's pretty far northwest -- Touhy & Kedzie is about as far NW as you can go before crossing into the suburb of Skokie. It's a good 12mi or so from downtown Chicago; a commute to the Loop by public would take an hour.
As far as the area, it's a not a great neighborhood, though I wouldn't call it a bad one either; mostly just inconvenient and not "charming" in the way more expensive neighborhoods are. Like most of Chicago, West Rogers Park has seen a rise in gang violence & gun crime, but it's nowhere near as bad as it is, say, due east. You can see a crime map on the trulia listing.
So yeah, you can totally get a 3br for $200K in the more distant neighborhoods of Chicago. Closer in it can be two or three times that, and the HOA dues (for a similarly sized building) will also be higher, but even in the most expensive parts of town real estate in Chicago is much cheaper than it is in major cities on the coasts.
posted by Westringia F. at 6:35 AM on January 27, 2016 [8 favorites]
We've been condo-shopping in the north part of Chicago recently, and I
The main reason for the low cost of this place is that it's pretty far northwest -- Touhy & Kedzie is about as far NW as you can go before crossing into the suburb of Skokie. It's a good 12mi or so from downtown Chicago; a commute to the Loop by public would take an hour.
As far as the area, it's a not a great neighborhood, though I wouldn't call it a bad one either; mostly just inconvenient and not "charming" in the way more expensive neighborhoods are. Like most of Chicago, West Rogers Park has seen a rise in gang violence & gun crime, but it's nowhere near as bad as it is, say, due east. You can see a crime map on the trulia listing.
So yeah, you can totally get a 3br for $200K in the more distant neighborhoods of Chicago. Closer in it can be two or three times that, and the HOA dues (for a similarly sized building) will also be higher, but even in the most expensive parts of town real estate in Chicago is much cheaper than it is in major cities on the coasts.
posted by Westringia F. at 6:35 AM on January 27, 2016 [8 favorites]
$35 a month for indoor heated parking! That's the thing that stuck out most to me.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 6:37 AM on January 27, 2016
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 6:37 AM on January 27, 2016
When the Mr and I were house-hunting in Seattle, we bid on a house in North Beach that was frozen in the 50s. I think it sold for $570K.
posted by matildaben at 6:39 AM on January 27, 2016
posted by matildaben at 6:39 AM on January 27, 2016
I got vibes of Cronenberg's Shivers- perhaps the low low price is driven by a parasitic infestation that turns you into a 70's sex fiend.
posted by Esteemed Offendi at 6:46 AM on January 27, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by Esteemed Offendi at 6:46 AM on January 27, 2016 [2 favorites]
Touhy and Howard get pretty backed up in the morning, and it's pretry far from the interstate. I'd guess a commute to downtown would take closer to 1.5 hours or 2. Trains/bus would be similar or a little bit less. You could take the purple express from Howard.
It's quiet neighborhood and mostly Jewish. I'd be driven crazy by the elevator stopping on every floor on the weekends even if I think it is super respectful.
I think the area is nice, and have looked at way to many apartments in the area. The HOA fees being am additional 750 s month is a huge turn off.
posted by AlexiaSky at 6:50 AM on January 27, 2016
It's quiet neighborhood and mostly Jewish. I'd be driven crazy by the elevator stopping on every floor on the weekends even if I think it is super respectful.
I think the area is nice, and have looked at way to many apartments in the area. The HOA fees being am additional 750 s month is a huge turn off.
posted by AlexiaSky at 6:50 AM on January 27, 2016
I spotted a bottle of Chanel No5 eau de toilette dating probably from the 1980s. Also Opium and a few Lancome bottles, and a few others suggest Estee Lauder fragrances. Unless those bathrooms have no light at all and the residents like it chilly, the "perfume collection" is not a feature.
posted by monopas at 6:50 AM on January 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by monopas at 6:50 AM on January 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
> $84/square foot is DOWNSTATE prices. There's something wrong with it. Here's cost per square foot averages for Chicago condos.
Those are medians for condos in Chicago's most expensive neighborhoods, the ritzy ones right downtown -- sorta the Chicago equivalent of the Upper East Side or Midtown Manhattan. They're not really representative of Chicago as a whole.
posted by Westringia F. at 6:51 AM on January 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
Those are medians for condos in Chicago's most expensive neighborhoods, the ritzy ones right downtown -- sorta the Chicago equivalent of the Upper East Side or Midtown Manhattan. They're not really representative of Chicago as a whole.
posted by Westringia F. at 6:51 AM on January 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
I got vibes of Cronenberg's Shivers-
Yeah, I wouldn't advise using the pool if the building has one.
posted by Spatch at 6:55 AM on January 27, 2016 [2 favorites]
Yeah, I wouldn't advise using the pool if the building has one.
posted by Spatch at 6:55 AM on January 27, 2016 [2 favorites]
One of our Chicago MeFites should go play real condo shopper today and check it out in person and report back.
posted by COD at 7:07 AM on January 27, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by COD at 7:07 AM on January 27, 2016 [2 favorites]
From this picture, it looks like the old pool is filled in and being replaced.
posted by ZeusHumms at 7:10 AM on January 27, 2016
posted by ZeusHumms at 7:10 AM on January 27, 2016
I imagine the fridge and oven are original appliances, which unnerves me.
posted by ZeusHumms at 7:11 AM on January 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by ZeusHumms at 7:11 AM on January 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
Well, I hope Dr. & Mrs. Hartley enjoy their retirement.
posted by JanetLand at 7:17 AM on January 27, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by JanetLand at 7:17 AM on January 27, 2016 [3 favorites]
That price (and the nearby condo mentioned in the article) is way cheaper than I had understood Chicago prices to be.
The place is barely in Chicago and is miles from things you want to be near to. For a little more upfront money you can get a house in the bungalow belt with a nice yard if you are willing to live that far out and you will save money in the long run because you won't have the high HOA fees to maintain an old building.
posted by srboisvert at 7:17 AM on January 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
The place is barely in Chicago and is miles from things you want to be near to. For a little more upfront money you can get a house in the bungalow belt with a nice yard if you are willing to live that far out and you will save money in the long run because you won't have the high HOA fees to maintain an old building.
posted by srboisvert at 7:17 AM on January 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
Living up there is more like living in the suburbs, but with a Chicago address. It's in walking distance to Red Lobster. But that's good for property taxes, if you want the suburb vibe. But it's super close to one of the precious few Chicagoland Steak N Shakes, so there you go.
Looks like the commute to the Loop is an hour, but that's half bus and half Brown Line, either of which could be delayed by the same amount of time that you're supposed to be on it.
posted by hwyengr at 7:20 AM on January 27, 2016 [2 favorites]
Looks like the commute to the Loop is an hour, but that's half bus and half Brown Line, either of which could be delayed by the same amount of time that you're supposed to be on it.
posted by hwyengr at 7:20 AM on January 27, 2016 [2 favorites]
I am also digging the couch, maybe even in that color, though I imagine it smells to high heaven of smoke.
70s wallpaper was a hideous blight, and they put it everywhere, even the closet. Then added mirrors, so your eyes could never, ever escape it. Diabolical.
posted by emjaybee at 7:24 AM on January 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
70s wallpaper was a hideous blight, and they put it everywhere, even the closet. Then added mirrors, so your eyes could never, ever escape it. Diabolical.
posted by emjaybee at 7:24 AM on January 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
Not the place that you want to wake up in with a hangover.
posted by Splunge at 7:40 AM on January 27, 2016
posted by Splunge at 7:40 AM on January 27, 2016
Yeah, that area is like the armpit of Chicago. Anyone who wants to live in car-land next to Kohl's and Red Lobster and >1hr from the loop has about 200 suburbs to choose from. So it might not be a "bad" neighborhood, but it's definitely a BAD NEIGHBORHOOD.
posted by gueneverey at 7:43 AM on January 27, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by gueneverey at 7:43 AM on January 27, 2016 [2 favorites]
I used to live in West Rogers Park and I have a hard time believing any public transit commute estimate of only an hour. 1:15 was a good commute for me, and days when the weather was bad or the train-bus transfer timing was off for whatever reason were more like 1:30. Once in a while you'd have apocalyptic 2 hour commutes. At least I had a large single family bungalow with a great yard. I miss that house so much, but not the commute.
Just had to echo others that this area is not typical Chicago neighborhood density. It's not really walkable; it's a very car-centric area save for the sculpture garden and bike/ped path along McCormick.
There's a condo for sale (not as, uh, "unique" and only a 2 br but still) on my street in a much more typical Chicago neighborhood of Humboldt Park for the same price. The crime is probably worse here but you're 1 block from a huge amazing park and 3 blocks from a quickly gentrifying walkable neighborhood and only 30-40 min bus ride to downtown. Chicago prices vary so much by neighborhood that any city-wide statistics are basically useless.
posted by misskaz at 7:49 AM on January 27, 2016 [3 favorites]
Just had to echo others that this area is not typical Chicago neighborhood density. It's not really walkable; it's a very car-centric area save for the sculpture garden and bike/ped path along McCormick.
There's a condo for sale (not as, uh, "unique" and only a 2 br but still) on my street in a much more typical Chicago neighborhood of Humboldt Park for the same price. The crime is probably worse here but you're 1 block from a huge amazing park and 3 blocks from a quickly gentrifying walkable neighborhood and only 30-40 min bus ride to downtown. Chicago prices vary so much by neighborhood that any city-wide statistics are basically useless.
posted by misskaz at 7:49 AM on January 27, 2016 [3 favorites]
Is a bathroom telephone standard in all 1970s condos? I see one in each bathroom here.
posted by stillmoving at 8:12 AM on January 27, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by stillmoving at 8:12 AM on January 27, 2016 [2 favorites]
My parents have pretty much the same bathroom wallpaper, only in scarlet and gold, in their house that they moved into around 1978. I love it. The rest of the house has been redone several times since then.
Actually, I'm so used to that wallpaper that it's possible that they have redone the bathroom and I didn't notice on my last visit.
posted by moonmilk at 8:15 AM on January 27, 2016
Actually, I'm so used to that wallpaper that it's possible that they have redone the bathroom and I didn't notice on my last visit.
posted by moonmilk at 8:15 AM on January 27, 2016
Oh that lime-green bathroom wallpaper or tile or whatever it is with the shell designs makes me think of late Truman Capote and Andy Warhol and poppers and Rupert Holmes singing "Him" and sordid details following ...... Lord have mercy.
posted by blucevalo at 8:15 AM on January 27, 2016
posted by blucevalo at 8:15 AM on January 27, 2016
Imagine what "retro" home listings will be like in 2060. Concrete countertops! Gas stoves! Bamboo floors! Martha Stewart "Eggshell" paint!
posted by gottabefunky at 8:26 AM on January 27, 2016 [6 favorites]
posted by gottabefunky at 8:26 AM on January 27, 2016 [6 favorites]
Martha Stewart "Eggshell" paint!
All the contemporary condos I see have at least one room that's painted maroon or burgundy, and a sage bathroom. They seem to be the super-trendy wall colors right now. It's weird to think that soon that will look dated (though not as dated as this condo, I think)
posted by chonus at 8:43 AM on January 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
All the contemporary condos I see have at least one room that's painted maroon or burgundy, and a sage bathroom. They seem to be the super-trendy wall colors right now. It's weird to think that soon that will look dated (though not as dated as this condo, I think)
posted by chonus at 8:43 AM on January 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
I work for an estate attorney, and quite often we go to visit elderly clients to witness their will execution.
You wanna see time capsules, visit an elderly client to witness his or her will execution.
posted by Lucinda at 8:47 AM on January 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
You wanna see time capsules, visit an elderly client to witness his or her will execution.
posted by Lucinda at 8:47 AM on January 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
It's like somebody took my late grandparents' house in Conroe, TX and forced it into a condo in West Ridge.
posted by Navelgazer at 8:47 AM on January 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Navelgazer at 8:47 AM on January 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
For all its shortcomings wrt walkability & proximity to downtown, there are other benefits to the area that it that will make it more attractive to some people -- older folks, people looking for a Jewish community, &c.
One important reason people might choose to live there instead of any of the other places that are just as distant from downtown is that it's within the boundaries of the Chicago Eruv, a ritual area within which orthodox Jews consider it permissible to carry objects (like keys or canes or babies) outside the home on Shabbat or Yom Kippur. As far as I am aware, the West Rogers Park eruv is the only eruv within the Chicago city limits (Skokie also has one).
All of which is to say that for a Jew who observes the prohibition of carrying on Shabbat, what constitutes a "walkable" neighborhood may be very different from what you might imagine. My highly walkable neighborhood would feel a lot less walkable if I couldn't leave my house every Saturday....
posted by Westringia F. at 8:59 AM on January 27, 2016 [11 favorites]
One important reason people might choose to live there instead of any of the other places that are just as distant from downtown is that it's within the boundaries of the Chicago Eruv, a ritual area within which orthodox Jews consider it permissible to carry objects (like keys or canes or babies) outside the home on Shabbat or Yom Kippur. As far as I am aware, the West Rogers Park eruv is the only eruv within the Chicago city limits (Skokie also has one).
All of which is to say that for a Jew who observes the prohibition of carrying on Shabbat, what constitutes a "walkable" neighborhood may be very different from what you might imagine. My highly walkable neighborhood would feel a lot less walkable if I couldn't leave my house every Saturday....
posted by Westringia F. at 8:59 AM on January 27, 2016 [11 favorites]
(To be clear about that last bit: I don't live in an Eruv & am not Orthodox; what I mean is that if I were, the neighborhoods I like for their walkability would not seem as attractive, so I can see why someone might live there.)
posted by Westringia F. at 9:07 AM on January 27, 2016
posted by Westringia F. at 9:07 AM on January 27, 2016
Is a bathroom telephone standard in all 1970s condos? I see one in each bathroom here.
That's the one feature that I dwelt upon longest here. 1972 is before the breakup of Ma Bell. Those would have to be leased phones, and they could still be under lease.
Unless they were installed after 1984, at which point it became legal to own your own phone and run your own line. At that moment, every room my mother ever spent any time in suddenly needed a phone, including the bathroom.
posted by rlk at 9:28 AM on January 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
That's the one feature that I dwelt upon longest here. 1972 is before the breakup of Ma Bell. Those would have to be leased phones, and they could still be under lease.
Unless they were installed after 1984, at which point it became legal to own your own phone and run your own line. At that moment, every room my mother ever spent any time in suddenly needed a phone, including the bathroom.
posted by rlk at 9:28 AM on January 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
I came to this thread for the wallpaper snark, but I stayed for the growing miscellany of Jewish ritual observance stuff I had no idea was a thing.
posted by brennen at 9:47 AM on January 27, 2016 [6 favorites]
posted by brennen at 9:47 AM on January 27, 2016 [6 favorites]
It's like Alana Bloom's wrap dresses broke out of the closet and are taking over the world.
I just told my friend that something about the pictures make me think this place smells bad.
Uh, yeah, the fact that it's from the 70s is what makes you think that. People don't realize that in the 70s EVERYTHING smelled of cigarettes and beer, with a base note of stainless steel.
posted by tel3path at 9:58 AM on January 27, 2016 [4 favorites]
I just told my friend that something about the pictures make me think this place smells bad.
Uh, yeah, the fact that it's from the 70s is what makes you think that. People don't realize that in the 70s EVERYTHING smelled of cigarettes and beer, with a base note of stainless steel.
posted by tel3path at 9:58 AM on January 27, 2016 [4 favorites]
As someone who grew up in the 70's and thinks this place is AWESOME (my teenage bedroom had orange shag carpet and striped wallpaper), I'm stunned the kitchen appliances are white. I thought there was a law declaring all appliances sold in the 70's had to be either Avocado Green or Harvest Gold.
posted by bawanaal at 10:01 AM on January 27, 2016
posted by bawanaal at 10:01 AM on January 27, 2016
I stayed for the growing miscellany of Jewish ritual observance stuff I had no idea was a thing.
There's a whole rabbit hole you can go down when exploring the world of Kosher appliances.
posted by JoeZydeco at 10:14 AM on January 27, 2016 [4 favorites]
There's a whole rabbit hole you can go down when exploring the world of Kosher appliances.
posted by JoeZydeco at 10:14 AM on January 27, 2016 [4 favorites]
Eyebrows McGee: "$84/square foot is DOWNSTATE prices. There's something wrong with it."
Something besides the condo fees being more than the mortgage?
posted by Mitheral at 10:49 AM on January 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
Something besides the condo fees being more than the mortgage?
posted by Mitheral at 10:49 AM on January 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
So yeah, you can totally get a 3br for $200K in the more distant neighborhoods of Chicago.
Yeah, Chicago is incredibly affordable if you're cool not living in a popular place. Little Village, where I live on the lower west side, a 30-45 minute transit on the Pink Line away from the Loop, has a ton of buildings (whole buildings, not condos) in the sub-$200K range. You can get a 3 flat of 2-3BR plus a coach house for about $150K. The only downside is you're in Little Village.
posted by phunniemee at 11:31 AM on January 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
Yeah, Chicago is incredibly affordable if you're cool not living in a popular place. Little Village, where I live on the lower west side, a 30-45 minute transit on the Pink Line away from the Loop, has a ton of buildings (whole buildings, not condos) in the sub-$200K range. You can get a 3 flat of 2-3BR plus a coach house for about $150K. The only downside is you're in Little Village.
posted by phunniemee at 11:31 AM on January 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
Westringia F.: As far as I am aware, the West Rogers Park eruv is the only eruv within the Chicago city limits (Skokie also has one).
There is also a Lakefront Eruv bounded by Fullerton, Ashland, Irving Park, and the lake. They've got a twitter account so you can check the status of the eruv.
posted by Arbac at 11:59 AM on January 27, 2016 [2 favorites]
There is also a Lakefront Eruv bounded by Fullerton, Ashland, Irving Park, and the lake. They've got a twitter account so you can check the status of the eruv.
posted by Arbac at 11:59 AM on January 27, 2016 [2 favorites]
I used to live in WRP and most of the neighborhood (at least the parts I and my friends lived in and hung out around) seems to be single-family homes or duplexes, with occasional small apartment buildings; this sort of high-rise building is generally rare, and we saw these buildings only in passing.
posted by Halloween Jack at 12:20 PM on January 27, 2016
posted by Halloween Jack at 12:20 PM on January 27, 2016
The furniture alone must be worth something as a collection, though none of it looked like it was particularly nice.
I saw this on the Retro Renovation facebook post about the listing: "There is a lot of 1970s iconic furniture in here Milo Baughman for Thayer Coggin, Jack Lenor Larsen fabrics, Paul Evans Cityscape for Directional furniture, Paul Evans Studio. The coffee table alone in the tortoiseshell den, is an ~$10,000 retail item to collectors right now."
posted by belladonna at 1:01 PM on January 27, 2016 [2 favorites]
I saw this on the Retro Renovation facebook post about the listing: "There is a lot of 1970s iconic furniture in here Milo Baughman for Thayer Coggin, Jack Lenor Larsen fabrics, Paul Evans Cityscape for Directional furniture, Paul Evans Studio. The coffee table alone in the tortoiseshell den, is an ~$10,000 retail item to collectors right now."
posted by belladonna at 1:01 PM on January 27, 2016 [2 favorites]
So this story originated at Reddit in /r/chicago, where a user found the real estate listing on Zillow and posted it.
Um, 5 different friends of mine posted it on Facebook the day before it hit Reddit. When I first looked at it then, the Zillow page had already had 1100 views.
posted by conic at 2:04 PM on January 27, 2016
Um, 5 different friends of mine posted it on Facebook the day before it hit Reddit. When I first looked at it then, the Zillow page had already had 1100 views.
posted by conic at 2:04 PM on January 27, 2016
On the price front - the PITI (Principal, Interest, Property Tax, Insurance) for this condo is only on the order of about $1000/mo at the moment. So $750/mo in HOA dues is damn near cutting your buying power in half. It's cheap, yes, but it's cheap like an old luxury car.
posted by wotsac at 5:59 PM on January 27, 2016
posted by wotsac at 5:59 PM on January 27, 2016
That's a nice couch, but it's no replacement for a conversation pit.
posted by ckape at 6:39 PM on January 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by ckape at 6:39 PM on January 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
Speaking of Retro Renovation this time capsule house is my all-time favorite.
posted by lagomorphius at 7:33 PM on January 27, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by lagomorphius at 7:33 PM on January 27, 2016 [2 favorites]
One important reason people might choose to live there instead of any of the other places that are just as distant from downtown is that it's within the boundaries of the Chicago Eruv, a ritual area within which orthodox Jews consider it permissible to carry objects (like keys or canes or babies) outside the home on Shabbat or Yom Kippur.
My grandma (dad's mom) lived in this neighborhood (just about a mile from this particular building, in fact, on Pratt & California). We used to visit her frequently, so I'm pretty familiar with this area. The area (at least at that time) was very heavily Jewish, and there's a large Hasidic population. There's a synagogue on almost every block within the eruv. This page has a lot of photos of the eruv portals and other eruv border markings (wires atop streetlights, etc.)
As for the condo itself: I covet the big green couch! And my grandma had a shelving unit very similar to the one pictured in the bedroom. (Heck, for all I know, that could actually be her old unit - it's not inconceivable that the current owner of that condo bought it at the estate sale after my grandma passed away in 1999.)
Oh wow, now I'm going down the nostalgia rabbit hole. : )
posted by SisterHavana at 10:23 PM on January 27, 2016 [3 favorites]
My grandma (dad's mom) lived in this neighborhood (just about a mile from this particular building, in fact, on Pratt & California). We used to visit her frequently, so I'm pretty familiar with this area. The area (at least at that time) was very heavily Jewish, and there's a large Hasidic population. There's a synagogue on almost every block within the eruv. This page has a lot of photos of the eruv portals and other eruv border markings (wires atop streetlights, etc.)
As for the condo itself: I covet the big green couch! And my grandma had a shelving unit very similar to the one pictured in the bedroom. (Heck, for all I know, that could actually be her old unit - it's not inconceivable that the current owner of that condo bought it at the estate sale after my grandma passed away in 1999.)
Oh wow, now I'm going down the nostalgia rabbit hole. : )
posted by SisterHavana at 10:23 PM on January 27, 2016 [3 favorites]
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There's probably enough residual cocaine in the couch to vacuum out and sell to break even.
posted by a lungful of dragon at 11:25 PM on January 26, 2016 [25 favorites]