Edison Park, like neighbor Norwood Park, was settled in the 1830s, given a rail line in the early 1850s, experienced its first major growth spurt in 1870s following the Great Fire, and was inevitably scarfed up by the city of Chicago. It held on as a verdant transit suburb until 1910, and retains much of that character today.

With good public and private schools and an easy commute downtown, families hang on to their footholds through the generations. When they finally do sell, the modest single-family housing stock rarely fetches a runaway price. There hasn’t ever been a million-dollar sale in Edison Park, and 2006 was the last time anything cleared $900,000.

Today’s featured property could be the first in a while. Newly on the market for $919,000, it’s a rebuilt and reinvigorated American Foursquare from 1914, with four bedrooms, two full and two half baths, and an extra wide lot. The sellers have lived here since 1996. After considering a $625,000 sale in 2009, they took the home off the market and embarked on a year-and-a-half transformation.

“People were a little hesitant to put down money on houses out here during the recession,” says @properties listing agent Jack Finneke. “The sellers saw themselves sticking with neighborhood a while longer and wanted a more luxurious environment.”

Before the recent work, the gracious front porch used to be enclosed. The back porch is new, as is the master bedroom balcony with pergola. The owners also added a no koi pond and brick patio out back, as well as a wet bar, inset lighting, and Jacuzzi.

An all-new kitchen and family room combine as a great room in the back half of the main floor, just behind a showy dining room and elegant front living area with plantation shutters and a fireplace. Beyond the remixed living spaces, inside and out, the basement has been finished with a recreation space.

Want to comparison shop the Northwest Side? There’s one more Edison Park listing in this league: a similarly sized new-build asking $799,000 on the Park Ridge border. Old Norwood Park has a number of 19^th Century Victorians that have benefited from sensitive renovation (see here and here). And Forest Glen offers a chance to stretch your $900,000 to 4,800 square feet near Forest Preserve.

“At this price point, it’s expected you’re going to do a lot of homework,” says Finneke.