Before its annexation, Hyde Park was one of Chicago’s first suburbs. It had a railroad station at 53rd and Lake Park built in 1856, followed by a streetcar line that ran along its western border and down 55th street starting in 1869. Today it’s best known as the home of the University of Chicago and the future Barack Obama Presidential Center, and it has a great collection of historic residential designs. There is a little something for everyone here, with a wide variety of architectural styles ranging from Frank Lloyd Wright’s Robie House to Mies van der Rohe’s first skyscraper (the Promontory Apartments). You can even find striking new buildings like Studio Gang’s Solstice on the Park. But what’s for sale right now? Besides a Bertrand Goldberg design hitting the market for the first time in over two decades, Hyde Park has a number of interesting properties currently available.
5806 S Blackstone Ave, $1,930,000
Best known for the Marina City complex, architect Bertrand Goldberg designed only a handful of single-family residences during his 55-year career. Ralph and Rachel Helstein commissioned this unconventional modernist design, completed in 1951, that’s located at the back corner of a deep city lot. The four-bedroom, three-bathroom house sits on eight concrete pillars with glass walls opening to the south. The kitchen and bathrooms were all updated this past year, but some of Goldberg’s touches survive like a steel rod “floating” staircase and a two-story living space with an industrial-looking balcony. It’s now listed for sale at $1.9 million, quite a jump from when the home last sold in 2000 for $629,000.
5533 S Dorchester Ave, $945,000
Once upon a time George Beadle, Noble Prize-winning geneticist and former president of the University of Chicago, resided in this brick rowhouse that was built by architects Fraenkel & Schmidt in 1894. The interior received a midcentury modern makeover when architect Martin B. Schaffer added a dramatic spiral staircase. A kitchen rebuild by architect David Raino Ogden was done between 2006-09. While there are currently three bedrooms (plus two full bathrooms), the second floor den or library could be turned into an additional bedroom. The 2,170-square-foot home is currently listed for $945,000.
1153-55 E 56th St #4, $479,000
Architect Henry K. Holsman designed a number of handsome yet affordable apartment buildings across the neighborhood, mainly for the faculty at University of Chicago. The brick and stone exterior of this 1924 cooperative fits in perfectly with the nearby campus. Listed at $479,000, this top-floor five-bedroom, two-bathroom unit respectfully combined two separate apartments into one. Some modern touches include a new open kitchen with walk-in pantry and mudroom, as well as sleek new bathrooms. It looks over a communal outdoor space full of trees and a garden.
1321 E 56th St APT 12, $450,000
While a number of cooperatives sit close to the lakefront, the 14-story Tower Homes stands alone as the only tall structure on its block near the University of Chicago campus. Designed by architect Henry K. Holsman in 1929, there is only one unit per floor with unobstructed views of both Hyde Park and downtown Chicago. The three-bedroom, two-bathroom condo has hardwood floors and a wood-burning fireplace along with modern amenities like central air and in-unit laundry. For sale at $450,000, the $1,888 monthly HOA fees cover heat, water, gas, property taxes, and one parking space.
5410 S Dorchester Ave, $675,000
This Victorian on Dorchester (originally called Madison Avenue before it was changed in 1913) constructed around 1888-90 is a tangible reminder of Hyde Park’s early days as a streetcar suburb. I think the current sale price of $675,000 is a pretty good deal considering you get five bedrooms and three full bathrooms. The kitchen does likely need a makeover. Yet there are some cool vintage details still intact throughout the interior, plus an attached greenhouse at the rear. Not only do you enjoy plants year-round, but homeowners get the added benefit of passive solar heat.