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| Hey George -- here's a nice property for sale in your neighborhood.. | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: May 29 2011, 11:16 AM (819 Views) | |
| ivorythumper | May 29 2011, 11:16 AM Post #1 |
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I am so adjective that I verb nouns!
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Iconic FLlW. |
| The dogma lives loudly within me. | |
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| George K | May 29 2011, 12:31 PM Post #2 |
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Finally
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I've been in the Coonley House. It's pretty typical FLW, with all the charm and all of the drawbacks. It is a huge building, and really comprises two residences. They are completely separated and, for all practical purposes, it's like a townhouse (two homes in one structure). I may be wrong, but only one of the residences is for sale. Wright built several structure for the Coonleys at that time. One was a servant's residence, another was a "playhouse" that was used for staging plays and the like. Both of those have been turned into private residences. The Coonley "playhouse", as you might imagine, is, er, interesting on the inside. It has a large living area, with an elevated area to the north that was the stage. It is currently the dining room. Kitchen and (I think) two bedrooms are in the wings of the stage. An anesthesiologist from a local university used to live there. He was a colorful sort. The playhouse is noted for its wonderful window designs, but the structure is not all that fancy: Another view here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/chicagogeek/2605743737/ Here's a shot of the servant's quarters: http://www.flickr.com/photos/josepha/3556972473/ When I worked at the university (no, not the one I mentioned earlier), one of the surgeons owned the Tomek House. Once again, nice to look at, but a nightmare to maintain. The roof was always leaking and the windows were a horror. Also very leaky. This place was about a block from where I used to live - I could see it from my deck.A bit off topic, but when we were looking for our second home, we came *this close* to buying this place. http://www.flickr.com/photos/josepha/3560498064/in/photostream/ It needed a ton of work, and somehow the dirt floor in the basement put us off a bit. Edited by George K, May 29 2011, 12:35 PM.
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A guide to GKSR: Click "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08 Nothing is as effective as homeopathy. I'd rather listen to an hour of Abba than an hour of The Beatles. - Klaus, 4/29/18 | |
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| George K | May 29 2011, 12:33 PM Post #3 |
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Finally
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More, better pics of the Coonley House here: http://www.thefranklloydwrighttour.com/apps/blog/show/6992213-avery-coonley-house-frank-lloyd-wright-1908 |
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A guide to GKSR: Click "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08 Nothing is as effective as homeopathy. I'd rather listen to an hour of Abba than an hour of The Beatles. - Klaus, 4/29/18 | |
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| brenda | May 29 2011, 01:28 PM Post #4 |
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Love the pics of the FLW homes. Not my particular style, but I enjoy seeing these. George, that was quite the home to pass up years ago. It sounds like it was not in great shape at that time, but the current pics look good. |
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“Weeds are flowers, too, once you get to know them.” ~A.A. Milne | |
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| Steve Miller | May 29 2011, 01:48 PM Post #5 |
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Bull-Carp
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Very nice! Zillow shows it listed at approx 3X market value. Should be interesting to see what it finally sells for. |
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Wag more Bark less | |
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| ivorythumper | May 29 2011, 02:05 PM Post #6 |
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I am so adjective that I verb nouns!
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A 6000 SF home on an acre in Riverside overlooking the Des Plaines River, designed by Wright -- why do you think that is more like a $1M property? Back in the 80s a Wright table and chairs went for almost $600K, and a dresser for over $250K. |
| The dogma lives loudly within me. | |
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| George K | May 29 2011, 02:10 PM Post #7 |
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Finally
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Obviously, there's a premium to be paid for living in a FLW home - if you're that kind of person (I'm not). I don't know if this house is considered a "historic home" but there are certainly tax benefits to be gained by owning one. I was approached about having my former home listed as "historic". Since the town I live in is a National Historical District, I could "donate" my home (to I forget whom), and claim it as a charitable contribution. My house was built in 1921 and would qualify. I don't remember the details of how much you could deduct, or over what timespan, but it was a chunk - a HUGE chunk. I asked my accountant about it and he said it was all legit. THe problem was that any improvements to the house (other than decorative) would have to be approved, and when I sold it, it would be a PITA. Brenda, the house looked exactly the same when we looked at it in 1984. Same color, etc. That street (Scottswood Road, named after Gen. Winfield Scott who camped there in the Civil War) has some huge beautiful Here's a link to the Google Streetview for that house. You should take a walk down Scottswood - you'd like it: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=10+E+Burlington+St,+Riverside,+Illinois+60546&ll=41.824405,-87.823505&spn=0.01679,0.024505&z=16&layer=c&cbll=41.824516,-87.823877&panoid=OBXPC5yBwKsnbb2GYGwLQg&cbp=12,6.73,,0,17.18 The Google Streetview doesn't show much of the Coonley house. |
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A guide to GKSR: Click "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08 Nothing is as effective as homeopathy. I'd rather listen to an hour of Abba than an hour of The Beatles. - Klaus, 4/29/18 | |
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| George K | May 29 2011, 02:22 PM Post #8 |
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Finally
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The Tomek House (the one owned by the surgeon I mentioned), from the WSJ in 2001:
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A guide to GKSR: Click "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08 Nothing is as effective as homeopathy. I'd rather listen to an hour of Abba than an hour of The Beatles. - Klaus, 4/29/18 | |
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| George K | May 29 2011, 02:37 PM Post #9 |
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Finally
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AHA! The other residence is for sale as well: http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/300-Scottswood-Rd_Riverside_IL_60546_M81625-05396 |
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A guide to GKSR: Click "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08 Nothing is as effective as homeopathy. I'd rather listen to an hour of Abba than an hour of The Beatles. - Klaus, 4/29/18 | |
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| brenda | May 29 2011, 04:02 PM Post #10 |
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Lovely streetscape, George. The boulevard between the streets is like having a park outside your front door. I'm afraid that neighborhood is too spendy for our family, but we have something almost as wonderful that's plenty for us. |
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“Weeds are flowers, too, once you get to know them.” ~A.A. Milne | |
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| Horace | May 29 2011, 04:04 PM Post #11 |
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HOLY CARP!!!
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Pretty remarkable that one could own a FLW home for 3 mil. I would have expected more of a premium. |
| As a good person, I implore you to do as I, a good person, do. Be good. Do NOT be bad. If you see bad, end bad. End it in yourself, and end it in others. By any means necessary, the good must conquer the bad. Good people know this. Do you know this? Are you good? | |
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| George K | May 29 2011, 04:11 PM Post #12 |
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Finally
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Just to show you what's happening in the housing market, the Tomek house, which sold for $950K in 2001 has a Zillow estimate (and they tend to run high) at $765K. Wouldja like to be my neighbor?
Edited by George K, May 29 2011, 04:12 PM.
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A guide to GKSR: Click "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08 Nothing is as effective as homeopathy. I'd rather listen to an hour of Abba than an hour of The Beatles. - Klaus, 4/29/18 | |
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| Horace | May 29 2011, 04:24 PM Post #13 |
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HOLY CARP!!!
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Cheddar Shack style neighbor, or Illinois (FISH bowl?) style neighbor? I think that's a difference of a mile distance or so... I'd probably like either one come to think of it. |
| As a good person, I implore you to do as I, a good person, do. Be good. Do NOT be bad. If you see bad, end bad. End it in yourself, and end it in others. By any means necessary, the good must conquer the bad. Good people know this. Do you know this? Are you good? | |
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| Optimistic | May 29 2011, 04:54 PM Post #14 |
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HOLY CARP!!!
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That house is BEAUTIFUL! The porch design is fancier than I´d prefer, but the size of it is great, and that house color (red) is my absolute favorite. |
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PHOTOS I must have a prodigious quantity of mind; it takes me as much as a week, sometimes, to make it up. - Mark Twain We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time. -T. S. Eliot | |
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| Steve Miller | May 29 2011, 09:27 PM Post #15 |
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Bull-Carp
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I don't know anything about it. My comment is based on the Zillow estimate included in the first link. Even so, at the listing price the Wright home is valued at some 10X the average in that zip code. Is it worth that? Dunno - maybe to the right buyer but it seems like a stretch. There are a number of downsides to a house like that - not the least of which is the historic status and the difficulty involved in making any upgrades. Any sort of repair is going to be a PITA and the house is old enough to need plenty of them even without the wood rot that comes part-and-parcel with Wright homes. The wiring and plumbing are ancient, the heating system geriatric, everything is weird/custom, and the finishes are both exotic and rare. Going by the bathroom picture picture 13 I'd say that at least some of the upgrade work already performed is not sympathetic to the original design. All of these challenges can be met but it will take plenty of $ and no shortage of time. On an artistic basis, its certainly worth restoring. On a financial basis, particularly at the listing price, I suspect it will sit on the market for a while. |
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Wag more Bark less | |
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| Steve Miller | May 29 2011, 09:37 PM Post #16 |
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Bull-Carp
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If you like Wright architecture, this website offers a nice overview of his life's work all in one place: http://a4atriangletours.com/wright.htm |
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Wag more Bark less | |
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| ivorythumper | May 29 2011, 09:45 PM Post #17 |
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I am so adjective that I verb nouns!
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I assume that people who buy Wright homes probably know what they are getting into, and do so as hobbyists and aficionados rather than for the sake of investments. A buddy of mine owns a Greene & Greene in Pasadena, and he loves restoring it. |
| The dogma lives loudly within me. | |
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| Steve Miller | May 29 2011, 09:54 PM Post #18 |
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Bull-Carp
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Love Greene and Greene stuff and have toured the Gamble house twice. Got any photos of your buddy's place? |
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Wag more Bark less | |
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| ivorythumper | May 29 2011, 10:04 PM Post #19 |
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I am so adjective that I verb nouns!
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It doesn't show up on Google street view -- it's on Grand just north of Holly. |
| The dogma lives loudly within me. | |
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| George K | May 30 2011, 04:55 AM Post #20 |
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Finally
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As Maya Moran said in the WSJ article above:
I knew Maya. It was a constant struggle with the house. There was, as you say, Steve, always something. |
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A guide to GKSR: Click "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08 Nothing is as effective as homeopathy. I'd rather listen to an hour of Abba than an hour of The Beatles. - Klaus, 4/29/18 | |
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| bachophile | May 30 2011, 07:55 AM Post #21 |
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HOLY CARP!!!
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![]() nice wine room. |
| "I don't know much about classical music. For years I thought the Goldberg Variations were something Mr. and Mrs. Goldberg did on their wedding night." Woody Allen | |
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| plays88keys | May 30 2011, 08:39 AM Post #22 |
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Pisa-Carp
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I think the biggest disappointment of my life has been not realizing my dream of living in a historic home; it's something I've yearned for since my 20s, when I was lucky enough to live in a beautiful Victorian townhouse for several years. The photos of that house you almost bought really tug at my heart, George. |
| You can never get enough of what you don't need to make you happy. | |
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Once again, nice to look at, but a nightmare to maintain. The roof was always leaking and the windows were a horror. Also very leaky. This place was about a block from where I used to live - I could see it from my deck.



11:28 AM Jul 11