Prairie Avenue has a rich history in Chicago. Once the home to many of the city’s wealthy civic and style leaders, the street fell on hard times in the 20th Century when only a remnant of its glory days remained in a handful of grand houses.
Today Prairie Avenue is part of the South Loop’s 21st Century residential renaissance. New construction residences and conversions are crowding the neighborhood around those preserved from the past.
Developments are incorporating the street’s fabled name–and the cache of its past–to attract a new generation of buyers.
One of those is Prairie House at Central Station, a development of six townhouses as well as 187 condominiums in a 14-story building.
The development is several blocks from the historic district and is on a segment of Prairie Avenue that is tucked away in a neighborhood of Central Station townhouses in the vicinity of the home of Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley.
One of the attractions is its location. It is a mid-rise building in a quiet side street in an established low-rise residential area.
It is the tallest building in this locale and is at some distance from the cluster of high-rise buildings nearer Central Station’s north end.
Open land, some of which is designated as a park, borders it on the south. Railroad tracks separate the development from Lake Shore Drive on the east, although sales manager Kay Varga says there are plans for the tracks to be covered with a greenway at some future date.
The six townhouses face Prairie Avenue and are in front of the long leg of the L-shaped condo building. To the developer’s credit, the townhouse garages are entered at the rear. The garage doors are opposite the entrance to the four-level indoor garage of the condo building.
While hiding the garages is admirable, the configuration also means those approaching the building must walk or drive a short way back from the street.
The traffic pattern probably works well for motorists, but can be confusing to first time visitors looking for the building entrance.
When it opened in early 2003, the condo boasted 50 different floor plans among the 187 condo units. Although more than 75 percent of the units now are sold, the remaining 40-plus units, mostly with two and three bedrooms, offer 25 floor plans.
While variety and individuality are to be desired in a living space, this is a development where serious shoppers will have to spend some time to find the unit with the right fit. Two townhouses also are for sale.
Every condo unit has a deck or terrace, some have both. The units on the north side of the building facing Grant Park and the city’s skyline have terraces contributing to a unique stairstep appearance.
Those for whom outside space is a primary consideration would do well to visit different units and consider options carefully, however.
The terrace sizes vary. Some on the lower floors are generous; one that I saw on a prime high floor would provide very limited sitting space but had some area for plantings in the terraced wall.
Because of its higher elevation in its low-rise immediate area, one of the charms of the building are the views of Central Station and the resurgent South Loop–from a distance.
The two-bedroom, two-bathroom unit used as a sales office on the southeast corner of the building is a case in point. Here, the visitor gazes over open green space, railway tracks and Lake Shore Drive with Lake Michigan and McCormick Place in the distance. This is not the traditional urban skyline, but it is one with some space and sky.
The 1,515-square-foot furnished model faces east toward Lake Shore Drive and the newly renovated SoldierField. Despite the controversy surrounding the project, proximity to the home stadium for the Chicago Bears has neither helped nor hindered sales, according to Varga.
She says the neighborhood is little affected by game day traffic “because the fans have to cross at Roosevelt or 18th Street” and because the Bears home game season is only about 10 Sundays a year.
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“The good news about the stadium is that you don’t have a neighbor looking into the window. The columns are lighted at night like a Roman coliseum,” Varga says.
The view may be impressive, but serious shoppers might want to check out the intensity of the candlepower at night for themselves.
The model is described as a two-bedroom, two-bathroom with family room or den on the floor plan. But I suspect some buyers, including the House Hunter, would turn the den into a dining room.
In addition, it also has $160,000 in upgrades which boosts its price, as shown, to $686,408 without the furnishings.
Visitors enter the family room or den when entering the unit. At almost 12 by 10 feet, the room opens onto the kitchen which in turn is divided from the 14-by-18-foot living room by a granite-topped counter.
The 10 1/2-by-10-foot kitchen is spacious by condo standards, but the living room, as displayed, with a corner fireplace, living room and dining room furniture, feels cramped. Sliding doors lead to a deck overlooking rail tracks and Soldier Field.
The den is shown with sofa and chairs and a wall outfitted with elaborate wood cabinetry including a bar. The washer and dryer are in a closet area immediately to the right of the front door. Two additional large closets are on the same wall.
Over half of the floor space is in the bedrooms and two baths which open onto a short hall from the kitchen.
The secondary bedroom is about 10 by 14 feet and the bath is across the hall. The master bedroom suite at the end of hall includes a bedroom, walk-in closet, small area labeled a sitting room and a large private bath.
The bedroom is only somewhat larger than the second bedroom and is shown with a queen, not king, bed.
The walk-in closet is sizable, but the space labeled “sitting area” seems wasted to me. It could be used as a small home office, for TV or a computer for those who are truly organized, but this dark interior area most likely will be unappealing for light lovers except as a dressing room or overflow storage.
In contrast, the adjacent master bath is large with a whirlpool tub, separate shower, two sinks and a separate area for the commode.
This is a development which has undergone a recent change in ownership. The hallways and front lobby are undecorated and as utilitarian-looking as a chain motel.
Varga says the new owner already has plans to address that, but buyers may want to have more details before signing on the dotted line.
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Prairie House at Central Station
Address: 1515 S. Prairie Ave.
Developer: The Radco Cos.
Phone: 312-427-3576 or www.prairiehousechicago.com
Description: A development of 187 condos, from 944 to 2,470 square feet, with one to three bedrooms, 1 1/2 to 3 baths in a 14-story tower and 6 four-story townhouses, with three bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, from 3,698 to 3,858 square feet.
Base prices: Available condos are base-priced from $295,718 to $947,207. Remaining townhouses are $839,452 to $889,449. Monthly condo assessments $242 to $633. Prices as of April 9.
Amenities: In-home laundry hook-ups, terraces or balconies, hardwood floors, gas fireplaces with marble hearths and surrounds, granite countertops, indoor parking, doorman.
Neighborhood: Near the Loop, Grant Park, Lake Michigan. Easy access to Lake Shore Drive and public transportation.