Wilted from the heat and humidity, I arrived at the front of Courtyard on the Park on South King Drive to find a development ablaze with flowers in a green and inviting courtyard behind the wrought iron gate.
I had come to see condos priced from $139,000 and–though I don’t like to admit I’m a famous author groupie–to check out the developer’s tantalizing claim that American playwright Lorraine Hansberry, author of the prize-winning play “A Raisin in the Sun,” once had lived here.
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What I found was a 1920s steel-beam masonry building where the exterior has been appealingly updated with new windows, the addition of balconies and patios and beautiful landscaping. And interiors are almost as good as the exterior.
Renovated and converted by Mark Foreit of Foreit Properties LLC with a big assist by K2 Architects, who did the design, the project is about 70 percent sold.
The four-story, 38-unit building, which has a marker indicating Hansberry had been a resident, is named for and overlooks Washington Park across Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
The park, designed by the “father of American landscape architecture,” Frederick Law Olmsted, and his partner Calvert Vaux, is part of the large interconnected South Side greenway that includes Jackson Park and the Midway Plaisance at the University of Chicago.
Foreit touts Washington Park as “truly one of the lesser-known treasures” in Chicago, a comment that might also be applied to this neighborhood as well as other South Side neighborhoods which suffered after the racial unrest of the 1960s when many residents, banks and a number of businesses pulled out.
A core of longtime residents remained. Today the area is a mix of solid early 20th Century buildings and vacant lots, good access to transportation and the lake, but fewer trendy shops and Starbucks than any North Side neighborhood the same distance from Loop.
This particular building had fallen on hard times by the time Foreit, whose firm won an award from the city for outstanding renovation of a residence in 2003, arrived on the scene.
The interior was so damaged by vandalism–and later a fire–that much of it had to be gutted.
For buyers, that should be good news because it forced the developer to do more than slap a new coat of paint on the walls as in some conversions. The building required mold remediation, new plumbing, wiring and windows, as well as a roof.
There are one-, two- and three-bedroom condos, although most of the remaining units have two and three bedrooms.
The front door of a two-bedroom, two-bath plan on the south wing of the building opens from the hallway into a combined living/dining room about 14 by 19 1/2 square feet. The rectangular room has a coat closet to the left of the front door and a ventless fireplace, standard, on one wall.
The room overlooks the courtyard and has a small enclosed sunroom at one corner. Doors at the front open to a balcony big enough for a small table and chair as well as a grill.
The door to the secondary bedroom, about 11 by 10 feet, is near the front door, as is a compact bath with shower, no tub.
The master bedroom, about 11 1/2 by 14 square feet, opens onto the living/dining room. It has a closet along one wall and a private bath, comfortable for one, snug for two.
The kitchen at the back of the unit is about 11 by 11 square feet. The work area is in one corner with countertops along two walls on either side of the range and the double sink, which is below a window overlooking the back stairway.
The builder installed a tall vertical pantry cabinet on the wall opposite the range for more storage, but it still is limited. The fourth wall in the room opens to the stacked washer/dryer.
The most expensive unit is a 1,600-square-foot three-bedroom condo, base-priced at $229,900. In this unit the wide foyer leads to a rectangular shaped living/dining room, about 15 by 22 feet, which is the central portion of the unit.
The kitchen, a bath, the bedrooms and the sunroom at the front of the unit surround this central living area.
A full bath is to the right of the front door off the foyer. The door to a bedroom, about 11 1/2 by 14 feet, is opposite the bathroom on the outside wall of the building.
The master bedroom, 11 1/2 by about 18 feet, is to the left of the living room. It has a door to the balcony as well as a master bath and a walk-in closet. The good-size kitchen and a bedroom are to the right of the living room.
The two-bedroom, two-bath ground-floor unit, which doubles as the sales office and model, is on the ground level. It has a heated floor, travertine marble floor tiles and an open living floor plan.
The centerpiece of the open living area is a brick pillar which makes a dandy room divider between the living room and kitchen/dining area.
The kitchen is extended along one wall–no work triangle here unless the buyer adds an island. Large windows allow in plenty of natural light. At the front of the unit next to the sidewalks is an enclosed sunroom where the builder has installed electric blinds for privacy.
The architect and builder have added space to units by enclosing the once-open sun porches. The porch size varies, however, and in some units, those rooms fall under the nook category–best used for plants, a reading place, small home office or a tiny playroom for small children.
Modern finishes such as granite countertops and the marble tile in the baths update the condos for current tastes. Still, baths are not large and closet space is limited; so these condos most likely will be appreciated by those who like a home with a vintage feel.
This is not an elevator building, though there are ground-level units for those who are averse to stairs. Early buyers are mostly first-time homeowners and are generally from the neighborhood and those who, from the North Side, Loop and South Side, are tired of paying high rents, Foreit said.
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The greenery in the park, for which the project is named, is always a welcome urban retreat. But parks also are used for recreation and before buying a unit at the front of the building, I might check whether the court across from the building attracts late-night games complete with the shouts of players and the thud of balls.
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Courtyard on the Park
Address: 5936-48 S. King Drive, Chicago
Developer: Foreit Properties LLC
Phone: 77-370-2772
Web: www.courtyardonthepark.info
Description: One-, two- and three-bedroom, one and two bath condominiums in converted 38-unit courtyard building. One outdoor parking space included; additional space $7,500. Units from 700 to 1,600 square feet, base-priced from $139,000 to $239,900. Monthly assessment $90 to $170. Prices as of July 29.
Amenities: Select oak floors, marble baths, maple or cherry kitchen cabinets, granite kitchen countertops, private balcony or patio, sunroom, fireplace, in-unit laundry hookup. Category 6 wiring and high-speed cable. Concrete soundproofing.
Neighborhood: Facing Washington Park, near Hyde Park, University of Chicago, restaurants and stores, CTA, Museum of Science and Industry.
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