Lots of new American mini-mansions were built between 2000 and 2005 thanks to the combination of low interest rates and soaring home-price appreciation, but history buffs now have a chance to buy a portion of the real thing, an authentic old-fashioned mansion in Evanston.
Called the George B. Dryden house, the big red-brick residence at the corner of Dempster Street and Ridge Avenue was used for more than 30 years as the headquarters of Skokie-Evanston School District 65.
The residence, which sits on 2.3 acres of land, half a city block, was sold at auction for nearly $3 million when the district moved to newer quarters.
Now, four years and considerably more money later, the house, built by rubber industrialist Dryden, has been subdivided and renovated into four large condominium homes. A large carriage house on the property has been converted into two townhouses and there are plans for seven houses to be built on the property.
This is hardly the usual condo conversion. The property is on the National Registry of Historic Places and the restoration of the exterior was coordinated with the Evanston Historical Commission.
It would be hard to find a more prominent location for a new redevelopment or to find one with better-documented provenance.
The original 30-room red brick house, completed in 1916, was designed by architect George Maher, a contemporary of Frank Lloyd Wright who designed many prairie-style homes on the North Shore and in Chicago. But the Drydens asked for a Georgian-style home.
More to the point, George Dryden’s wife, Ellen, wanted a house modeled after the Rochester, N.Y., home of George Eastman, founder of Eastman Kodak. Ellen Dryden was Eastman’s niece and one of his closest relatives.
When George Dryden died at age 90 in 1959, the property was bequeathed to Northwestern University, which used it until it was acquired by the Evanston school district.
Judging by the “before” pictures taken by developer Michael Niazmand, the district was hard on the property, or was so cash-strapped that maintenance suffered.
The work necessary to restore the exterior and update the interior infrastructure has taken years.
There was the matter of trying to win approval for more than two units in the main house — Niazmand said most private homes in Evanston can be subdivided into no more than two units. Then there was the time necessary for reconstruction.
Today, each of the four new residences inside the mansion has a different floor plan. The same for the two townhouses carved from the former carriage house. Six new two-car garages made of red brick to match the older buildings have been built in the center of the property.
Both the condos and the townhouses are heated and cooled by a central heating and cooling system similar to one used in large condominium buildings. Kolbe windows with real wood and double panes to duplicate the old windows of the mansion have been installed, along with a sprinkler system, hardwood floors, all new plumbing, electrical system and digital cable.
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The original wood-burning fireplaces have been refurbished and the slate roof has been restored. A laundry room or closet has been added to each unit and each of the homes has a private outdoor space and a 70-square-foot storage room in the building’s lower level.
The most dramatic common element the condos share is the mansion’s original huge foyer or reception hall inside the front door facing Ridge Avenue.
The space has a broad Brazilian cherry stairway that curves to either side. It is a room that no doubt was designed to impress visitors when the house was first built and it continues to impress today, if for no other reason than the sheer extravagance of so much space — big enough for a good-sized party — lavished on little more than greeting guests.
Each of the four condos can be reached from this common entry. Doors on opposite sides of the foyer open to the two condominiums. The stairs lead to the second and third floor units.
Only one condo, which has been sold, is completely finished — the 3,419-square-foot Eastman on the north side of the home. The other three units — one larger, two smaller — are in various stages of construction, as are the town homes.
The Eastman contains Dryden’s original walnut-paneled library, used for years as the office of the superintendent of the school system, but the new owner may choose to use it as a study or home office with its built-in bookshelves and working fireplace with window seats on either side.
The library is across the hall from the combined living/dining room with an impressive curved wall of windows. A new walk-through kitchen is at the back of the living/dining area and is the gateway to the hall that leads to rest of the condo.
A bath, plus a room which could be family or hobby room, is off this hallway, which ends at the door of the impressive master suite at the back of the building.
The bedroom has large windows on two walls, as well as an original fireplace. It is adjacent to a spacious private bath with windows on two sides overlooking the driveway and garage area.
Outside the master bedroom, stairs go to the lower level, where another three bedrooms, full bath and laundry are located.
Across the entrance foyer on the south side of the mansion is the even larger three-level Dryden condominium with 3,636 square feet.
This floor plan promises to be more like a detached suburban home than a traditional condo and it is the only unit where a personal elevator could be installed. The front door of the unit opens from the main foyer into the living room of the original house. That space is divided by a wall with a restored fireplace from the large kitchen, with windows on three walls.
The space is large and faces south. This is the only unit where the kitchen and casual dining are a separate room from the living area. The space resembles a solarium, and when complete will be a light-filled place for morning coffee or large family gatherings.
Above the living room is the master bedroom suite, which opens to a south-facing room with three walls of windows and balconies on either side. In the lower level, beneath the living room, is a family room flanked by a bedroom and private bath on either side.
More problematic are the smaller, second- and third-floor condos. The 2,323-square-foot Maher has the long, rectangular configuration of the Eastman below. Its front door opens from the spacious second floor landing at the top of the curving main staircase.
An open plan living/dining space and kitchen is to the right, overlooking Ridge Avenue. The bedrooms are to the left, along a hallway to the back of the building. The two secondary bedrooms are small and the closet space limited, but the sizable private terrace atop the portico is a major plus.
The third-floor condominium dubbed the Ridge, with 3,309 square feet, occupies the top floor of the building and boasts an unusual barrel ceiling living/dining and kitchen space. It once was the Dryden ballroom, with a terrace facing south.
While I could wish for a billionaire like Bill Gates to keep such a property intact, I have to admire the tenacity of anyone undertaking such a redevelopment.
With the condos priced from $433 a square foot and up, the units are aimed at a limited pools of buyers who will have to gauge whether the secondary bedrooms in the smaller units are too small, as well as the closets.
The finishes shown in the Eastman model are first-rate and there has been thought and attention to detail from the outdoor space to the back stairway to the storage units in the lower level. The floor plans are very individual, even idiosyncratic, however. They most likely will be appreciated by those with a strong sense of history and adventure.
Ashley Ridge Homes of Evanston
Base-price range: $975,000 to $1,575,000
FACTS & FIGURES
Three-bedroom, 3- to 4M-=-bath condominiums and two three-bedroom, 4M-= bath townhouses, all with a two-car garage
Floor areas: Condos, 2,323 to 3,636 square feet; townhouses, 3,100 and 3,244 square feet.
Monthly assessment: $408 to $560
Developer: Asbury Ridge LLC
Web site: www.asburyridgehomes.com
AMENITIES
– 9M-=- to 10M-= -foot ceilings, hardwood floors.
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– Viking appliances, Grohe faucets.
– Steam shower, rain shower in each unit.
– Original wood-burning fireplaces in units, with all new plumbing and wiring.
Community: Four condominiums, two townhouses and seven new-construction houses planned for a 2.3-acre site listed on the National Register of Historical Places.
GETTING THERE
Address: 1314 Ridge Ave., Evanston
Phone: 847-446-9166
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