Victorian Splendor
NYTimes Online

WHAT: A three-bedroom 2,627-square-f00t brick Victorian with two full and two half baths, built in 1889 on a 31-foot-wide lot
HOW MUCH: $1,075,000
PER SQUARE FOOT: $355.14
SETTING: After years as an area for farming celery — a crop amenable to sandy soil — the Lakeview area of Chicago first became popular in the 19th century among families looking toward the shore for breaks from summer heat. “Lake View” became its own city in 1887.
Contemporary Lakeview — a hash of culture, commerce and residential areas juxtaposing newer developments with older homes — remains a vibrant neighborhood. Restaurants and clubs are abundant but not overwhelming, and a breadth of tastes is accommodated: both Wrigley Field and Chicago’s “Off-Loop” theater district are within walking distance, as are the rainbow-wrapped pillars of Boystown, Chicago’s gay district.
COMMON SPACES: A cherry wood staircase — procured by the current owner from a custom staircase business in Sandwich, Ill. — leads from the ground-level entryway to a living room with 11-foot ceilings, an original fireplace and two wall-height windows overlooking Wolfram Street. A glass door crowned by an original stained-glass window opens onto a small deck. Through an arched entryway is a large dining room, connecting to a kitchen with natural stone countertops, a Sub-Zero refrigerator and Dacor appliances.
At the back of the second floor is a great room with 17-foot-high cathedral ceilings, angled skylights and a fireplace. A glass door opens to another deck that overlooks the backyard. The current owner added stained-glass panels above the windows, designed to match an original panel in the living room.
The owner also discovered a fireplace hidden behind plaster in a first-floor bedroom now used as a den. He surfaced it and installed a turn-of-the-century marble mantel. The house’s 1,000-square-foot basement is finished.
PERSONAL SPACES: A master bedroom at the back of the house leads to a walk-in closet, a ceramic-tiled mudroom (with a separate entrance from the backyard) and a bathroom with a Jacuzzi set under a stained-glass window. Stairs off the mudroom lead to the great room on the second floor.
OUTDOOR SPACE: A large cottonwood tree in front of the house offers shade from southern exposure. In the small backyard, an evergreen stands over bushes dotted with purple blossoms.
AMENITIES: Three working fireplaces, a three-car garage and a Jacuzzi in the master bathroom
TAXES: $13,009 a year
CONTACT: Ronda Fish, Sudler Sotheby’s International Realty (312) 337-8800;