Humble at heart
Historic Astor Street is posh yet approachable
Astor Street, one of the Gold Coast’s most prestigious addresses (despite being a mere four blocks) has long been acclaimed for its architecturally significant real estate — not to mention the social status of its residents. But that aristocratic reputation belies its livability and charm. “It has such a different character than its neighbors, and it’s unusual for a Gold Coast street to have such a warm, human scale,” says Tim Samuelson, cultural historian for the City of Chicago. It’s also an ideal location, with everything you could want or need nearby, from schools to restaurants to the lake.
“It’s also unusual for such a posh street to sport such diverse offerings with a wide range of price points,” says Baird & Warner broker Tom
Gorman (right, call 312-543-8614), who is marketing a full-floor flat at 1434 N. Astor, unit 1, in what was once a single-family mansion. The charming, three-unit graystone was built in 1891 and has been lovingly maintained and updated, but he calls this unit — with 2,700-square-feet, two-bedrooms, 2.5-baths and much of its original neo-classical detailing still intact — a “magic jewel box of a place.” The price point is up there at $1,450,000. But it’s nowhere near the $8 million ask for 1442 N. Astor, a stunning, 7,500-squarefoot 1890 graystone mansion a few doors down with five bedrooms and seven baths (contact Baird & Warner broker Hillary
Levy, 312-640-7010).