On the Market

On the Market—Twin Moderns in Ukrainian Village

List Price: $1,049,000 each
The Properties: These two sleek houses are the design of Studio Dwell Architects. Behind their almost-identical cedar and glass facades, they have spacious floor plans, sharp Arcilinea kitchens, and top-floor master bedrooms with exquisite views of two local landmarks: the gold dome of Sts. Vladimir and Olga Church and the multiple copper spires of St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral.

Each house has a big double-height front room that combines living and dining with an almost vertiginous view up two flights of stairs. Beyond are a kitchen and a second dining area, with a landing and stairs outside to a garage-roof deck. It’s about five feet higher than most garage roofs, providing both more remove from the alley and extra storage space in the garage.

The second floor has two bedrooms sharing one bath, and the master bedroom, which occupies the entire third floor, has another deck, this one sporting views across the neighborhood to the United Center and downtown. The master bath will have a shower separated from the bedroom by only a frosted-glass wall. (The only difference I found between the two houses is that the eastern house has a horizontal band of windows in the master bedroom that center on a view of the John Hancock building, three miles east. The equivalent windows in the second house look west over the neighborhood.) The finishes, scheduled for a February completion, will include horizontal tiling in the bathrooms and, in the kitchen, rip-sawn white oak cabinets with a chocolate finish and high-end appliances by Miele, Sub-Zero, and others.

The “twins” make a pronounced contemporary statement on their block in the southern part of Ukrainian Village, but they aren’t isolated newcomers. Unlike the trim brick two-flats and other older homes that predominate in the northern part of the neighborhood (above Chicago Avenue), newer structures have here replaced many small and sometimes ramshackle older houses here. Just a block away is the glimmering, Gehry-like curved metal top of one of the neighborhood’s pioneers, a striking house designed by Linda Searl.

Price Points: Each house was originally priced at $1,150,000, but on January 7th, the builder, Karma Development, cut that to $1,049,000. At least 13 other contemporary-styled houses have sold within six blocks of this one, and in this price range. The most recent is a $1.3-million sale three blocks north.

Listing Agent: Mario Greco, Rubloff, (773) 687-4696

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