Chicago home that survived the city’s Great Fire asks $2.39M

Don’t name it a hearth sale.

A four-bedroom, four-bathroom Windy Metropolis dwelling that survived the Nice Chicago Fireplace of 1871 — particularly, one in all simply three homes within the North Facet that dodged the wrath of the days-long conflagration — has listed for $2.39 million, its itemizing brokerage informed The Put up.

Standing at 2121 N. Hudson Ave. in prime Lincoln Park, this 1869-built residence has since been enlarged by the present house owners — and so they owe their because of a Chicago policeman named Richard Bellinger.

Bellinger, the unique proprietor of the property, is said to have saved the construction by dousing it with water — and when that ran out, he turned to his inventory of cider. With assist from his brother-in-law, Bellinger moreover cleared the grounds of dry leaves, tore up a close-by picket sidewalk — and at any time when sparks landed, snuffed them.

Regardless of the technique, Bellinger benefited tremendously from the end result. The fireplace started on Oct. 8 that 12 months and tore by means of a swath of town till the early hours of Oct. 10. Chicago had gone months with out rain — and a hearth the night time of Oct. 7 left city firefighters exhausted and with their tools broken. The blaze started on the West Facet of town, in a barn belonging to Patrick and Catherine O’Leary, although its trigger stays unknown.

Wind from the southwest helped gasoline the hearth’s unfold, which reached its finish solely resulting from rainfall, the expanse of Lake Michigan and unbuilt heaps on the North Facet, the place this dwelling stays. Nonetheless, the hearth killed roughly 300 folks, left almost 100,000 homeless, ripped by means of greater than 17,400 buildings throughout 3.5 sq. miles and inflicted $200 million — $4.71 billion in at the moment’s inflation-adjusted figures — of harm after destroying roughly a 3rd of town.

Regardless of its story of beating the percentages, the house additionally comes with architectural pedigree. The Massachusetts-born architect W.W. Boyington lent his contact to this home — and to plenty of different metropolis buildings within the years earlier than the hearth, the majority of which had been destroyed. Past this dwelling, one other Boyington design that continues to be standing is town’s famed Water Tower on Michigan Avenue.

Again in Lincoln Park, this listed dwelling measures 3,650 sq. ft and stands on a 46-foot lot. Amongst its authentic particulars that stay, a staircase on the skin of the house that results in the principle stage.

Bette Bleeker, a dealer at @properties/Luxurious Portfolio Worldwide, has the itemizing, and informed The Put up that though the historical past fascinates many, the house’s location, its measurement and its fashion additionally advantage consideration.

“It’s a novel home to Chicago and a very distinctive home to the Lincoln Park neighborhood,” she stated, including that on this avenue, buildings are largely brick. “The historical past, in fact, is a pleasant little story to have about the home.”

Inside, the lounge has a two-story cathedral ceiling and home windows that face south and west. A library comes with a double-sided fire. The kitchen has oak cupboards, granite counters and an vintage French-tiled flooring. A versatile nice/eating room leads exterior, the place there’s house for grilling and eating, a fountain and a vegetable backyard. There’s additionally a two-car storage with space for storing.

Again inside, the master suite has a non-public outside deck. In the meantime, a lower-level bed room, media room and toilet has its personal entrance and may very well be used as a house workplace house.

Past proudly owning a house with standout historical past and with well-maintained particulars, Bleeker added there’s one other bragging proper.

“Should you say the tackle in Chicago, virtually everybody is aware of what it’s as a result of it’s so distinctive,” she stated.